Sportswear is not an essential, but it is a necessity. I have a closet full of workout clothes and casual apparel. A lot of it is from Nike. I picked up Nike polo shirts because I operate an e-commerce site requiring me to pack and ship and carry huge boxes around in the Memphis heat. I would then have to run back to the studio to do a Zoom call or meet with someone. After only six months of use, the Nike polo shrank and doesn’t look as good as it did when I purchased it. This isn’t a dig at Nike. It’s a comment on accessibility and the importance of being able to touch and feel what is being purchased. Access improves growth especially when the clothing isn’t required for day to day but does help to make life a bit easier. There are three Nike stores in Memphis so I can quickly visit a store and buy workout gear. The majority of people tend to function in this manner which makes it extremely difficult for start-ups to capture and create fans outside of their regions. I’ve long been a proponent of “conquer your region” first and then expand, but a “new” brand must also be available and active to hit outside of their target area as regional fans grow complacent.
For my current lifestyle, the best clothing tends to be multi-functional. When I began running arch as a discussion site vs a running/training brand, I would randomly drop links to a brand-named Outlier in my discussions. Outlier is a biking apparel company focused on more casual apparel meant to transition from the ride to the boardroom. It was not inexpensive, but the clothing was beautifully designed and multi-functional. Much of the clothing was also sustainably made. Outlier became a beacon and led me to the discovery of brands like Taylor Stitch and Outerknown.
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Although I had purchased a bike, in Memphis I wasn’t ever going to bike to my office. The biking lanes in Memphis are only beginning to develop with safety in mind. You also need a vehicle here to function. I bring this up to state that my foray into sustainably made, elevated, multi-functional apparel began after I stopped attempting to make my own running brand. I learned about waste in fashion and because I’ve been in the sneaker industry and I purchase so many items I understood the importance of buying better quality product, but cost doesn’t mean quality. I wasn’t biking to work so Outlier fell from the purchase funnel. I looked to other brands on the fashion side of things, but the price always gave me pause. Although I buy a lot, deals aren’t easy to come buy with brands like Taylor Stitch, the moment I ordered pants from TS I was hooked, but it took a lot of visits to the site and some of the sizing I got wrong. Buying online is difficult so I still revert to accessibility. In buying the Nike polo I discussed earlier, I was making a short-term purchase because it costs $80.00. The problem is the fit became horrible after months of wear in the Miami and Memphis heat and humidity. My purchases from Outerknown and Taylor Stitch still hold up. The brand this post is about, I’m getting there, offers a polo at $128.00. This is in line with Outlier, Outerknown and Taylor Stitch. Tracksmith reminds me of Outlier except for running. What is this post about?
I’ve spent the week looking at Tracksmith and having detailed conversations on LinkedIn. I ran a poll on Facebook for 24 hours. Of the 26 people (28 now as people still answer) who responded to the question, “Have you ever heard of the brand Tracksmith?” Only 1 answered yes and that person was from the area the brand started in and he also worked in the sneaker industry. 4 of the people who responded were White. The rest were Black/Brown. The backgrounds of the people who responded ranged from head basketball coaches, to military veterans, to educators and 11 of the 28 were women. Income levels varied, but most are solidly middle class to upper middle class. This isn’t really Tracksmith’s audience, or is it? I’m also connected to younger guys who are in sneaker culture. I operate a sneaker site and have access to kicks, by default I’m in that community as well although I’m older than the demographic. None of my young peers had heard of the brand. This hasn’t prevented Tracksmith from becoming “the cult brand in running,” and it hasn’t prevented the company from opening more locations. Tracksmith is “conquering their region”. In the video below I talk about the importance of being a small business and owning your territory. I explain this as the most important aspect for the initial growth phase of any business.
Tracksmith is a stylish performance-oriented brand. They remind me of Ralph Lauren and Nautica. In the 80s and 90s these brands found themselves crossing over into streetwear. They also became aspirational for various demographics outside of people who played polo or those who participated in yachting. Tracksmith made a decision to support 40 runners from a variety of races. In doing so they organically opened the door to a new demographic. When a company decides to expand by focusing solely on the larger market, they fail to understand the potential in diversity. Cravont Charleston is a gateway in a niche that could allow Tracksmith to organically crossover. The brand doesn’t have to pursue, it simply has to continue educating. The look of the brand feels like a heritage brand and while the brand shouldn’t be overt about capturing this market, they should find a path to those 27 pollsters and people like them. This could be as simple as building dialogue with a company like Running Industry Diversity Coalition to find a way to organically speak to these diverse communities. Tracksmith should focus on the niche aspects of track and field because an athlete like Cravont gives the brand immediate credibility and long-term this will become a part of the brand’s narrative. Nike’s reemphasis on track and running is a signal to be more thoughtful about where and how the brand should engage. I discovered Tracksmith because of their work in the niche. In the last week the articles I’ve decided to write have had 7,531 Impressions, 149 Reactions, and 32 Comments. I’m picking up product and will continue to build content by filming an unboxing and workout video. I love what the brand looks like and what they represent. If the company wants to broaden their demographic, they should, or they can focus on ultra running where that community doesn’t really see their footwear as an option.