Rhone Apparel

Rhone Apparel (referred to simply as Rhone) is an American company producing and selling men's sportswear (activewear).

Rhone Apparel Inc.
IndustryTextile
Founded2014 (2014)
FoundersNate Checketts, Carras Holmstead, Casey Edgar, Kyle McClure, Ben Checketts
Headquarters484 Pacific St.,
Stamford
,
United States
Number of locations
3
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Nate Checketts (CEO)
ProductsMen's sportswear (activewear)
BrandsRhone, SilverTech, GoldFusion
Number of employees
50 (2019)
Websiterhone.com

History

Rhone was founded in 2014 in New Canaan, Connecticut by Carras Holmstead, Casey Edgar, Kyle McClure and brothers Nate and Ben Checketts.[1] The company's name derives from the river and region in Europe of the same name,[2] as the founders were inspired by the reputation of the Rhône as historically essential to surrounding civilizations as well as the river being aesthetically beautiful.[3]

While the company originally launched as a web-only retailer, Rhone partnered with Bloomingdale's in November 2014 to sell at five locations. In 2015, the company was stocked in 127 locations total with retailers such as Nordstrom, Equinox, and CorePower Yoga.[4] In November 2015, the company earned 62% of its total annual revenue for 2014 .[5]

In September 2015, the company announced the closing of a $5 million Series A financing. Investors included individuals from sports, media, and fashion circles.[6] Since its launch, Rhone has raised a total of $6.2 million.[4] In February 2016, Rhone purchased a building in Stamford to use as its new headquarters.[7]

Profile and products

Rhone is a clothing line for men aged between 25-50, who have an active lifestyle. It uses sustainable fabrics like organic cotton, recycled polyester, marino wool, and modal.

The company's product line aims to distinguish itself from brands like Lululemon, Nike, and Under Armour,[6] by claiming that it uses superior materials in order to create clothes that last longer than the average product.

Research on antimicrobial fabrics, the founders discovered that weaving silver into cloth created permanent antibacterial and anti-odorant protection.[8] Silver thread is woven into many of the company's products.[9]

The company sometimes stitches inspirational messages onto its products, such as "Don't Die Without a Few Scars" or "What We Do in Life Echoes in Eternity."[10] Flatlock stitching, where the seams lie flat with edges of fabric butting together rather than folding together, is used to avoid chafing.[5] The Polartec Power Dry patented construction creates a fabric that is quick wicking to improve breathability and performance.[6]

Style names come from masculine icons like Durden after "Fight Club" character Tyler Durden[11] or Mako after the shark from The Old Man and the Sea.[2]

References
  1. Stephanie Smith (17 September 2014). "Athletic gear fit for Superman". New York Post. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  2. Dave Ruden (28 July 2014). "Top Of The Line: Two New Canaan Football Graduates Looking To Make It Big In Men's Activewear". The Ruden Report. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  3. "Our Story". Rhone Apparel. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  4. Fareeha Ali (13 January 2016). "Activewear retailer Rhone Apparel grows 500% in 2015". Internet Retailer. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  5. "Rhone Apparel Gets Into the Activewear Game". Bloomberg Business. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  6. Jason Belzer (11 November 2015). "Move Over Lululemon, Rhone Is About To Take Over The Men's Activewear Market". Forbes. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  7. Alexander Soule (3 February 2016). "Just for men: Rhone picks Stamford for new headquarters". Stamford Advocate. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  8. "Growing New Canaan startup to move to Stamford". News 12 Connecticut. 26 February 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  9. "Frequently Asked Questions". Rhone Apparel. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  10. Dominic Bonvissuto (28 October 2014). "Rhone Apparel Review". Jeans & Ties. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  11. David Colman (18 July 2014). "Rhone Apparel Makes Activewear Just for Men". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
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