Rhone Apparel

Rhone was founded in New Canaan, Connecticut, in 2014 by Nate Checketts, an ex-NFL employee, Kyle McClure, a former NCAA lacrosse player, and two other founders.[5] The company's name comes from the river and region in Europe.[6] The founders were inspired by the fact that the Rhône is not only aesthetically beautiful, but was also highly functional for the surrounding civilizations.[7]

The company launched as a web-only retailer, but partnered with Bloomingdale's in November 2014 to sell in five locations. In 2015, it entered 127 retail storefronts, selling at such retailers as Nordstrom, Equinox and CorePower Yoga.[8] Rhone launched its first pop-up store in New York City.[9]

Rhone experienced sharp growth in 2015. In the month of November, it earned 62% of its 2014 revenue. Its website traffic rose by 350% from 2014 to 2015.[1] Wholesale became the primary driver of the company's 500% growth over the year before that.[8]

The company announced the closing of a $5 million Series A financing in September 2015. The investors came from sports, media and fashion circles, including Steve Bornstein, David Stern, Ryen Russillo, and Shane Battier.[4] Since its launch, Rhone has raised a total of $6.2 million.[8]

In February 2016, Rhone organized the purchase of a building from 1892 in Stamford to convert it to a new headquarters.[10] At the time, about 65% of its business was online.[1]

Rhone is targeting sophisticated, high-income, active men that look for activewear that is both functional and attractive.[9] Its targeted demographic is between 25 and 50 years of age.[1] Its buyers are diverse, including a unit that defuses bombs in Afghanistan as well as marathon winners.[6] The fitness clothes can also be used for day-to-day activities.[11]

The company's product line aims to separate the brand from competitors like Lululemon, Nike and Under Armour, whose premium men's offerings are more generic and less available.[4] The company uses superior materials in order to create clothes that last longer than the average product. While the average mass brands spend between $2 and $4 a yard for fabrics, some of Rhone's fabrics cost $15 per yard.[6][1]

When the company founders began researching antimicrobial fabrics, they found that weaving silver into cloth created permanent antibacterial and anti-odorant protection, unlike typical anti-odorant treatments which last for 15 to 20 washes.[2] SilverTech is the brand name of the silver thread that is woven into the company's fabrics.[3] In fact, silver has been used as an antiseptic since Hippocrates.

Clothing details include strategically placed breathable mesh venting panels;[12] silicone gel on the drawstring;[13] a media pocket; and a thick, tall and padded waistband on the shorts.[14] The clothes have stitched-in inspirational messages, such as "Don't Die Without a Few Scars" or "What We Do in Life Echoes in Eternity."[14] Flatlock stitching, where the seams lie flat with edges of fabric butting together rather than folding together, is used to avoid chafing.[1] The Polartec Power Dry patented construction creates a fabric that is quick wicking to improve breathability and performance.[4] The clothes have a combination of open and zippered pockets. The fit is a medium between XXL and compression.[15]

Other apparel includes the Rhone Flask, which keeps drinks cold for 24 hours and hot for 12 hours.[1]

Rhone's style names come from masculine icons, like the Durden T-shirt after "Fight Club" character Tyler Durden,[15] or the Mako short after the shark from The Old Man and the Sea.[6]

• Official website