The activewear space is booming, but premium brands tend to place their primary focus on women’s apparel. A new brand backed by former NFL Pro Bowl wide receiver Sidney Rice is looking to change that.
Rice, Seattle-based entrepreneur Daniel Kosh and a group of executives with experience in global sourcing and supply chain have relaunched Sodo Athletic Lab, positioning it as a high-end, men’s-only activewear brand.
Originally founded back in 2013, Sodo Athletic Lab gained a cult-like following among male athletes and entrepreneurs in the Seattle area, heralded for premium, comfortable and functional activewear pieces. Under new leadership, the brand will look to capture that same market on a larger scale.
“The men’s athletic-wear space is growing and there’s an opportunity in the premium sector,” Kosh told Athletech News. “Our positioning is around versatile clothes with highly technical features like a unique pocketing system and a different level of attention to detail.”
Sodo Athletic Lab will primarily target males between 35 and 55 years old who tend to purchase high-end apparel and footwear options from brands like Alo, On and others.
The brand’s current product line includes items like shorts, t-shirts, joggers, jackets and hoodies. With pieces ranging from $75 to $185, Sodo sits on the high end of the men’s activewear pricing spectrum, slightly above brands like Lululemon and Vuori which is right where it wants to be.
“There’s not really a menswear brand in the athletic space that’s servicing that (market) right now,” Kosh believes.
Premium Touches for a Premium Price
Kosh and Rice believe Sodo Athletic Lab is worth the high price tag, pointing to the brand’s use of high-quality materials and attention to detail when it comes to designing features that men actually want in their activewear.
That includes a smart pocket system designed to keep items like phones, wallets and keys from bouncing around, a common complaint men have with their workout gear. Sodo pockets contain special compartments, zippers and lining materials designed to hold these items firmly in place during movement.
It might seem like a minor detail, but it could make all the difference in the highly competitive activewear market.
“We have the opportunity to reinvent the pocket,” Kosh says. “If you think about it, pockets as we know them were designed before we had mobile phones and (headphones). What you used a pocket for 40 years ago is different from the way we use pockets today, but no one’s updated the design.”
Sodo Athletic Lab pieces also include features like utility belt loops, water-repellant fabrics and UPF 50 sun protection.
Giving Athletes a Say
Rice, who won a Super Bowl with the Seahawks and has been wearing Sodo Athletic Lab clothing since the Seattle-based brand’s initial iteration over a decade ago, jumped at the opportunity to join the Sodo team as a co-founder of the relaunched brand.
He points to design, comfort and versatility as differentiating factors between Sodo and other men’s activewear brands on the market.
“I’m a huge sweats guy; I like to be comfortable and relaxed,” Rice tells ATN. “We have a few different SKUs. Some of them I wear out and about for the day, but I also wear Sodo gear when I’m going to play basketball or work out. If I could, I’d wear Sodo to all of my business meetings.”
But Rice brings more than just name recognition to the activewear brand. Already a seasoned entrepreneur as a former owner of multiple successful Wingstop franchise locations and co-founder of the Dossier Wine Collective, the former NFL standout knows what it takes to build a thriving business.
Rice will advise Sodo on product design and development. He’ll also help the brand attract current and former athletes as brand partners and investors.
“Those are just endorsements,” Rice says of the typical relationship most athletes have with clothing companies. “We want people who believe in the product, who want to be a part of the team and actually be able to wear what they own.”
Bringing athletes on board as true brand partners rather than just spokespeople will be a key part of Sodo’s growth strategy, the team tells ATN.
“It’s skin in the game versus ‘wear the thing, take a picture and cut a check,’” Kosh adds. “Those relationships exist and will continue to exist, but this is very different. This is being a part of something and wearing your own stuff.”
