Four running brands for the sporty store mix

Four young running brands conquer the market with innovative designs and sustainable production.

Running is trendy – and you shouldn’t hesitate! We present brands that are at the forefront of performance and style. Whether loose city run in a casual look or high-tech gear for the long distance-it runs here. Experienced designers provide the fashionable finish: inside, including even a Woolmark award winner.

Kuta distance L.ab

Kuta distance L.AB was founded in November 2020 by the three friends, runners: inside and like -minded creative Viktor Maiorana, Olle Kling and Sebastian Sandblad to close a gap in the field of functional clothing and equipment. The brand describes itself as an innovation studio, which is a “new, influential alternative to the established global sports clothing stamps”.

The Swedish brand relies on running essentials that are manufactured in a local, order-related procedure. For this, the brand works with a small supplier from near Stockholm, with whom it is in close contact. In this way, products can also be tested on site and adapted if necessary. This approach wants to avoid overproduction and waste of material. Subsiders are used for clothing trailers and repairs.

In addition to its own creations, the brand, with its L.ab approach, also offers a announcement: inside, to bring in your personal touch. Interesting: Inside, Kuta can report with a product idea or a concept and are integrated into the entire development process. Fabric remains are also used here.

The brand’s SS25 range includes pants and T-shirts in different lengths and styles, jackets and accessories such as a hat and a traditional compass.

Soar Running

The designer and runner Tim Soar, who looks back on a 40-year career in the areas of fashion, music, product and graphic design, is hidden behind the brand Soar Running. He also made a name for himself in London and produced soundtracks for the viewing of fashion houses such as Prada, Miu Miu and Yves Saint Laurent. This connection to the fashion world led to the experimental label Tim Soar of the same name in 2005. For this purpose, the designer was awarded two consecutive seasons with the Newgen Award of the Fashion Association British Fashion Council.

In 2015 he started soar running with the aim of redefining running clothing because the previous offer “did not fit, slipped and the materials were uncomfortable and of poor quality. That is why he developed a “new type of sportswear”, in which “the craftsmanship of the tailoring with the development of brand new, own fabrics and careful product tests with real runners: combined inside”.

This includes pieces such as the Race Vest, a sleeveless kit from “Space3D” mesh, which became the bestseller of the brand due to its breathability and fit. The light polyester elastane mixture is produced from recycled fabrics in Italy. The 3D tissue structure quickly derives the sweat and the glued seams ensure comfort.

Soar is represented worldwide in 35 point-of-sales in cities such as Stockholm, Mexico City and Hong Kong, which mostly specialize in running. The brand is represented in its hometown London with a location where the headquarters and a showroom are also housed. On-site consumers can also shop on site: especially at events such as the London marathon “practical” for the brand. In addition to an insight into the Soar collection, the location also serves as a community meeting point for runs, talks and exhibitions.

Unna

John-Ruben Holtback, the founder of the Unna brand, also has a background in fashion. The Swedish designer started his own label L’Homme Rouge in 2013, which won the International Woolmark Prize four years later.

In 2022 he started the running brand Unna, for which he is supported by his brother and another co -founder, who is responsible for graphic design as an art director. The majority – from the creative direction to marketing to production – is in Holtback’s hands.

After years in the fashion and creative industry, he converted his passion for running and movement “into a brand that combines performance with culture, humor and joie de vivre,” said Holtback.

The goal of the brand is therefore not to break new records among the big runs in the world, but to promote a balance between well -being, positive energy and a more integrative approach to movement. Accordingly, the design is also located at the interface of running clothing and everyday clothing. Retro silhouettes meet functional materials and well thought-out details.

Alex Zono

Alex Zono founded the brand of the same name in Cape Town in 2022 to “celebrate the romance of running”. The runner and independent designer create sentimental pieces that are directed to runners: inside and their viewers: inside. Zono can be inspired by the athletes: inside – how your clothing is used or modified.

Since the cuts are rather loose and the style follows a DIY approach, the brand is a good alternative for hobby runners: inside that do not need performance clothing.

From the former idea of ​​creating running clothing, a greater story has developed that Zono offers its very own freedom, explains the brand founder. For this purpose, it relies on rather smaller, season-independent collections that are launched in the form of product drops. Instead of the fashion season, he is more based on the running calendar and plans the latest release for the next big competition.

“Our goal is not to produce too much, but to ensure that all runners: inside has access and it does not become an excessively hyped article,” explains Zono. Production and customer needs play a role in sales. However, there must always be time to take a deep breath between the releases.