No-one communicates like we do
handful of manufacturing suppliers and double the number of fabric suppliers, selecting the best based on past performance. “We have one main factory in Malaysia that I’ve worked with for more than 15 years,” says Hunt. “They are aligned with what we want to achieve around sustainability; the use of cutting-edge fabrics; and the construction of the products and technology we use to test them. I went straight to them and they jumped on board.” They currently make around 70% of Pressio’s products. “We’ll hedge more as we go forward, but they are the main one, in addition to a couple that we have in China and a hosiery supplier in Italy.” Hunt is very open about the company’s operations. Its website pressio.com lists who they work with and where they are based. “We know our suppliers very well, we speak hourly to them and they all say ‘nobody works as closely with us as your business’.” → “Pressio can be a global change maker – no-one is doing things the way we are.”
a decade after launching, L Capital, investment arm of LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton), acquired a 40% stake, in an investment that was reportedly worth more than US$68.3m. Hunt’s new enterprise puts purpose at its centre and is run with co-founder Andy Nicholson, who mirrors his energy, passion and work ethic, and also happens to be his son-in-law. “We both love business and understand each other really well which allows for greater fluidity,” says Nicholson. “We decided to launch a sportswear company where we can make a real difference.” He says any mission-based company gets built on a founder mentality that’s pure adrenaline and the business has already been on an “incredible journey” since it launched. While still relatively young and small it is growing fast, with staff and suppliers being added all the time. To support this expansion, it is investing in its supplier management to ensure its infrastructure is fit-for-purpose and that it can track and prove claims made about its products and supply chain. Science, strategy and suppliers Pressio is staffed by a small team around the world, with 10 in the UK, five in the US, and offices based in Australia and Singapore planned for the near future. It already counts big name London department stores Harrods and Selfridges among its clientele. It anticipates that 2023 will be a big year for the business as it opens up to the US market and focuses on e-commerce, but Hunt wants to keep things compact. “I’m not a believer in
big teams. Too many companies have too many staff. We have the experience to do US$100m+ in sales with an extremely lean team,” says Hunt. A former elite athlete, with a junior world duathlon title to his name and later podium positions for triathlon world cups, Hunt remains a keen participant in Ironman competitions. After stepping down from professional sport, he “took his knowledge as a sportsman into how to manufacture fabrics” and fell in love with it. Working on product development at 2XU and starting Pressio with around 17 years’ experience of establishing supply base contracts, relationships and the development of performance materials. The company’s challenge is to make world-leading performance fabrics without compromising on ethics. Products need to be comfortable, naturally wick sweat and, where relevant, provide compression to promote blood flow and oxygenate muscle tissue. “You just can’t start a sporting brand and use a fabric your supplier recommends. You need to do something new,” says Hunt. “Brands wouldn’t normally deal with fabric suppliers but we’re involved in every part of our supply chain. I work with manufacturers and mills to develop our own fabrics, with our own stories.” The company is heavily involved at all stages from the raw material to production and often has to find the right suppliers and then work with them on what it wants. While 2XU had around 30 or more factories, Pressio currently has just a
Staying small, holding buffers and establishing strong links with suppliers to boost innovation and reduce risk is this sports brand’s recipe for resilience
Key Facts
Pressio may be small – and a brand you have not yet come across – but it already has big claims and even larger ambitions. “Although we only have a few suppliers we are the most sustainable apparel brand on the market and we plan to be a global change maker – no-one is doing things the way we are doing them,” says sportswear entrepreneur and co- founder Jamie Hunt.
Not only is the sports clothing company acutely focused on being the most sustainable, it is dedicated to using cutting-edge fabrics that enhance performance, particularly by aiding compression and wicking sweat. Hunt, a former performance athlete himself, was one of the three founders of 2XU (Two Times You) sports brand established in 2005. That business was so successful that less than
biodegradable, but Pressio aims to increase this to 50% by 2025. The use of eco-dyes reduces water usage by 50%, greenhouse gas emissions by 65%, and energy by 70%. No chemicals are released into waterways through the typical dyeing
or washing processes. More than half its products from 2022 sales benefit from eco-dyes. 85-90% of the summer 2023 collection will contain recycled fibres.
Pressio brought the world’s first biodegradable sportswear collection to market. These items break down in 2-12 years, degrading faster in marine environments; regular items take closer to 200 years. Only a small part of the range is currently
38
39
Powered by FlippingBook