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THE BIG INTERVIEW


Designed for athletes who go the extra mile


As reported in our August issue, 2012 will see the introduction of Dare 2b Teamwear into the promotional clothing market following on the success of its parent company Regatta in the industry. Editor, DEBBIE EALES, talks to Dare 2b managing director, GRAHAM RICKARD about the evolution of the brand, its strong heritage and the finer points of the new Dare 2b printwear collection.


Q. Give readers a feel for the products in the new Dare 2b Teamwear... A. Itʼs a range of multi-sport clothing including, waterproofs, windshells, midlayers and technical T shirts and leggings. There are also a couple of cycle specific pieces that will be popular with cycle clubs and teams who want to have a team look without having to secure sponsorship deals. A key piece is the Inventive Jacket which is made with Dare 2bʼs Ared 5,000 waterproof and breathable fabric. It has fully taped seams to keep the wearer dry and comfortable and a 4-way stretch back panel for improved mobility. Itʼs a perfect waterproof jacket for the active user. Other new techincal lines include the menʼs Constant 4-way stretch membrane softshell and bodywarmers. Extremely lightweight the softshell jacket provides protection against the wind without compromising on breathability they are ideal for active multi-sport use as a mid or outer layer. As youʼd expect all the Dare 2b Teamwear range has been designed with promotional printing in mind with all the essential locations (chest, back and sleeves) on the garments suitable for decorating. The pieces in the range feature minimal and discreet branding, so it is easy for customers to make the garments look like your own.


Q. Dare 2b has been around for a while now in the retail environment. Can you give us a potted history? A. The brand started in 2000, firstly in the world of skiing and snowboarding. There were two things that prompted its creation. The first was expansion into Europe where there is clearly a customer demand for snow sport. The second reason was the closure of C&A. They are probably best remembered for skiwear, so with them exiting the market there was an opportunity for a different brand. We had already had phenomenal success with Regatta. Itʼs a fabulous brand however its retail consumer positioning is ʻfamily, value, outdoor – or technical outdoorʼ. Skiwear and snow wear is rather more aspirational, more high tech, more active. So we took the opportunity to build a totally new brand, rather than adding skiwear to the Regatta offer. And


| 26 | November 2011


that proved to be the right thing to do. So the brand started there – almost as a part of Regatta to start with – and it grew very rapidly – but we soon realised that it had a life, and a reason to be, all of its own. We started to separate it out with its own design team, separate buyers and marketers and then, just over two years ago, we separated it out entirely with its own sales force and management structure. And that has been the catalyst for extremely strong growth. The brand has been growing between 50% and 70% a year, which is pretty pleasing. In retail, the Dare 2b is available in 36 countries around the world. It even has its own space in a Harrods concession.


Q. Have you done any studies in terms of brand recognition? Dare 2b has come a long way in a short time. A. Yes and we are now getting pretty solid recognition, around the 35% mark, which is pretty good for a brand of its age. It got very high recognition initially in the snow sports sector, which is where it started from, but then about three or four years ago, we realised there was an opportunity for it to be activity based, rather than just snow sports.


Q. So what happened then? About four years ago, we started to produce more active sport products. Some big trends were emerging in the sports market, one of them for trail running. Other big brands have catered for this sport but we felt without giving it true recognition. The other trend that came along very strongly was cycling. Initially, we went into mountain bikes because mountain bikes, skiing and snow boarding tend to go hand in hand. A lot of the ski resorts are popular with mountain bikers in the summer. So we started off with mountain bikes and cycling but cycling has absolutely exploded. Things like the Cycle to Work scheme have incentivised bike ownership so thereʼs been a strong growth in bike purchases and usage. These are trends that we have been able to take advantage of. Thereʼs a green element to it. Thereʼs a family element to it. Thereʼs a money saving element to it. So we have expanded way beyond mountain biking.


www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk


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