SINGAPORE (BRAIN) — In another example of the globalization of the cycling industry, a new Singapore clothing brand, which has its products made in Italy, is hoping to build a dealer base in the U.S.
RedWhite Apparel was founded last year with one product, a $150 bib short specifically designed for long-distance riding. The bib features Italian fabrics and pad, and a silicone microdot leg gripper that the brand's founder said it is the first to use. The design also includes an expandable lower panel that provides a better fit for riders with a bit of a belly.
"We aren't all pros," said Yuvaraman Viswanathan, the brand's founder. Viswanathan, a former designer at Dyson in Singapore, launched the brand last August, selling first through retailers in Southeast Asia.
In November, the brand set up an online store and began selling to consumers internationally. Viswanathan said 70 percent of the brand's online orders have been from U.S. consumers. He said the goal now is to open U.S. wholesale accounts with IBDs. "I want to enable my U.S. customers to be able to walk into a store and pick up the bibs without needing to wait 10 days for delivery," he told BRAIN.
The initial plan is to ship orders from Singapore to U.S. dealers, with no warehouse or office in the U.S.
"We have preferential rates with TNT and work closely with them to supply all of our dealers. The service is excellent with deliveries being made in 3-4 days," he said. "We have low (minimum order quantities) to help retailers introduce the brand to their customers and grow with us. This method of working ensures the retailer's exposure to risk is minimal. The retailer only needs to bear the slightly higher costs of shipping for lower volumes. (And) the retailer has time to grow the brand and grow demand. We help by making all our digital assets available for marketing purposes and directing customers to retailers."
More information: redwhite.cc/#contact.
