High performance technical sports outfitter Crewroom, recently named official technical kit supplier to the Boat Race, is making waves in the charity sector with a trio of high profile deals.
The pioneering UK company, whose innovative product range includes garments containing bamboo from China, has signed its debut deal with environmental charity Greenpeace.
The first shipment of Greenpeace branded running shirts, manufactured for Crewroom near Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian Province, is scheduled to arrive by sea container in Southampton this month.
They will be available to runners and other sports enthusiasts looking to support and raise funds for Greenpeace by wearing the new shirts, containing the Greenpeace logo, at a range of events next year.
Crewroom has also just clinched a deal with leading UK sports charity SportsAid, founded in 1976 to bring success to up-and-coming generations of British sporting talent.
Athletes who have been helped by SportsAid include Rebecca Adlington OBE, Paula Radcliffe MBE and five times Olympic gold medalist Sir Steve Redgrave.
Crewroom has secured an order from the charity to supply it with cycling shirts. Another sporting star helped by SportsAid has been the multiple world and Olympic champion track cyclist Sir Chris Hoy MBE.
The Royal Parks Foundation, which supports London’s eight Royal Parks, is the third charity now working closely with Crewroom.
The company has just been booked to supply the official running shirt for the foundation’s half marathon event in Hyde Park next year.
Confirming the Crewroom order, Greenpeace said it was “very impressed” with the sports outfitter’s running shirts and the company’s commitment to the environment.
Greenpeace community fundraising coordinator Issy Griffin said: “I recently ran a half marathon wearing a Crewroom shirt and it was a top quality product, very comfortable and lightweight.
“Now our new Greenpeace Crewroom shirts will be available for anyone wanting to run to raise money for us.
“For Greenpeace it was essential that Crewroom has such a strong ethos on sustainability.
“We were very impressed by their commitment to the environment, their professionalism and flexibility.”
Kate Giles, Crewroom’s founder and creative director, adds: “We are delighted to be associated with Greenpeace and to have them as a new client because we share many of their values on environmental issues.
“We got chatting to Greenpeace representatives when we shared next-door stalls at the Brighton Marathon Show last year and they asked us about our bamboo shirts.
“Our Vapour-X fabric, which contains bamboo and recycled polyester, appealed to them and they came back with an order that we hope is the first of many.
“We’re also very pleased that the consignment for Greenpeace is travelling to Britain by sea.
“Wherever possible, we always try to ship our garments, rather than air-freight them, because it’s far better for the environment and it’s important to be green.”
Crewroom, which is proving increasingly attractive to charities looking to raise funds through sporting events, has more than 10 years’ experience in offering product packages and services that add value to companies’ brands.
The Royal Parks Foundation has placed an order for 16,000 running shirts for its 2012 race next October. The charity praised Crewroom’s “forward thinking approach to sportswear”.
A Royal Parks Foundation spokesperson said: “We have particularly embraced their innovative bamboo range, which fits very well with our sustainable charity ethos.”
Crewroom is also supplying its high performance kit to athletes currently in training for next year’s Olympic Games, with deals already in place with two British teams competing in the Games, GB Rowing and GB Canoeing.
