Trends & Features

Craft Sportswear’s Paul Varney talks about their apparel and footwear ranges

From front door to trail with Craft running shoes

Craft Sportswear is a major European brand from Scandinavia, originally known for their base layers it has diversified into different areas of sportswear and is making its mark in the UK.

Paul Varney, Craft commercial sales agent, talks to us about the brand and its running and apparel collections.

Paul said: “A relationship with obstacle race organisers Tough Mudder, saw Craft design a shoe especially for obstacle racing to stand up to the harsh conditions that they would endure and this led the into the trail market.

“That carried on for three to four years and we ended up making bespoke footwear.

“They had great success with their previous footwear supplier. I think they sold something like 2,000 pairs and that was their bespoke shoe.

“There was then a Craft shoe, but it was Tough Mudder bespoke and you could only buy it from Tough Mudder.

“We haven’t got the rights to resell it and I think they sold 12,000 pairs of those shoes.
“So, it just goes to show the quality of Craft. The right design and working with a partner really can be a success.
“I believe now that partnership has come to an end.

“But what that’s done is really developed the whole trail section.

“Trail is a funny subject at the moment because when you’re talking to retailers, it’s almost like greenwashing, that there is a new trend over this last year or two – everybody’s a trail brand at the moment!”

Craft did have a relationship with the renowned ultra-runner Tommy Rivs, an elite marathoner, motivational speaker, iFit trainer and physical therapist (DPT).

Paul added: “Naturally, after that Tough Mudder shoe I think then it went to our partnership with Tommy Rivs, and we entered the carbon footwear market, but with a typically Swedish style. We came at it with a durability standpoint and something that you could run off-road because it’s always wet and muddy in Sweden.
“So, really the footwear developed into the trail market naturally.

“Sometimes I feel like a brand that’s jumped on the bandwagon but we were always on that bandwagon.

“And if anything, I think Craft’s niche is road to trail.”

Paul believes that Craft have positioned themselves well in what is a very crowded trail marketplace.

He added: “There are some very, very good brands out there and it’s not that big a section.
“So, I think Craft’s sweet spot has always been road to trail, front door to trail. It’s comfy enough to run on the road. It’s not as hardcore as a Salomon or an Inov8, but it’s got good grip and they’ve extended that now.

“Next year we’ve got a brand-new shoe, the Pro Trail, which continues our relationship with Vittoria bike tyres.

“Two of the trail shoes have Vittoria branded soles on, so dual branded, which always helps.

“We continued our relationship with Victoria to the point that now we’ve got bespoke sole units with a 5 to 6 mill lug.

“But it’s something that’s still comfy and you can continue to run onto the trail.”

Paul thinks that Craft’s design for their shoes and their niche in the market has opened doors for the brand with retailers for next year, especially after the hard times that the Covid pandemic brought with it.

He said: “Luckily for the brand, and hopefully every brand, that dark cloud that was over the beginning-end of 22, beginning of 23 is clearing. Then customers were stopping forward ordering. There were massive overstocks in the market, huge clearance deals.

“From what I hear, brands have really got control back of their stock. It’s now on a can’t supply rather than oversupply.
“There is definitely a trend for technical footwear in fashion, very much started by On, now followed by Hoka, which means that the phone is ringing to new customers, to open new doors.

“So, I think as the specialist brands seem to have those specialist retailers tied up a little bit more, I think the door opens in other areas, certainly for people like Next and Debenhams.
“We’ve opened with JD for next year, albeit in a more specialist way, in their new superstore that’s opening in the Trafford Centre, but very much in a set technical area.

“So, for next year, for spring, it’s almost like a dream list of accounts that you would want to be in and they all come in one season.
“Likewise, that positivity has transferred to other merchandise, there’s not been much positivity in specialist accounts with apparel for the last year or two.

“Everybody’s been very negative on apparel sales.

“We’ve partnered with Up & Running this year, putting an extended range in all of the stores to give Craft a better place on the shelf, but also to offer a bigger range of product for Up & Running. That’s been a huge success.

“They will do more with Craft clothing this year than they probably did with every clothing brand last year.

“We’ve put in a much broader collection. Things that aren’t necessarily running but the point is – I go to the gym, I run, I ride bikes. So, if you offer a wide selection and share the risk, you know the rewards will come.”

Craft are also bringing out new lines for 2025 which Paul is excited about.

He added: “Essence is being updated for the first time next year.

“It is a go to collection that’s always in stock with the idea, once again, of that shared risk which more and more customers are looking for.

“So, it’s, for example, a black five inch short. You buy it once and then you come back and buy it again and buy it again. It doesn’t change because it doesn’t need to change. So that collection is updated for next year.

“It’s got a higher recycle content, slightly different colours and as always, core colours will carry over and then the odd seasonal colour coming in just to refresh things.

“Footwear wise, it’s very much the new Pro Trail with the brand-new Vittoria sole.

“We’ve also got the KYPE, which is the new super shoe, very top end.

“But certainly, the collection gets better and better looking.
“And I think one thing with Craft that I’ve noticed in the last couple of seasons is really quality versus price point.

“I think now more than ever, £40 shorts, £25-30 T-shirts, we represent fantastic value but very much with that Scandinavian style.

“There’s also a brand-new collection next year, the Collective range.
“That is very much athleisure, sustainable fabrics, organic cotton, casual toning, casual labels, something you would wear every day and its very much sport moving into fashion, fashion moving into sport.

“That’s very much the strapline that goes with it.
“Their new message for next year is Craft, the Swedish endurance brand.

“This is product you invest in that you can wear for a long, long time, whether it’s gym to pub or pub to restaurant.

“Something that is stylish that you can wear, but still has an element of sport.

“It’s just a natural way for the brand to grow, especially with the trend in technical running in fashion stores and those particular customers looking for more of that. Look at Gym Shark, Gym King and brands like, Castore

“It’s desirable product people wear in the street, you know, and we can bring our Scandinavian inspiration into that collection.

“So that’s very different looking, you know, with a very different colour palette and more on the lines of organic cottons rather than polyesters polyimides, which we might do in slightly more technically focused product.”

 

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