Covering the tariff story in the active lifestyle market has produced a variety of storylines, from trade association letters to the Trump Administration and inflamed political attacks to companies seeking cover for reduced guidance (or no guidance) as the market starts to report first-quarter financials.
SGB Media found another unique approach from lifestyle apparel company Rhone this week — transparency.
Company Co-Founder and Creative Director Ben Checketts shared an email on LinkedIn that he and his brother and Co-Founder, Nate, sent to customers outlining the tariff issue they and other companies face, even coming up with a new term that, with apologies to the various tech companies using the name, may catch on: “We’re Doing Tariffic.”
The Checketts email, shown below, garnered nearly 1,000 responses and over 10 comments in the first few days of posting.
“We sent the following email out today, and, frankly, I’ve been blown away by the overwhelmingly positive response,” Ben Checketts wrote in his post. “I really tried to strike a tone that was not political AT ALL because, at the end of the day, this is not a political issue.”
Checketts continued, “Nate and I have always agreed on being transparent with our customers, admitting when we slip and fall, just as much as we promote our successes.
“I do think we have the world’s greatest customers, really I do, and I wish we had more answers, but the very fact that we have people that will stick with us in uncertain times certainly makes me feel a little less tariffic.”
SGB Media believes this is a great approach to addressing the issue in the market. Rather than the possibility of dropping tariffs on customers down the road, the company lays out expectations and engages with them. And if you sell a few more shirts, shorts and pants along the way, so much the better.
By the end of 2025, Rhone expects to operate 22 retail stores nationwide, each serving as a hub for community, connection and its “Forever Forward” mindset. Rhone has partnership agreements with the NBA and the LPGA.
Images courtesy Rhone, LinkedIn
