By Thomas J. Ryan

<span style="color: #999999;">Looking to capitalize on its 110-year athletic heritage, Russell Athletic in 2017 showed at Agenda in Las Vegas for the first time with a line of cotton t-shirts, fleece and French terries with graphic details that stood out for the return of the “Eagle R” logo. Over the last three weeks, the brand’s lifestyle push was on full display at its first pop-up in downtown Manhattan.

Open from October 10 through October 26, the 2,500 square feet Russell Athletic Pop-Up Shop offered consumers exclusive merchandise, one of a kind vintage Russell Athletic product, customizable apparel, plus a curated assortment of the brand’s FW19 Heritage and Classic Collections. Additionally, an onsite customization station featured exclusive patches that let shoppers create one-of-a-kind pieces.

The pop up also featured consumer events and programmings like DJ’s and customization workshops with streetwear designers the brand has collaborated with including Carlton Yaito, Edist Sew and Jacob Keller. Rapper MadeinTYO hosted a night.

The pop-up builds on a collaboration with renowned streetwear label Kith in April of this year and as Russell Athletic looks to tap into the streetwear opportunity that’s fed to a huge growth-burst for rival Champion. Founded in 1919, Champion claims to have invented the hoodie while Russell Athletic, founded in 1902, invented the sweatshirt. Russell Athletic has been owned by Berkshire Hathaway since 2006.

SGB Executive spoke recently to Russell Athletic’s core team—Ricardo Aranda, VP; Greg Galbraith, senior director of marketing and Beth Adams, manager marketing & brand communications—about the pop-up and streetwear opportunity.

Why the Pop Up Shop and why now? Aranda | There are a variety of reasons.

  • Seasonality – fleece is our largest product category so Fall is our biggest retail opportunity.  Also, the energy created by our pop up shop helps brand awareness as we head into the holiday shopping season.
  • New product offerings – we launched our new Classics collection along with an exclusive Archives collection that celebrates the original Sweatshirt from 1926.
  • Location – NYC is a key market for Russell Athletic and we wanted to provide consumers with a truly unique shopping experience that not only offered the new Fall 19 product collections but also included exclusive collaboration product from local artists, Vintage product from our Archives and the ability to customize our wide variety of colorful blanks.

The press release described the pop-up as “the pinnacle expression of the brand’s ethos of Athletic Life.” Can you describe the experience the pop-up tried to bring to life? Aranda | Our Russell Athletic Soho Pop Up shop offers something for everyone: customization for those who love to create unique, one-of-a-kind expressions; exclusive collaboration product for those who love rare, custom-made apparel; select vintage product from the archives for fans and collectors; our Fall 19 Heritage and Classics collections that are specifically created for consumers who embrace the Athletic Life (those who hustle and compete just as hard off the field).

The Heritage range was launched in spring 2018 and found some initial placement at Urban Outfitters and Pacific Sunwear. What’s unique about the collection and how is it being received? Galbraith | The Heritage line is our most pinnacle level product offering. The designs and colors are inspired directly from our original catalogs that document decades of serving athletic programs and championship teams.  This collection has been well received at retail and online.

We’ve seen a lot of strength in the marketplace for other heritage sports brands, such as Champion and Fila. Is the sports heritage opportunity similar or a little bit different for Russell Athletic? Galbraith | Russell Athletic isn’t about chasing trends – the opportunity for us is to deliver a high-quality, well-made product that stands the test of time. For over 100 years we provided the highest quality uniforms and workout gear for America’s top teams. We are taking that same approach towards the consumer retail marketplace.

How does Russell differentiate itself from some of these other sports heritage brands? Galbraith | Our unique heritage, along with being the inventors of the sweatshirt, inspires us to deliver the best product quality, design and value in the marketplace.  We stand by our purpose, to inspire and encourage the world to live an Athletic Life, whether on or off the field.

Addressing other segments, a Russell basics line debuted at Walmart in 2013. More recently, deals were reached with Boxercraft on college apparel and Augusta for team uniforms and some workout apparel. How is the overall Russell Athletic business is going? Aranda | Our business is healthy across a variety of retail channels. Whether it’s B2B, on-field uniforms, Walmart, pinnacle level boutiques or dot.com, we are seeing steady growth that will continue to fuel our ability to deliver high-quality products to a variety of consumers.

To what degree does the Russell Athletic brand resonate with today’s younger consumers in the lifestyle/fashion space? What are your challenges and opportunities there? Galbraith | There are both opportunities and challenges. For us, the opportunity is a demand for brands with an authentic heritage that can provide high-quality products. Our challenge is that it is an evolving and competitive landscape, but as long as we stay true to our purpose and focused on our consumers, we’re confident we’ll be around for 100 more.

The Pop Up Shop explores many activations brands are using to engage digitally-savvy younger consumers. How is Russell Athletic planning to reach today’s youth? Adams | Product collaborations are a great way to get our story connected to consumers while creating excitement in the marketplace. This is something we will continue to support. We have a new story to write and we’re looking for our consumers to tell it through social and brand activations. We’re expanding distribution quickly and making our Russell Athletic experience available to new generations in places they trust to shop. We’re onboarding new partners and brand ambassadors to spread the reach of our brand purpose. We’re growing our portfolio to offer a range of products tailored for everyone’s needs, from our tried and true staples to our performance items to new more fashion-forward styles that live up to the heritage of the brand. And we’re looking to the future including trends to keep us relevant and focused on things that matter most as we set our eyes on the next 100 years.