performance-apparel
(10)
Emily Sly
Emily Sly is a Denver-based marketing executive who became Chief Marketing Officer of TRUEWERK, the performance workwear brand, in late 2025. She spent 13 years at Crocs, rising from a regional account services rep to VP of Global Marketing during the brand's global comeback, then led brand and marketing at Funko and headed marketing at PopSockets before joining TRUEWERK. She is known for helping consumer brands articulate why they matter and for translating brand purpose into consistent experiences across every customer touchpoint.
Bandit Running
Bandit Running is a Brooklyn-born, community-first performance running brand founded in 2020 by Tim and Nick West with designer Ardith Singh. Starting with a single pair of cushioned running socks packed by hand, Bandit grew through New York run clubs into a full head-to-toe running apparel line - shorts, tights, singlets, sports bras, socks and lifestyle wear - sold direct-to-consumer. The brand is known for co-designing product with its running community, high social engagement, and The Unsponsored Project, which backs professional runners without shoe deals. Bandit raised a $14.25M Series A in 2023.
NOBULL
NOBULL is a Boston-based direct-to-consumer athletic brand that designs minimalist, durability-focused footwear and apparel for training and daily life. Founded in 2015 by two former Reebok executives, it built its reputation on no-nonsense CrossFit trainers before expanding into running, lifestyle apparel and nutrition. Now co-owned by entrepreneur Mike Repole and Tom Brady, the brand carries a reported $1 billion valuation.
Peter Millar
Peter Millar is a Raleigh, North Carolina-based luxury lifestyle apparel brand founded in 2001 around a single cashmere sweater. It has grown into a full men's and women's collection spanning tailored clothing, sportswear, resort wear and technical golf apparel, sold through its own retail stores, e-commerce site, and premium wholesale channels such as golf pro shops and department stores. Owned by Swiss luxury group Richemont since 2012, Peter Millar pairs classic American style with performance fabrication and also operates the golf-lifestyle brand G/FORE, which it acquired in 2018.
Rhone
Rhone is a Stamford, Connecticut premium performance apparel brand founded in 2014, best known for pioneering men's activewear that bridges the gym, the office and everyday life. Built around proprietary technical fabrics and its signature Commuter collection, Rhone sells direct-to-consumer online and through a growing retail footprint while championing men's mental health through its Mind & Muscle events and partnerships with the NBA and LPGA.
Summit Golf Brands
Summit Golf Brands (SGB) is a New York-based house of premium golf apparel brands - Fairway & Greene, B.Draddy, Zero Restriction, and EP New York - that designs, manufactures, decorates, and distributes luxury golf and lifestyle clothing to more than 3,000 pro shops, country clubs, and resorts across 25-plus countries. Built around vertically integrated domestic embroidery and fulfillment facilities in Madison, Wisconsin, SGB pairs heritage craftsmanship with modern fabric technology to serve the golf market exclusively, functioning as a one-stop apparel partner for clubs, resorts, and corporate accounts.
Title Nine
Title Nine is a women-owned outdoor and active apparel brand founded in 1989 by Missy Park and named after the Title IX law that opened school sports to women. Headquartered in Emeryville, California, it designs and sells sports bras, activewear, swimwear, and outdoor clothing built specifically for women's bodies. What began as a Bay Area mail-order catalog has grown into an estimated $100M direct-to-consumer and retail business - the largest independently owned retailer of women's fitness clothing - staffed overwhelmingly by women athletes and led by an all-women executive team. Alongside apparel, Title Nine has invested heavily in female entrepreneurs through its annual Pitchfest competitions.
Rob Kent
Rob Kent is Head of Marketing (CMO) at Vuori, the Carlsbad, California performance-apparel brand valued at around $5.5 billion. A Cannes Grand Prix-winning brand and creative leader with roughly two decades in the business, he spent a decade running Nike's global brand marketing work at the agency R/GA before crossing over to lead marketing for one of the fastest-growing names in activewear. His career runs from British editorial publishing through blue-chip tech clients to some of Nike's most talked-about brand work.
Varsity Spirit
Varsity Spirit is the dominant force in cheerleading and dance, a Memphis-based company that designs and manufactures team uniforms and apparel, runs training camps and clinics, and produces the sport's biggest competitions. Founded in 1974 by Jeff Webb, it grew from a summer camp operation into a vertically integrated business - apparel, camps, competitions, and governing-body partnerships - that touches more than a million athletes each year. It operates as a division of Varsity Brands, owned by KKR.
Vuori
Vuori is a Carlsbad, California-based performance apparel company that blends athletic function with casual style. Founded in 2015 by Joe Kudla, it started as a direct-to-consumer men's activewear brand rooted in the coastal Southern California lifestyle and grew into a broad athleisure label for men and women. Known for soft technical fabrics like its DreamKnit and Ponto lines, Vuori sells online, through its own stores, and via wholesale partners including Nordstrom, REI and Equinox. A 2024 secondary investment led by General Atlantic and Stripes valued the company at $5.5 billion.