performance-fabrics
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Mack Weldon made underwear worth buying twice
A better waistband was only the beginning. Mack Weldon’s real experiment is whether everyday comfort can turn a reluctant shopper into a regular customer.
The Two Marketers Who Turned Body Scans Into 150 Sizes of Shirt
Kirk Keel and Matt Hornbuckle had no apparel experience and one stubborn idea: that most men's shirts fit badly because there aren't enough sizes. So they built 150 of them.
The 146-Year-Old Company Hiding in Your Patio, Boat and Workwear
You probably know Sunbrella. The more interesting business is the one behind it - a North Carolina mill that learned to sell durability, distribution and trust as one connected system.
Pair of Thieves
Pair of Thieves is a Culver City, California men's basics brand that reimagines everyday essentials - socks, underwear, undershirts, tees and loungewear - with a focus on fit, performance fabrics and playful design at accessible prices. Founded in 2012 by three friends (film producer Cash Warren, designer Alan Stuart and operator David Ehrenberg) who each put in $1,500 to start a sock company, the brand grew into a roughly $100 million business sold at Target, Kohl's, Nordstrom, Amazon and direct-to-consumer. Its 'Give a Pair' and 'Good Fits' programs have donated millions of pairs of socks to people experiencing homelessness and to causes spanning mental health and LGBTQ+ youth support.
Paul Fredrick
Paul Fredrick is a Pennsylvania-based direct-to-consumer menswear company founded in 1986 that built its name on well-fitting dress shirts and grew into a full men's wardrobe brand covering shirts, suits, sport coats, pants, knits, shoes and accessories. Known for non-iron and performance fabrics, signature contrast-trim details and a perfect-fit guarantee, the company sells online and by catalog, backed by human customer service based in Fleetwood, PA. It is majority owned by private equity firm ClearLight Partners and is led by CEO Erica Lee.
Paragon Fitwear
Paragon Fitwear is a direct-to-consumer women's activewear brand from Ada, Michigan, best known for Sculptseam - a patented hidden-scrunch seam that shapes the glutes without an obvious ruched look. Started in a garage in 2013, the brand builds performance leggings, shorts, sports bras and loungewear around proprietary fabrics like RecStretch, UltraLux and the recycled Reluna, and sells almost entirely online to women who lift.