Saxx underwear landing key accounts in U.S., Canada

One of the brands that caught my eye in Canada was Saxx, an underwear line based out of Vancouver.

 

I saw Saxx at quite a few core shops before the Know?Show trade show and was impressed by how much real estate and merchandise an underwear line could get inside a core snowboard shop. I also learned the brand is in West 49 in Canada, as well as Nordstrom, Jack’s and some other big accounts in the USA.

 

At the show, Saxx’s merchandising was irreverent and clever. The underwear was displayed with two golf balls, demonstrating the underwear’s unique ergonomic design, created so men who participate in action sports or everyday activities don’t have to adjust themselves.

 

I sat down with Ed Lachelt, who is in charge of sales for Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest, and with Adrian Hembruch, who runs the brand’s marketing, to talk about the brand and how much potential there is in the action sports market place for an ergonomically-sound men’s underwear line.

 

Who founded Saxx and why?

Ed Lachelt.

Saxx was founded on an inspiration. Trent Kitsch (former Minor League Baseball player who also snowboards) came up with the idea for Saxx while on a fishing trip off the coast of Alaska.

 

He was wearing a survival suit for three days and experienced what most men do, discomfort and irritation. He realized that there had to be a better way to design men’s underwear.

 

After returning home and working with a fashion designer, Trent developed the concept behind Saxx Underwear and its Ergonomic Comfort Pouch – a boxer brief with two parallel nylon/spandex mesh panels that offer a barrier between a man’s package and inner thigh.

 

How many accounts are you in Canada and who are some of your biggest retail partners?

We have over 200 retail partners in Canada, which include the Forzani Group, Below the Belt and West 49.

 

How about in the USA?

We are approaching the same number of dealers in the U.S. You can find Saxx at independent fashion retailers, larger retail chains like Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and sports retailers such as Paragon Sports and Jack’s.

 

How is the brand financed and how are sales?

Saxx is privately owned. Over the last year we have seen sales more than double. This is really a testament to the quality of our retail partners, their willingness to believe in what the brand has to offer and the quality of our product.

 

You are distributed and licensed by No Limits? How does that work?

We work independently from No Limits but share backend resources such as customer care, credit, and accounting.

 

How many people work out of your office?

We have five full-time employees working out of our office.

 

See Page 2 for price points, growth plans

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What is the range of price points for the underwear?

The Saxx display at Know?Show used golf balls to demonstrate its unique features.

Saxx underwear retail between $25 and $37 with our 24–Seven Cotton/Spandex blend underwear being our lowest price point and our Pro Elite athletic underwear being our highest priced piece.

 

I have seen some other similar underwear companies out there. What sets you guys apart?

Our product is really what sets us apart from other underwear brands.

 

We are committed to producing the most comfortable underwear for men through quality and innovation – quality in our fabrics and fit, innovation through the technology that is incorporated in every pair of our underwear. We hear it time and time again from customers, our product is the most comfortable underwear around.

 

Why action sports? Why do you see the fit?

Action Sports was the first market that really adopted our product when we got started. It was a new category for them and because of our established relationships with action sports accounts we were able to show them that our product really made sense in their stores.

 

Any new models/styles we should know about?

We are introducing new colors in all three of our current line, Ultra, 24–Seven and Pro Elite.

 

We have also developed a new line, which we call Luxury. The fabric is a modal, cotton, spandex blend. The Luxury line is going to really appeal to our men’s fashion accounts that want to see something to compliment our Ultra line. Look for the new colors and fabrics to be in retail mid-June.

 

Where do you see the biggest potential for growth next year?

We are really excited about our expansion into the U.S. market, mainly the men’s fashion arena. The U.S. is steadily rebounding and there is huge opportunity for an innovative brand like Saxx.