Across industries and categories, direct-to-consumer brands are causing tremors. These companies — companies like Casper and Warby Parker — take pride in that fact, and so do their customers. That’s because the formula creates an ideal win-win: by removing retailers from the distribution process, brands can ramp up on quality and keep prices level, or in some cases, reduce them. The numerous examples of its success have spurred the creation of a variety of companies using the model — one young example is PATH Projects, which is taking on running.
PATH Projects launched in the summer of 2017 with a handful of products including running shorts with thoughtfully-designed pockets and shirts made with high-end materials. The style of each piece was purposefully subtle so that they can blend into the various activities that might bookend a run. The company’s first major new product since the original launch, the Pyrenees T19 LS Hooded Shirt, follows the same guidelines.
“We set out to create a running shirt with full coverage to protect as much exposed skin as possible,” says the PATH Projects’ founder, Scott Bailey, whose previous successes include KR3W and SUPRA. “It also had to be an extremely functional piece of running gear.” With the Pyrenees, that translated to smart features like hand covers that fold back into their sleeves when they aren’t needed, an unobtrusive, contoured hood that moves and turns with the wearer’s head and doesn’t get blown back in the wind, and a slot in the left sleeve that allows for viewing of a GPS watch.
Bailey and the team at PATH designed the Pyrenees for running — and tested it among a select group of ultra runners — but it’s good-looking enough to wear as a daily driver or a layer during any cool-weather activity. Thanks to the direct-to-consumer model, the Pyrenees only costs $62, while technical layers from brands with a similar penchant for quality, like Tracksmith or Lululemon, can easily cost over $100. Features and affordability aren’t the only factors here though — the Tencelite fabric that it’s made out of is pretty damn comfortable.
This Direct-to-Consumer Apparel Brand Is Exactly What Running Needs
Meet Scott Bailey, the man perfecting the running short. Read the Story
