Equmen appoints new CEO
15/04/2010
Specialist underwear brand Equmen has appointed a new chief executive and announced a new deal with US retail group Nordstrom.
Founder Gavin Jones said on announcing the new developments that Equmen, which specialises in compression undergarments for men, including undershirts, underpants and socks, said that after a successfu first year in the market last year, the news proves there are big plans for the brand.
The new chief executive is Alister McColl, who carried out a similar role at Skins, a supplier of compression products for athletes, between 2005 and 2008. He said on taking up his new appointment: “In many ways, Equmen is similar to Skins when I began there. It has an innovative product, a slick brand and is filling a real market need gap.”
One of his first moves has been to grow Equmen's brand ambassador profile by signing NFL star Josh Bidwell, a punter for the Washington Redskins. “Our garments are designed to bring sport insights to improve the life of the every man with ergonomic support,” Mr McColl said. “Sportsmen get it immediately. Partnering with this community helps to educate every man on the benefits.”
Josh Bidwell said he thought the company's products worked well, whether for working out or just for casual wear. He also said they were helping him improve his game in another sport. He explained: “I play golf regularly, and since wearing Equmen I’ve noticed a real improvement in my core stability and rotational power.”
Gavin Jones, a former journalist, first came up with the Equmen idea when he became less active in his 40s. He noticed that there were many figure-improving and bulge-disguising baselayer garments on the market for women, and decided that there was a gap in the market for similar underwear for men.
The science behind Equmen is that all men will benefit from improving their core alignment, core stability and core temperature.
When the skeleton is correctly aligned, the bones support the weight of the body with minimal stress. This ensures that muscles hold very little excessive tension and they can then efficiently initiate and sustain movement. Proper core alignment also facilitates oxygen flow for enhanced energy.
Core stability allows you to maintain a solid foundation and transfers energy from the centre of the body out to the limbs. Ergonomic support in the trunk area is essential for the maintenance of upright posture, back pain minimisation and injury prevention.
Equmen insists that its products can help all men improve in these areas, as well as keep their core temperature at the optimum 36.8 degrees Celsius.
The company is also expanding its distribution network in the US, adding Nordstrom to its current list of retailers with a department store launch at Nordstrom in Seattle. “We are currently the number-one branded underwear at Saks Fifth Avenue,” said Alister McColl. “Nordstrom attracts a similar customer, the man that takes care of himself and is looking to put his best foot forward. We see Nordstrom as the ideal retail partner for Equmen to expand reach with our core target.”
Its products are also available at Neiman Marcus, Selfridges in the UK, Brown Thomas in Ireland, Holt Renfrew in Canada and David Jones in Australia.
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