Blending style and speed: Four running brands to boost your activewear line-up

Four young running brands are conquering the market with innovative designs and more sustainable production. Running is trending, and you shouldn't lag behind! We introduce you to brands that are at the forefront of performance and style. Whether it's a casual city run with a relaxed look or high-tech gear for long distances – here's what's happening. Experienced designers, including a Woolmark Award winner, provide the fashionable finish.

Design meets dynamics: four running brands for a sporty store mix

Kuta Distance L.ab was founded in November 2020 by three friends, runners and like-minded creatives Viktor Maiorana, Olle Kling and Sebastian Sandblad, to fill a gap in the market for functional clothing and equipment. The brand describes itself as an innovation studio that is “a new, influential alternative to the established global sportswear brands”.

The Swedish brand focuses on running essentials that are manufactured in a local, on-demand process. To achieve this, the brand works with a small supplier near Stockholm, with whom they are in close contact. This allows products to be tested and adapted directly on site, if necessary. This approach allows the brand to avoid overproduction and material waste. Fabric scraps are used for clothing tags and repairs.

In addition to its own creations, the brand also offers customers the opportunity to add their personal touch with its The L.ab approach. Interested parties can contact Kuta with a product idea or concept and are involved in the entire creation process. Fabric scraps are also used here.

The brand’s SS25 range includes trousers and T-shirts in various lengths and styles, jackets and accessories such as a hat and a traditional compass.

Soar Running

The brand Soar Running was founded by designer and runner Tim Soar, who has a 40-year career in fashion, music, product and graphic design. He also made a name for himself in London as a DJ and produced soundtracks for shows by fashion houses such as Prada, Miu Miu and Yves Saint Laurent. This connection to the fashion world led to the launch of the eponymous experimental label Tim Soar in 2005. The designer was awarded the NewGen Award by the British Fashion Council for two consecutive seasons.

In 2015, he launched Soar Running with the aim of redefining running apparel, because the existing range “didn’t fit, slipped and the materials were uncomfortable and of poor quality”. He therefore developed a “new type of sportswear” that “combined the craftsmanship of tailoring with the development of brand new, proprietary fabrics and careful product testing with real runners”.

This includes pieces such as the Race Vest, a sleeveless running top made from “Space3D” mesh, which has become the brand’s bestseller due to its breathability and fit. The lightweight polyester-elastane blend is produced from recycled fabrics in Italy. The 3D fabric structure wicks away sweat quickly and the bonded seams ensure comfort.

Soar is represented worldwide in 35 points-of-sale in cities such as Stockholm, Mexico City and Hong Kong, which mostly specialise in running. The brand has a location in its home city of London, which houses its headquarters and a showroom. Consumers can also shop on site, which is “practical” for the brand, especially at events such as the London Marathon. In addition to providing an insight into the Soar collection, the location also serves as a community meeting place for runs, talks and exhibitions.

Unna

John-Ruben Holtback, the founder of the brand Unna, also has a background in fashion. The Swedish designer launched his own label L’Homme Rouge in 2013, which won the International Woolmark Prize four years later.

In 2022, he launched the running brand Unna, for which he is supported by his brother and another co-founder, who is responsible for the graphic design as art director. However, the majority – from creative direction to marketing and production – is in Holtback’s hands.

After years in the fashion and creative industries, he transformed his passion for running and movement “into a brand that combines performance with culture, humour and joie de vivre”, according to Holtback.

The brand’s goal is therefore not to break new records at the world’s major races, but to promote a balance between well-being, positive energy and a more inclusive approach to movement. Accordingly, the design is also located at the interface between running apparel and everyday wear. Retro silhouettes meet functional materials and well-thought-out details.

Alex Zono

Alex Zono founded the brand of the same name in Cape Town in 2022 to “celebrate the romance of running”. The runner and independent designer creates sentimental pieces that are aimed at runners and their spectators. Zono draws inspiration from the athletes themselves – how their clothing wears out or is modified.

As the cuts are rather loose and the style follows a DIY approach, the brand is a good alternative for amateur runners who do not need performance clothing.

Zono explained that the original idea of creating running apparel has developed into a larger story that offers him his own creative freedom. He relies on smaller, season-independent collections that are launched in the form of product drops. Instead of following the fashion seasons, he focuses more on the running calendar and plans the latest release for the next major competition.

“Our goal is not to produce too much, but to ensure that all runners have access and that it doesn’t become an over-hyped item,” Zono explained. Production and customer needs play a role in sales. However, there must always be time to take a breather between releases.