Media Release
Melbourne: 7 December 2021
Bold Aussie execs enter $170b global sportswear arena; athletes to benefit immediately
Australian and international athletes are set to benefit in-and-out of their sporting arenas with the launch today of a new premium global sportswear brand, No Timid Souls.
Developed with breakthrough fabric technology and made to high-end design specifications, the No Timid Soulsrange of premium running and gym/training apparel will be available from the second quarter of 2022.
Every garment sold at notimidsouls.com will enable an opportunity for elite and emerging athletes to receive financial support or in-kind support, courtesy of a world-first crowd-sourcing platform, Raise the Bar.
The innovative digital point-of-purchase option invites consumers to ‘up’ their transaction to an athlete of their choice in the program, even if they are sponsored by a rival brand. No Timid Souls will contribute a percentage of sales from various products to athletes in the Raise the Bar program. The program also enables athletes to connect with the sports community and access in-kind support such as mentoring or training facilities.
Half of Australia’s top athletes, many of whom inspire the nation at events including the Olympics and Commonwealth Games, earn less than $23,000 per year according to the Australian Sports Foundation.
The initiative, backed by Australian Olympians Tamsyn Manou (nee Lewis) and Drew Ginn OAM, is ultimately expected to raise millions of dollars and much needed in-kind support for athletes. Sporting clubs can also benefit by receiving 7.5% of purchases that people in their extended communities make from No Timid Souls.
Tamsyn Manou said the Raise the Bar program will appeal to modern-day athletes.
“I was lucky to have an incredible support network around me during my athletic career, but we know that many athletes don’t have the financial support or the guidance to help them deal with the ups and downs of elite sport and the transition to life after sport,”
“It’s really encouraging to see No Timid Souls taking up the challenge to facilitate financial support and other forms of support for athletes who need it most,” Tamsyn said.
Drew Ginn added: “There are so many ways to support athletes, from financial backing, to opportunities to learn from great people who’ve been there before, or providing equipment.
“I’m passionate about Raise the Bar because it puts the athlete at the heart of all this and shows they are valued because of who they are as a person.”
No Timid Souls is the brainchild of former athletes and senior sporting executives Kevin Roberts and Tim Jackson, who worked together at adidas in Australia, and abroad.
The No Timid Souls brand name is inspired by the United States’ 26th President Theodore Roosevelt, whose powerful 1910 Paris speech, The Man in the Arena, gave credit to those who are in the arena, striving valiantly and spending themselves in a worthy cause.
The co-founders are taking an innovative, three-stage approach to developing their sportswear, starting with sports science before moving to materials science and finishing with creative design.
No Timid Souls is entering a less crowded space in the market, with premium sportswear for men and women who run, train or work out and want to get better. The big global brands are focused on high volume mid-market segments, while activewear brands specialise in sports inspired casual wear.
Kevin Roberts, who was previously responsible for a $9 billion global business at adidas, is also a former 2XU and Cricket Australia CEO and played first-class cricket in the 1990s, said he is excited to be re-entering the $170 billion international sportswear market.
“No Timid Souls is a brand that stands for inner strength and celebrating people who pursue physical endeavours. We are ready to take on the global sportswear market with a premium product range that’s underpinned by deep expertise in sports science and materials science,” Roberts said.
“We have an international ecosystem of people and organisations contributing to the development of our business, including some leading international manufacturing partners. Their support for our vision has been humbling. Together, we are pursuing world-class product innovation and building a global community of elite, emerging and everyday athletes who share the No Timid Souls mindset.”
Former Olympic sprinter, World Athletics Championships silver-medallist and holder of a Masters in Exercise Science, Tim Jackson, added: “The first two stages of our product development process focus on sports science and materials science, so all of our products respond to the biomechanical and physiological needs of the human body when running, training, or working out in the gym. The third stage is creative design. Our products look great thanks to our experienced designers and garment technicians who trained at the London College of Fashion.
“More than 75 per cent of our first apparel range uses our own unique fabrics because existing options weren’t at the level we required. What’s different about No Timid Souls is the combination of sports science and materials science that makes our products work better and feel better. We’re also serious about sustainability, so 60 per cent of the first No Timid Souls apparel range already includes recycled materials.
“We’re confident our line will take off quickly and attract endorsement from athletes in the arena, as well as everyday consumers who run, train or work out and want to get better.”
Available in Australia in the second quarter of 2022, and the US soon after, No Timid Souls is launching with best-in-class integrated technology platforms that enable exceptional user experiences and the development of a global brand one city at a time, a comparatively unique retail model.
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For more information, please contact: Patrick O’Beirne – p.obeirne@sixoclock.com.au and 0407 041 836.
Background:
Kevin Roberts
Kevin Roberts is a former professional cricketer who has risen to the highest levels of the sporting goods and sports management industries. Under Kevin’s leadership as Managing Director, adidas Australia was the most improved adidas business in the world.
He rose through the ranks at adidas to become Senior VP of adidas’ Sport Performance division, responsible for a global business of $9 billion.
As CEO and a shareholder, Kevin was instrumental in the expansion of the 2XU sportswear brand to over 60 markets globally. He brings deep experience and broad networks in the North American, Asia Pacific and European markets.
Kevin’s early career with Asics fuelled his passion for technical products, while his focus on athletic performance and the role of sport in connecting communities saw him make a significant contribution to Cricket Australia as a former Director and CEO.
Tim Jackson
Tim Jackson is a former Olympic sprinter and World Championship silver medallist with a Masters Degree in Exercise Science.
Tim’s experience as an athlete and his deep knowledge of biomechanics and physiology enable him to develop sportswear that works better and feels better.
Very few people understand the performance needs of the athlete as intimately as Tim, and even fewer can develop sportswear product concepts to fulfil those needs.
Under Tim’s leadership as Marketing Director, adidas was acknowledged as the most innovative sports brand in Australia. Tim was promoted to lead the Sport Performance division of adidas Japan, where he drove cutting edge product innovations.
Tim’s career as a CEO and CMO is all about the performance of athletes and their equipment. He has over 20 years’ experience at adidas, Speedo, Gatorade and Holden Special Vehicles/Walkinshaw Group.
Extract from ”Citizenship in a Republic” (later known as “The Man in the Arena”) by Theodore Roosevelt at the Sorbonne, 1500 on 23 April…
Extract: "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."