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Don’t let your swimwear drag you down
Greeted with a blaze of sunshine as we pulled up outside Zoggs towers, both Roger Bourne and I were suitably excited about meeting with the brand’s team. Kim Blondell, international marketing manager, warmly greeted us at reception before leading us full of intrigue up the winding staircase and into the ultra modern, product filled meeting room for an exclusive trade chat with all the key players.
Looking around, I was immediately struck by the brand’s lack of arrogance. It suddenly dawned on me that -“hang on” - there is so much more to this brand than the trade press has so far given it credit for. This one stop swim shop range boasts a huge range of goggles; swimwear; sun protection; inflatables; water confidence aids; nappies; swim caps; training aids; aquatic footwear and swim kit to boot. You name it. Zoggs has it. And we want to be the ones to shout about it.
This is a brand that wants all swimmers,whether swimming for fitness or recreation, to enjoy the freedom, fun and exhilaration of the water with unconditional trust in their goggles, equipment and swimwear. It is also a brand that wants swimmers of all ages to take the principles of the gym into the pool – a simple concept, yet for the most part overlooked.As a nation we know that swimming is vital to survival. It’s also a pretty good way to keep fit. But there is much more to it than beating your last lap count, says Zoggs…live a little!
I asked Mark Hammersley to tell me more about the brand that was “Born in Australia…now swimming around the world”.
How does Zoggs position itself in the UK market?
Established in 1992,we are an Australian brand that uniquely focuses on the 7 million regular adult ‘fitness swimmers’ in the UK, the 5 million ‘Learn to swim’ kids and the 3 million junior swimmers.We do not focus on the Club swimmers however, either adult or junior.
We talk and work with swimmers and pool operators on a daily basis allowing us to understand and be responsive to our marketplace.We invest heavily in creating new and more innovative swimwear and swim equipment every year.
We market the most comprehensive Junior product range ‘designed to be trusted by mums and wanted by kids’ – not an easy path to tread!
Our stated aims are to make fitness swimming fun with real variety, while changing many consumers’ perceptions that swimming lengths is boring.We want swimmers to enjoy the freedom and exhilaration of the water with unconditional trust in their goggles, equipment and swimwear. So we continue to build our brand as a ‘one stop swim shop’.
We retain goggles as the Zoggs ‘core truth’ - the category was where the brand came from and we do not lose sight of that fact.
That said swimwear is now our fastest single growing category.
Does the brand perform differently in Australia?
The brand is identically positioned in Australia as in the UK, and the growth over the last few years mirrors that of here. It goes without saying that the Australian swimwear market is very competitive, and the progress we have made in the UK on swimwear in the last three years is only just starting to happen in Australia.
A range of chlorine proof swimwear has been launched by the brand. How long has it taken to develop this technology?
We have been working on developing our new UlteX fabric with Dow Chemicals for about 18 months. The objective was to create a fabric, which is ultra lightweight and has the stretch and comfort features of regular Nylon elastane fabric, combined with exceptional chlorine resistance. In other words: ‘the best of both worlds’. It is proven to be chlorine resistant for up to 1000 hours and the stretch and comfort of the fabric is exceptional.
Sylvie Derouet, Zoggs international brand manager, went on to offer us a full presentation of the new fabric technology. This is what we found out….
Zoggs currently offers two types of fabric – Elastomax™ and Performance CR25™ but both have limitations.
Step forward Dow Chemicals, a $46 billion multi national chemical company that began a little-known textile project back in 2000. It’s objective? To meet the unanswered need in fabric technology for a chemical proof design.
The breakthrough came in 2004 in the form of XLA, a fabric that boasts ‘bi-stretch’ functionality – the ability to stretch both horizontally and vertically. It also has the unique ability to withstand UV light and suntan lotion with no bagging or sagging.And as Mark said, it will last longer in chlorine.
Zoggs’ new performance fabric with XLA has been heralded the ultimate in swimsuit comfort and durability. No more ugly bits of Elastane around the seams…Key consumer benefits of the new fabric are that of durability and comfort.Not only is the fabric chlorine proof, it has exceptional stretch and recovery ability.And it’s extremely lightweight, so there is no need to let your swimwear drag you down!
This latest collection is aimed at dedicated adult swimmers who swim regularly and are looking for durable swimwear that feels great. I’ve seen and felt it for myself and the results are amazing. Dedicated swimmers understand the need for chlorine protection, as many will have experienced first hand the effects on their costumes, hair and skin. This is a collection that allows them to fight back.
In terms of consumer communication, Zoggs will attach new benefit based hangtags to the items, enabling the retailer to confidently guide the consumer into making an informed decision about the product.A hanger collar will also be attached for ease of merchandising during its launch period.What’s more, the Zoggs team is happy to provide in-store communication featuring the suits and their associated benefits.
Zoggs recognises that a new requirement is emerging for deluxe active sports goods, which are both elegant and functional. A feeling of luxury with a limited edition edge – think the Nike/ipod running shoe; Lamborghini laptops; or a leather case on a titanium racquet – this optional ingredient in the consumer experience is fast becoming vital.
High performance and increasingly technical fabrics are being developed, as customers demand more from their sportswear.UlteX fabric is a great example of this and as such is regarded by many in the industry as the swimwear fabric of the future.
Styling is based on the 80’s concept of a combination of angles and curves. Precision is important,with a bold colour palette. There are six styles in Zoggs’ UlteX performance category – four ladies and two men’s options.
The Ladies’ category includes a Boomerang back high leg swimsuit in Navy/Hot Pink or Black/Red; a Boomerang back medium leg Tanktini in Navy/Hot Pink or Black/Red; a Dartback medium leg swimsuit in Navy/Hot Pink or Black/Red, and a Swiftback Medium Leg in Black or Navy.
The guys meanwhile should check out the Racer in Black/Red, and the Hip Racer in Navy/Blue.
Said Mark Hammersley: “We are very proud to be the first sportswear company to launch a full branded offering of chlorine proof swimwear. It’s one of many very exciting launches planned for the brand over the next couple of seasons.We continue to pride ourselves in developing innovating and sourcing the most advanced technology to ensure our products continue to lead the market.We have worked extremely hard to develop UlteX and believe that our superior offering will satisfy the demands of customers swimming all over the world.”
