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Ardblair and X-Bionic
One of the privileges of working on SGB is the superb gear we see, test and use every day, but even seeing such great equipment and apparel, sometimes you see something that surprises or intrigues. That was the case with X-Bionic, which SGB encountered at a recent consumer exhibition, and we came away both impressed and excited.
We spoke with Lilian to find out more - and check out the box-out, for our conversation with Professor Bodo Lambertz, the pioneer behind the X-Bionic gear.
SGB: Is there any connection between the brands Ardblair distributes - X-Socks, X-Bionic, Aku (boots) and Leki (poles and accessories)?
Lilian Sullivan: They are quite disparate things, but they are all top profile. They are all high quality technical products, so in terms of where they sit, they all sit at the same level. And, of course, nothing competes with anything else, so they all support each other. Most shops stock trekking poles, they stock boots and they stock base layers. It gives us three good brands to go in with.
We have just agreed, and you're the first to hear about it, to distribute Polaroid Sports Glasses in the sports market. They are mid-range, £48 - £75, around that, and are the original polarised lenses; again, they are a technical product, so fit in very well with what we do.
Retailers are always looking to consolidate their suppliers. They want to be able to buy as much as possible from one supplier who can offer a range of options for them.
SGB: When we first saw X-Bionic, we thought "This is either extremely high quality technical gear, or a great gimmick!" But now we've tried it... Well, we're very, very impressed.
LS: It is not a gimmick. It has won far too many awards to be a gimmick, but it is so different... There is so much going on, when you look at the packaging and you read all the hype about it, you think it can't possibly do what it says it does. But it does.
We have had great results with things like the Energizer baselayers and the running shorts. When runners first see the shorts, they think it's underwear. We say 'no, no, it's not underwear, it's standalone'. They put them on and realise that actually they are more discrete than using lycra shorts, and even a really basic runner notices how well they perform. You don't have to be an elite athlete to appreciate how well the shorts perform.
X-Bionic clothing is very comfortable, but it looks very different and its performance is quite different from anything else out there. Of course, that is an education process, it takes time to get that over to the consumer, but also to the retailer. The retailer sometimes only sees straight compression or wicking base layer, they don't necessarily appreciate straight away that X-Bionic combines the best elements of both. All X-Bionic clothing helps the body regulate temperature, so no energy is wasted in the body trying to keep cool or warm.
We just did the London Marathon Expo, and the reactions there were fantastic. We sold two pairs of shorts for every top we sold as people can instantly feel the difference with the shorts.
http://www.ardblairsports.com/
