Germany, China and the US: Sportswear brand UYN on course for expansion
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Business
Unleash Your Nature (UYN) is continuing its expansion course. The Italian sportswear brand has set its sights on markets such as the US and China, but is also opening new shops in Germany, Switzerland and the UK.
Since its launch in the AW19 season, UYN has been on a steady growth trajectory, tapping into new markets, the sportswear retailer told FashionUnited. This has allowed the brand – which like bike labels Titici and For.Bicy is part of Italian clothing and bike supplier, Trerè Innovation – to expand its network to 29 countries and more than 2,000 points of sale in the past four years.
New openings and expansion
UYN currently operates eleven of its own stores, ten of which are in its home country - Asola, Milan, Rome, Trento, Brescia, Madonna di Campiglio, Salò, Torbole, Viareggio, San Ginesio and, since July, in Peschiera on Lake Garda in the former Padiglione degli Ufficiali palace. In addition, there is a German shop in Zweibrücken. Meanwhile, the spaces in Rome, Salò and Viareggio have been given a new coat of paint this year, and have been redesigned and expanded.
The next shop will be in Cambridge, England, which will be open to customers from the end of August, as well as a store in Salzburg in the autumn. In Germany, where UYN is also available in the luxury department stores' KaDeWe, the brand is currently looking for a suitable location in Düsseldorf. Munich is additionally being considered, according to a spokesperson.
Further new openings are planned in Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain. In addition, China is among the new growth markets, where five shops are planned. The first Chinese store is scheduled to open on 9 September in the Golden Resources Mall.
Building on the positive experience in Italy, Trerè Innovation will continue its strategy to expand its retail network abroad in 2024.
Made in USA
Since last year, UYN has been represented with its own branch in the US. A location in Boston was opened in 2022 and serves as a centre to drive expansion on the US market. There, the brand focuses particularly on technical underwear, socks and shoes.
Meanwhile, parent company Trerè Innovation has its own production facility in the US state of Pennsylvania, which already manufactures technical underwear ‘Made in USA’. From the SS24 season, the product range, which is produced locally, is to be expanded to include the "Self Layer" functional shirts - made from bio-based fibres. In addition, a flagship is to be opened in Boston in autumn, which will also offer offices, warehouses and research laboratories, akin to the headquarters in Asola, Italy.
Plant-based sportswear
The brand focuses on sportswear that aims to reduce dependence on synthetic fibres from fossil fuels without compromising performance. To achieve this, UYN relies on materials derived from plant-based raw materials. These include fibres obtained from cellulose from plants, such as beech and eucalyptus. But merino wool is also used. Through proprietary technologies, these raw materials are to be improved in the focus areas of resistance, breathability, elasticity, fast drying and odour neutralisation.
Shoes from UYN cost between 55.30 euros for loafers and 449 euros for cycling shoes with full carbon soles. In the clothing range, there are functional vests between 34.30 and 139 euros, T-shirts for 14.50 euros, jumpers from 29.50 euros, jackets between 139 and 1400 euros. Accessories like caps, arm warmers, bags and underwear are also part of the range.
About Trerè Innovation
In addition to the US site, Trerè Innovation also manufactures at two European production facilities, in Italy and Bosnia. At the Italian site, which has an area of more than 100,000 square metres, about 800 people are employed in research and development, sales and marketing, logistics and in the production of high-tech clothing and socks. About 550 employees work in Bosnia, focusing particularly on the production of socks and other product areas such as cut and sew, seamless and exclusive yarns.
In addition to its own brands, the company also holds a clothing licence for Jeep and underwear licences for the Replay and Franklin & Marshall brands. In addition, it has established partners with sportswear and outdoor suppliers such as Decathlon, Puma and Jack Wolfskin; clothing suppliers like Tchibo, Marks & Spencer and C&A; and luxury brands such as Dior and Prada.
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