Street fashion meets action sports science: ilabb takes on Canada & Europe
Ilabb, an Asset Factory client, is on a quest of expanding into Canada and Europe.
Founded in 2007 by Motocross racers, Seadon Baker and Matt Saunders, ilabb brings street fashion to action sport science. After 15 years of building the brand, a successful retail offering through three bricks and mortar stores plus online, and a community known as the ilabbfamily, the New Zealand based sports and outdoor clothing brand has attracted some high-profile investors to back their expansion venture.
Early investor and mentor to CEO Seadon Baker, Rod Drury (founder of Xero) is said to invest over 10% of the capital raise, alongside other well-known names including ex-All Black Dan Carter, cricket star Lockie Ferguson and ex-CEO of Spark Ventures Rod Snodgrass.
Not only will the capital raise help ilabb enter new territories, but the company has also recently appointed Michelle Mitchell and Dave Anderson as directors – the duo well known for the global growth and success of New Zealand merino clothing company Icebreaker.
It’s no surprise the brand has successfully outgrown the Australasian market, and with Seadon now living in Whistler, Canada is the first international market it will take on.
The brand is synonymous with activity, namely on the mountain and bike, and its brand awareness continues to grow and solidify in this market with sponsorship deals such as Crankworx – the world’s largest mountain bike festival.
After tackling Canada head on, the next step for Kiwi owned brand is Europe – a huge congrats to Seadon and the team on their continued success!
Ilabb uses Asset Factory’s Drop&Run service, providing the team with a styling brief for their garments which are shot on the Vertical machine to capture a mix of ghost mannequin and hanging product photographs.