Aussie bike clobber takes the States by storm
AUSTRALIAN motorcycle clothing business Saint has broken into the US market with its pioneering bike jeans.
The company has launched a stretch version of the single- layer jeans, which eliminates the need for a secondary kevlar layer that can be bulky and hot.
The $ 499 jeans feature a Dyneema weave. Saint says it makes the jeans tear- proof for up to six vital seconds on a 75m slide on bitumen, reinforcing the brand’s “Unbreakable” motif.
Created in 2014 by Mike Lelliott and 2XU founder Aidan Clarke, Saint now does 60 per cent of its business in the US, aided by 25 stockists stateside. Mr Clarke said that with more than eight million motorcycles in the US, the potential market was huge.
Saint was the first to the market with the Dyneema weave last year, with its single- layer Model 1 denim jeans, now complemented by the Stretch Unbreakable version.
Now with a silent partner and another partner, Xavier Unkovich, on board, Saint had a turnover of $ 2 million last financial year and came close to breaking even.
Mr Clarke said recent sales growth indicated turnover could at least double this year.
Most sales occur online, but its flagship store, opened in Fitzroy, Melbourne, in February, is already paying its own way, the group says.
The brand has social media credibility – with 77,000 Instagram followers – but Mr Clarke knows its cool status has to be authentic.
His market varies from hipsters who will research their bikes and brands before making a careful purchase, to the midlife crisis guy “who thinks nothing of dropping $ 30,000 on a bike and $ 500 on the right pair of jeans”.
Women are also a growing market, representing up to 15 per cent of current sales.