Building 7mesh

In this episode we speak to the three co-founders of apparel brand, 7mesh. Getting into the cycling apparel business could now be one of the lowest barrier to entry segments in the industry. Anyone with an Instagram account and some design ability can directly access factories in Italy or China and create a clothing ‘brand’ these days, and it’s incredibly tough to cut through in this crowded market. That’s not to say some don’t break through and create legitimate and worthy businesses this way – I know firsthand a few who have. And this low barrier to entry has enabled some wonderful brands to get started and flourish. But because of this it is a crowded market now, and it’s tough to discern who are doing great work and innovating, and who are just pumping out disposable fashion. Every once in a while however a new brand comes along with people from a track record of success, expertise and you just know they’ll be around for the long haul. From the moment I first discovered 7mesh a few years ago I knew this was one of those brands in its infancy. For those who don’t know, 7mesh are a apparel brand based in Squamish, Canada who make some top quality clothing made for the demands of mountain biking, gravel and road. The three founders, Tyler Jordan, Ian Martin and Calum Davidson aren’t three random people who got together to do a passion project however. They were three early staff members and integral to the success of outdoor clothing juggernaut, Arc'teryx. Tyler was the CEO, Ian was Design Director, and Calum was Director of Supply Chain – and all were (and still are) nuts for cycling. They were also great friends in their days at Arcteryx and were having fun, pushing boundaries, and getting shit done. But as the saying goes, all good things come to and end and as the three oversaw tremendous growth in the business they all gave everything up to go off on their own and create something from scratch. To tell the story of 7mesh, we need to get to know Tyler, Calum and Ian in their early days at Arctaryx …

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