Is Tracksmith gonna make it?

It seemed like when they started, their emphasis was made in the USA, quality craftsmanship, etc., which justified the high prices. Was really surprised when I visited their pop up store in Boston during the marathon in 2016 that every piece of clothing I looked at was made in a third world country. No way they'll make it unless they lower their prices to reflect their labor costs. $55 for a t-shirt, $138 for a sweatshirt, $60 for running shorts??? Adidas doesn't even charge that for Boston Marathon gear.

doubt it wrote:

It seemed like when they started, their emphasis was made in the USA, quality craftsmanship, etc., which justified the high prices. Was really surprised when I visited their pop up store in Boston during the marathon in 2016 that every piece of clothing I looked at was made in a third world country. No way they'll make it unless they lower their prices to reflect their labor costs. $55 for a t-shirt, $138 for a sweatshirt, $60 for running shorts??? Adidas doesn't even charge that for Boston Marathon gear.

Agreed. I was recently looking at buying a t-shirt from them. Seemed like the kind of thing that would last forever and seemed like a good brand to support. Found out they were manufacturing abroad and changed my mind (w/ shipping it's $65-70 to order a t-shirt). I'm sure their counter is that they manufacture with no loss of quality, but either way, they've got to lower their prices if that's what they're doing.

That said, their catalog is a work of art.

I hope so, but I'm definitely not going to help in the near future

The grey boy shirts most of you have mentioned are made entirely in MA. Yes, the same can not be said for some of their other products, but $55 for a terrific T that supports American workers isn't outlandish. Some of Nike's higher end Ts are that much and made overseas.

I like their aesthetic, appreciate a startup mentality, and am engrossed by their advertising. And I wish they had lower prices too.

startup? they are owned by a massive conglomerate

FWIW wrote:

The grey boy shirts most of you have mentioned are made entirely in MA. Yes, the same can not be said for some of their other products, but $55 for a terrific T that supports American workers isn't outlandish. Some of Nike's higher end Ts are that much and made overseas.

I like their aesthetic, appreciate a startup mentality, and am engrossed by their advertising. And I wish they had lower prices too.

They'll probably make it. At least for a while, as I'm not sure if there is a set number of years a company has to hit to "make" it.

Quite a few years ago a cycling company started making super high quality stuff and charging a ton of money for it. I didn't think they'd make it, and they are still around. Rapha. Their site and clothes have a lot of similarity to what Tracksmith is doing.

Both talk about the experience of it all. That is what they sell more than clothes. All of us who know you can just go run and ride bikes anywhere are not the people who buy from Rapha and Tracksmith. But I don't think the companies really need us.

Truth Tellor wrote:

startup? they are owned by a massive conglomerate

FWIW wrote:

The grey boy shirts most of you have mentioned are made entirely in MA. Yes, the same can not be said for some of their other products, but $55 for a terrific T that supports American workers isn't outlandish. Some of Nike's higher end Ts are that much and made overseas.

I like their aesthetic, appreciate a startup mentality, and am engrossed by their advertising. And I wish they had lower prices too.

Please explain.

Man, I fell for Tracksmith hook line and sinker. Love their ads, love their catalog, their website, the low key old school design of their clothes... I just cannot bring myself to pay that for running clothes.

Tracksmith is founded by one of the Rapha guys.

Same thoughts here. Love the aesthetic and narrative. But can't bring myself to pay those prices.

Look, I'm a sucker for their clothes, but here are the positives:

1. There isn't another company making quality, vintage-inspired running gear like Tracksmith.

2. Their stuff lasts. I've worn those Bislett pants through 2 winters including trail runs, and I haven't had so much as a thread bust on them. If it lasts, it is definitely worth the cost! People talk about running clothes like you should buy the cheapest items, but if running is your hobby (much less your life) isn't it worth it?

3. Their advertising is awesome. Like I said, I'm a sucker. I own almost the entire catalog. I even bought that Ciele hat...and I love it.

4. They are runners! I had a question, and the woman rep that helped me was a well-respected Division I runner.

I will admit a few negatives

1. Those grey boy shirts are just thick cotton shirts. Who wants to run in a shirt that weighs 30 lbs when you sweat?

2. I was sad that they went overseas. All of my clothes from there were made in the U.S.A. until the last year or so.

3. A little too much pretentiousness. I'm glad they discontinued the "post-run robe" lol

Overall, we should be happy there is a company that has runners as their primary market. They actually care about competitive running. For me, it is worth supporting one of the few companies putting so much effort into the community.

I agree with allll that. The thing is when it comes to the cost:

- I will often toss a shirt on the side of a trail or road, many times I've forgotten to pick it up. If it's a $10 shirt from Target or an race shirt, that's Ok. If paid Tracksmith prices I'd be freakin' sick.

-I fear being scene as a "poser". I am not very fast anymore. My days of winning road races has passed. I don't want to be the guy running a 18min 5k wearing $300 warm ups. We've all seen the guys in the best gear that finish way back in the pack. It's just a bad look to me, (but maybe I'm just a superficial A-hole. )

Margins are important when you have investors:

http://fashionista.com/2015/08/tracksmith-series-a

Who is judging you for wearing Tracksmith warm-ups? The guys running 14:30 at the local Run/Walk? If you are running an 18 min 5k, most of the average people and hobby-joggers will be a) impressed with your time and b) too far behind you to judge. Also, my experience with really fast guys is that they are far too concerned with their own times to worry about what brand I'm wearing 2 minutes behind them.

That being said, you might get judged on an internet message board lol.

You might also get judged by high school kids, but you can take solace in the fact that they can't afford Tracksmith.

Sucker wrote:

You might also get judged by high school kids, but you can take solace in the fact that they can't afford Tracksmith.

I freely acknowledge that this is all in my head. I shouldn't care if I wear $600 sweats and run 25:00 5k. This is my cross to bear.

quickndirty wrote:

Sucker wrote:

You might also get judged by high school kids, but you can take solace in the fact that they can't afford Tracksmith.

I freely acknowledge that this is all in my head. I shouldn't care if I wear $600 sweats and run 25:00 5k. This is my cross to bear.

LOL! I must admit, I do break up clothing pieces. I don't arrive to a fun run kitted out in Tracksmith, but I probably would if I were able to win every time. So, maybe I'm trying to convince myself not to worry about what others think too!

I was very into the made in US thing when they started, but I just believed that all their stuff was US made, which totally justifies the price. I have some hippie ideals, I don't want to get sweatshop-made stuff. They don't have to crazy disclosure stuff like Patagonia for the overseas-made stuff, which leads me to believe they don't really want you to know where it's made. But - I purchased the VC shorts (before I knew they were made overseas) and they are great. Really well made, so I'm more confused as to where they are sewn and why they don't brag about it. High quality, high price, but I'd like to know who makes them.

my $.02

Also, the local running store carries several Nike, NB and Brooks shorts that are over $60

I second the statement that the VC shorts are great.

Bought a pair when they came out and loved them. They're as good today as they were the day I got them. I've added a few more pairs over the last year or so, and figure I won't need new shorts for several years, unless I get fat(ter).

I'd like to support them more, but why buy more stuff when you don't need to? Plus, my freebie race shirts auto-replenish whenever I race. Yeah, they stink like hell, but whatever. I'm usually running alone, anyway.