In the first episode of Apple TV Physical’s new screen, starring Rose Byrne, it’s evident that fashion and pictorial clothing have converged since the fitness boom of the 1980s. No one better positioned than Carbon38 founder Katie Warner Johnson to take credit for this emerging trend of blurring the lines between streetwear and sportswear. a project to bring to life other brands led by women along the way.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in art history and architecture, Warner Johnson postponed a task offered by Deutsche Bank to pursue his other passion, ballet. This dream was blocked due to several injuries, but then turned to finances; she has become a sought-after fitness teacher in Los Angeles. “I was a fitness instructor and that’s why I lived on spandex,” Warner Johnson says of the brand’s birth.
“I was made aware of great and emerging brands, most of which were led by women. I found that those brands were looking to take on the big players in the sportswear space, but what to do; microplayers and crowdsourcing our path to success. “An invitation to the 2012 Women 2. 0 Startup Conference in San Francisco helped cement the idea.
The call was born from the CEO’s passage through the periodic table, and in 2014 the logo was introduced with five logos. “Carbon is one of the abundant maximum elements in our bodies, and the company I was starting to create seemed compelling. “She explains. They have worked with more than 260 logos to date, 75% of which are run or founded by women. “It’s vital to me for my fellow leaders, Carbon38 exists because of them,” says Warner Johnson.
Adidas features through Stella McCartney, LoveShackFancy, Balmain, Reebok X Victoria Beckham and Sweaty Betty, among others. The looks herald a taste that combines the DNA of sportswear with elegant ready-to-wear silhouettes, a stimulating look for fashionable women.
The fitness professional drew on her monetary acumen from her school experience, developing the company from $0 million to over $50 million, mobilizing successful investment rounds, and hiring the right industry leaders for the vision.
Global fitness a network long before social media and the web buzzed with them. It turned out to be the retailer’s first marketing vehicle, with Warner Johnson as the first logo ambassador. morning fitness classes. By the time they brought me home from the studio, we had reached our daily sales target. ”She credits the ambassadors with the founding and good fortune of Carbon38.
The company has a network of thousands of fitness instructors in 23 countries who act as “logo evangelists,” as it says. “Today’s consumers can spot a fake approval at a glance. When there is a genuine connection between the logo and the partner, consumers feel it, feel it, and adhere to it. Cultivating an original network of ambassadors has been our project at Carbon38. »
Recently, the logo introduced the “At Our Core” crusade that highlights the roles and social contributions of ambassadors from around the world. “These are pillars of their network and the foundation of our business,” he explains.
Like any startup, Carbon38 was not without a learning curve, especially the luck of its network’s success. “Knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t have gone in danger or supported some of our craziest and most vital victories,” he reveals. That said, in the last year alone, Carbon38 has experienced some of its highest ups and downs. My greatest learning has been ‘you’re never in control,’ a terrifying and liberating achievement,” he continues about critical business lessons.
As a fitness logo with many ambassador instructors, they were in a position at the beginning of the pandemic to succeed in their community, providing elegance to help in some facets of the same old lives. “At the beginning of the lockdown, we established up ‘Work (out) From Home’: a 3-a-day fitness elegance hosted on our Instagram with a wide diversity of instructors from our community of ambassadors. “
The platform brought together customers, brands, suppliers, investors, groups and ambassadors during this challenging time. “We offer live catepassries on weekends on our Instagram account. The opportunities to connect with our wider network go far beyond leggings. “
For those on the east and west coasts looking for an IRL Carbon38 experience, the logo has lately two physical locations, Palisades Park and Bridgehampton. Current investments aim not only to send more than 70% of the female-led logos, but also to invest in some of them acting as investors and incubators for those who might otherwise never be able to raise capital and exposure to succeed at scale. The collaboration is also at the heart of the logo, having forged an exclusive tennis-focused collection between Venus Williams and Once.
In 2015, the logo added its own diversity of exclusive workout outfits to Carbon38. They are taking steps towards sustainability through two fabrics in the main products, Cloud Compression and Diamond, made from recycled water bottles. In addition, one hundred percent polyethylene with the logo. the bags are made of recycled plastic.
The path to sustainability is an adventure much like the foundation of a brand. Small steps and movements become bigger concepts and results. Warner Johnson is grateful for the opportunity, regardless of the self-creation and the one gained along the way.
“Building anything from scratch on my kitchen table to spend the last 20 months at this table preparing the company for a new era and its next decade of good fortune has been a gift,” he reflects, adding, “To know again that you are never in control. I plan to pay more attention to our customers, suppliers and teammates because the answer is in the room. “
I am an award-winning American journalist in Paris covering the luxury and fashion industries with over 25 years of experience. I have spent over 18 years in the industry.
I am an award-winning American journalist founded in Paris covering the luxury and fashion industries with over 25 years of experience. I spent over 18 years in the fashion industry and retail “bible” WWD, also known as Women’s Wear Daily, where my speed was the first sportswear, then top accessories and jewelry for 14 years. My career has witnessed the shift from classic print media to the evolution of digital. In this role, I acquired a profound wisdom from global design, wholesale and retail markets and marketing that along the way, I have met countless creatives and entrepreneurs who create the luxury of creation at the point of sale with the consumer. I’m here at Forbes. com to tell your stories.