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Why women deserve better running kit | Alex Feechan, Founder of FINDRA
41 Plays4 hours ago
When Alex Feechan started mountain biking with a group of women in the Scottish Borders, she noticed something frustrating. The men's section dominated outdoor shops, while the women's offering often felt like an afterthought.
That experience inspired her to leave a successful career designing knitwear for high-end brands, to launch FINDRA, an outdoor clothing brand designed by women, for women.
In this episode, Alex shares how conversations with real women shaped every stage of the business, why representation matters, and why the right clothing can help remove barriers that stop people getting outdoors.
We discuss:
- The "shrink it and pink it" approach to women's outdoor clothing
- How poor-fitting kit can become a barrier to running and outdoor activity
- Why comfort and confidence matter just as much as technical performance
- How FINDRA involves women in designing new products
- Sustainability, community and building a purpose-led business
Whether you're a trail runner, walker or simply love spending time outdoors, this episode is a reminder that getting outside should be about enjoying yourself – not worrying about whether you fit the mould.
Follow Findra on Instagram
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Transcript
Introduction and Guest Background
00:00:01
UKRunChat
welcome to the uk run chat podcast i'm michelle and today i'm talking to alex feature and she's the founder of findra which is a clothing brand designed by women for women and we're going to be chatting about women in running in the outdoors and how how the kind of clothing and technical clothing industry has changed over the last decade and what alex is doing to help so hi alex thank you so much for joining us on the uk run chat podcast so before we get into the bigger topics at hand. Tell us a little bit about yourself. What first drew you to the outdoors, first of all?
00:00:35
Alex Feechan
Yeah, well, first of all, great to be here. Michelle, thanks for inviting me and it's it's good to chat to you. and So I've like been into the outdoors all my life. I grew up in a very urban area of Glasgow, but even as a little girl, I up Glasgow.
00:00:52
Alex Feechan
You know, we were fortunate enough, we had a lovely garden. My dad was a big gardener, so I was outdoors gardening and and being his little sidekick for a long time. and And then, you know, once I was able to ride a bike, that was it. You never saw me for dust. um So always loved the outdoors, even when it wasn't, it didn't appear that accessible in terms of being able to, you know, it's not like where I live now, i live in the Scottish borders and and I am literally a minute walk from the side of a hill and and trails and things. so So I've always loved the outdoors, um but I went away to study at 17, came to the Scottish borders and studied um industrial design and textiles at what was called the Scottish College of Textiles in Gallash Hills in the Scottish borders.
Career in the Textile Industry
00:01:39
Alex Feechan
And
00:01:39
Alex Feechan
The year that I graduated, it became affiliated with Heriot-Watt University. um So it's a Heriot-Watt degree that I've got. So I studied, specialised in knitted textiles, um loved living in the countryside. And then when I finished my honours degree, I went to the Royal College of Art in London, and back to the city. And um I done my master's degree there. um And when I finished my master's degree at the Royal College of Art, I really, because of the the prestige of that and qualification and and that place, the Royal College, I really kind of could have gone anywhere in the world and to start my career in the fashion industry. um But the the mountains were calling and Scotland was calling and I made the decision
00:02:27
Alex Feechan
to come back and to the Scottish borders actually and I guess that's that's kind of because there's there's sort of three things that to this day are woven into the sort of fabric of my life um and those things are family, creativity and the outdoors. So coming back to Scotland was because those three things mattered a great deal to me and I probably made my career little bit harder because of the fact that I chose to come back to Scotland but anyhow I started off working in the the Scottish knitwear industry so i've I've spent prior to FINDRA I spent about 20 plus years working in the Scottish textile industry working for a number of different knitwear companies where I would design and product develop knitwear ranges predominantly in the lovely cashmere fibre and design for quite well-known luxury high-end brands so I worked on
00:03:23
Alex Feechan
um product development for people like um Calvin Klein, Chanel, Escada, and then sort of up-and-coming London fashion
Inspiration Behind Findra
00:03:33
Alex Feechan
designers. So loved it, um loved being in nature, loved the fact that I was surrounded by hills and greenery and um really enjoyed that. And then in between that little phase, i actually, when I had my kids, I moved back to the city for a period. So i've got three sons. So moved back to the city, had the three boys, and
00:03:54
Alex Feechan
desperately wanted to bring them up in the countryside. So we moved back here 20 years ago. um And a few years after settling here, i got into mountain biking.
00:04:04
Alex Feechan
um So there was a women's group that met up on a Saturday morning and I would go off out on a Saturday morning And we just had an amazing, an amazing time um out on the trails.
00:04:04
UKRunChat
Right.
00:04:18
Alex Feechan
They were an amazing bunch of women and, you know, we all had responsibilities and, um you know, we had like work commitments, family commitments.
00:04:29
Alex Feechan
So we all, we all had things to do, um but just getting out the trails at the weekend was just brilliant fun. And we would support each other, trying some technical trails and just have a great laugh, go for a coffee after.
00:04:42
Alex Feechan
And that was a set up to be able to go back home and and get on with life and ah responsibilities. So that was where it started.
00:04:52
Alex Feechan
And that was the starting point for getting an idea for Findra. And I can tell you a little bit more about that in a second.
00:05:00
UKRunChat
yeah Yeah, please do.
00:05:01
Alex Feechan
and
00:05:02
UKRunChat
Because it it's it's look I love what you say about you had your kind of three priorities there and they've all come together with Findra, haven't they?
00:05:08
Alex Feechan
Yes, we have, which which is, you know, I feel incredibly fortunate that, well, I always feel incredibly fortunate, even when I'm sitting here in my office at home and I look out the window and I see lots of greenery and I think, you know, i get to do what i love in this place that I love.
00:05:09
UKRunChat
That's lovely. Yeah.
00:05:26
Alex Feechan
um and to do something that's really fulfilling and feels, you know, like it's purposeful. um And for me, you know, I'm near my family. My my sons are here. um i am near nature and I get to develop this career career that I've really enjoyed. So, yeah, so very lucky. felt A lot of gratitude for all of that. I feel very, very fortunate.
00:05:49
UKRunChat
Yeah. So just before we get into Findra and kind of the catalyst for that, what what's it like working in kind of high fashion like that?
00:05:52
Alex Feechan
Yes.
00:05:57
UKRunChat
Because you mentioned creativity. Can you be creative or are you kind of just following kind of fashion trends and who sets those
00:06:08
Alex Feechan
so it's it's crazy because trends are um we work really far ahead when you're in the fashion and textile industry and in fact the textile part of it comes before the fashion part so as a knitwear designer um we would be 18 months to two years ahead and um you would go to trade shows and trade events um And they would talk about, so for example, right now in June, one of the things that I would do would be going out to a trade show called Petit Filati in Florence, which is a yarn trade show.
00:06:42
Alex Feechan
And they would be talking, let me get this right, about autumn, spring, would it be spring, summer? Autumn winter 28, but also thinking about, yeah, so they would be talking about No, let me get this right. Autumn winter 27, but also introducing spring summer 28.
00:07:02
Alex Feechan
twenty eight Because a long way ahead.
00:07:03
UKRunChat
Yeah, that's a long way ahead, isn't it? Yeah.
00:07:06
Alex Feechan
And so there's a whole industry that's based on trends. And um there was one and trend agency that was based in Paris that I was fortunate enough to go and visit.
00:07:10
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:07:16
Alex Feechan
And they produced these incredible, beautiful books that that talk about, it it all comes from the influences of what's going on in the world currently and how that might lead to, um you know, consumer spending or how it might influence, you know,
00:07:32
Alex Feechan
what people want. And so there's there's a lot behind the trends, actually, that's quite fascinating. And a lot of it is to do with with what is going on in the world and and, you know, current affairs and global things that are happening that that and in incredible ways influence fashion, um influence interiors, you know, even right down to colours and what colour of car we might be driving in
Brand Development and Challenges
00:07:59
Alex Feechan
18 months.
00:07:59
Alex Feechan
they They all kind of feed off each other.
00:08:00
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:08:02
Alex Feechan
um And if you look back in history and the history of like fashion and you look at... um fab like skirt lengths they all correlate with like the finance the state of the finances there's that kind of connection like the swinging 60s were like you know short skirts and it was like positive and then when it gets a little bit you know it it just all kind of ties in that you can connect it to
00:08:15
UKRunChat
Really? a
00:08:28
Alex Feechan
like, you know, what our economy's like and and what the atmosphere is like and and the mood of the the country, the world, you know, impacts on the fashion that's produced, which is why it's quite cyclical as well. So it's quite fascinating. And and actually, that was always something that I was really, really interested in and But then I went, you know, so I followed the career of designing and product developing and, you I still work quite far ahead, um even with Fandra. So you've got to have your range ready, you know, a good six, you'd be going out to talk about your range now for, to be able, if you're doing wholesale, to be able to sell it and get those orders in for delivery in six months time. So you're always ahead.
00:09:15
Alex Feechan
Yeah.
00:09:16
UKRunChat
Yeah. Yeah. So what what was the catalyst for saying, right, I'm going to to start my own outdoor brand then?
00:09:23
Alex Feechan
Yeah.
00:09:23
UKRunChat
That's ah that's a huge step, isn't it What made you think, I'm going to go for it now?
00:09:26
Alex Feechan
Yeah.
00:09:29
Alex Feechan
Funnily enough, um from way back, I have always been really interested in um or had to had this feeling or this idea that I'd love to build my own brand.
00:09:39
Alex Feechan
And it goes way back and to when I was quite young, I would say like maybe teenager years. and And as say, I grew up in and the outskirts of Glasgow, um very working class family.
00:09:51
Alex Feechan
but my parents would buy the Sunday Times and and, you know, my dad would take the rest of the week to read it, but I would always get the magazines and the supplements. And I remember with one of the magazines, there was um a supplement of a clothing brand called Warehouse.
00:10:06
Alex Feechan
And you might not have ever heard of Warehouse, but it was like, you do remember?
00:10:10
UKRunChat
I remember it from my youth, yes. I used to shut down a lot in my teens, yeah.
00:10:12
Alex Feechan
Yeah, it's, There you go. It's kind of ah aging as an identifying our age there, but warehouse was done. Yeah, sorry, I know.
00:10:24
Alex Feechan
But warehouse was by a guy called Jeff Banks. And I can still see myself lying in my bed, looking through the magazine and not looking going, oh, I'd like to buy that. I was looking at going, that model looks really cool. I like how that's been put together. i like that photography. So I think back to that and there was this really clear in my head, the things that I was interested in. And, you know, I hadn't even gone off and started to study fashion and textiles at that point. I just had this feeling that I loved putting these things together and I loved the the sort of styling and the look and the identity, the brand identity. And I would not have any clue at that point that that's what I was drawn to because I, you know, I studied art and design at school and was very into drawing and painting, but I would not understand brand at any level other than there was something in me that was drawn to and
00:11:21
Alex Feechan
So that that's probably where it started in terms of that idea. But then, you know, I wanted to learn. I studied for six years. I wanted to learn the industry. I wanted to get my, heart like, being hands-on. And I kind of wanted to learn my trade. um And it was through these women that I mountain biked with that I went out and...
00:11:41
Alex Feechan
loved going out my bike and then decided that I would buy some kit for it, you know, and I went to my local trail center shop and I walked into the trail center shop and when I stood in the retail area, I kind of looked around because of my background in fashion and textiles, right away I identified like 90% of what's on offer here is for men and the 10% that's from for women is a real afterthought. You know, I can see that really clearly. I thought, okay, this is the shrink it and pink it approach.
00:12:12
Alex Feechan
It's a man's product. It's taken, it's like slightly reduced in size and they've added a pink flower or a pink go faster stripe. And oh my goodness, oh, we should be delighted with that.
00:12:24
Alex Feechan
And I just thought, How disappointing is that? One, from a design point of view, it's just really poorly de designed. And two, just from why are women not being taken seriously? You know, I'm out there on that hill on a Saturday to do with an amazing bunch of women. um And why are we not being taken seriously? Why are we not being considered?
00:12:46
Alex Feechan
um And so I felt like... the design was letting us down, but also the industry was letting us down and that we weren't being thought about. And I just really felt strongly that we deserve better. So we, you know, better design, better representation um and better consideration. And I believed that I could do something. I did not know what I was letting myself in for. But in that moment, I thought, I'm sure I can do something a bit better here. um And so that was the sort of light bulb moment.
00:13:20
Alex Feechan
And um at that point, you know, i was working for a South Korean company who owned two textile mills in Scotland. One was knitwear, one was weave. And i would travel to South Korea several times a year as a design manager. and i had a a really great job. I loved my job. I traveled internationally. um And so to just kind of walk, and and also that by that point in my own personal life, I was a single mum to my three sons. And so it was a sort of, you know, you don't just kind of have that idea on the Saturday at lunchtime and then hand your notice and in on the Monday.
00:13:58
Alex Feechan
It's a lot to think about. What does that mean? What does that idea mean? And what what is it that I think I'm going to create? and you know how much do I know about this industry and I'm passionate about what I do and passionate about doing something better for women but I have all these other things that I have to seriously consider you know keeping the roof over my family's head having a steady income and just where do you start when you have that idea you know yeah
00:14:23
UKRunChat
Yeah.
Prototyping and Market Research
00:14:24
UKRunChat
Where did you start there? Tell us. So this was what, 12 years ago now, is that right?
00:14:26
Alex Feechan
yeah where did I start 12 years ago and that's crazy to think about that but um I started off, I thought, right, okay, um I've got an idea.
00:14:30
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:14:38
Alex Feechan
Well, what my first question to myself was, well, what would I produce that's different from what's here? And so I i would go out on the bike and I would think, right, okay, well, what are women already wearing? What what else is on offer? And the first thing I noticed was, right, we all wear, everyone's got the same baby blue ring, like, you know, waterproof jacket, right? um And we're all wearing black shorts.
00:15:01
Alex Feechan
And the other thing that I noticed, because I'd came from this background in knitted textiles and worked with these beautiful fibres. I um worked a lot with Merino wool because I designed quite a few golf ranges for various people and so I knew that Merino wool was an incredible fibre and I knew that the benefits of it in the outdoors were fantastic and living in Scotland and being active in Scotland in the outdoors You've got to prepare yourself for four seasons in one day. You get all the weathers. You know, it's raining one minute, it's sunny the next.
00:15:35
Alex Feechan
And what i noticed when we all met up, because it's a bit dreary in Scotland, we would have all of our layers on because we'd be cold. And then as you start to cycle up the hill and you warm up, um you you know, you start to think, right, I'm overheating, I'm too warm. And we would have all these bulky layers because we were like wearing, you know, maybe it would be a synthetic top.
00:15:57
Alex Feechan
And then it would maybe be a cotton and hoodie and then a waterproof. And like, you know, you're you're not having, they're not wicking the sweat away. So from a performer's point of view, they were not brilliant, the products. and But so I thought, right, okay, once you've started the cycle and your body warms up, you need to take take these layers off and then you put them in your rucksack and that's a bit like bulky. And so I thought, right, I want to create a layering system that's really lightweight so that you can layer the products up and down depending on the weather, the activity um and you know just how you're feeling and what you need. So that was the first thought and then the next thought was um I want to use natural materials and
00:16:42
Alex Feechan
Believe it or not, 12 years ago, sustainability was not the big buzzword that it is today. um It wasn't as much of a consideration. So I just knew that Merino wool was a great fibre and I felt like that would be so good to have in the outdoors. and And then I wanted the product to be...
00:17:02
Alex Feechan
There was a couple of things, you know, i wanted it to be sort of quite understated and also quite stylish because after our bike ride, we all went to the cafe for coffee and cake. And that was a really great part of the day. That was like as much a part of the whole thing as as getting on the bike and getting on the hill. um And so I just wanted women to feel good about themselves in the product. I wanted them to feel that when they went into the cafe or whatever, that they didn't feel...
00:17:28
Alex Feechan
um you know like a sack of tatties as my mum would say you know yeah just feel good within yourself um and i didn't want the product to be heavily branded because i was very aware that of the products that were on offer um a lot of mountain bike kit that time was massively heavily branded and you know So the kit would be emblazoned with a brand name.
00:17:33
UKRunChat
Great expression. Yeah.
00:17:55
Alex Feechan
And I remember being quite afraid of that, which sounds stupid. But what I mean by that is that I loved riding my bike and I loved getting out on the hill, but I didn't see myself as this crazy technical downhill rider.
00:18:11
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:18:11
Alex Feechan
And I felt that if I wore that kit with that big logo on it, people would have an expectation of me that I definitely didn't feel I was going to deliver on. And I didn't want those expectations. I wanted to be able to ride my bike and have a nice time and get outdoors and that be enough, you know? So I was conscious of that and I didn't want to, I did not want to set any boundaries or barriers for any woman. I didn't want to define women's you know, abilities or or give them anything that made them feel uncomfortable. I wanted the kit to be comfortable. I wanted them to put it on, know that it was going to perform, they could rely on it, but they just had to then, after they've got the kit on, enjoy being outdoors. That that was the most important thing. So all of those sort of thoughts were going through my head.
00:19:02
Alex Feechan
And then by coincidence, actually, um I got an email from... um Scottish Enterprise, Enterprise Agency in Scotland, who basically said, do you know of anyone who's got an idea for a business related to mountain biking?
00:19:19
Alex Feechan
And that went out to lots of people. And if you do, or if you have come along to an innovation clinic meeting. So I went along, i was still working full time. I went along and I basically said, I've got this idea. i would like to create a brand for women, women's outdoor clothing. You know, started the niche of mountain biking.
00:19:38
Alex Feechan
That's my idea. And there was three people there, one from Scottish Enterprise, Mountain Bike Scotland, and another one from the university. And they loved the idea. The lady from Scottish Enterprise is now a friend and buys the kit, loves the kit, does all our outdoor activities in Findra. So amazing support. What they helped with was, okay, what do you need? And I was like, well, I need to understand the market.
00:20:03
Alex Feechan
So they were able to get me access to Mintel reports to get insight into the market and the future of the industry and and all that side of things. And they took us on what they called learning um expeditions. which was to go out to Eurobike, to go out and to kind of see firsthand what what was out there, what was in the industry, what was the industry sort of doing.
00:20:29
Alex Feechan
And so that just enabled me to get a feel for the size of the market and also understand what I was getting into. And um I also was able to apply for some grants to do my first prototypes.
00:20:43
Alex Feechan
and um And one of the things that I loved in the very early stages was the creative part. So thinking up, right, what are the products that I want to design? What is this brand that i want to build? And what's the brand all about? What's the ethos of the brand? you know what And my career before, my career, my fashion textile ah industry career, really helped with that because I understood brands because I worked with brands. So understood the the importance of brands sticking to their brand identity because I worked with different brands so I was able to understand the differences so understanding your brand identity understanding your brand values creating brand values even though I didn't even have a product and I hadn't made one sale understanding all of that and taking some time to really research that and um
00:21:17
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:21:34
Alex Feechan
start to get a feel for all of that. So I spent 18 months actually before I'd done, before we we launched market. It was about 18 months, might even have been two years doing lots and lots of research. So once I got the kids to bed, you know, you do the usual thing, in from work, do your, you know,
00:21:48
UKRunChat
Yeah. Yeah.
00:21:49
Alex Feechan
and take them wherever they're going football, tennis, whatever do all of that food, homework and then off to bed and I would sit at night and just really enjoy doing this research so I would sit from about half nine onwards and it just felt like fun I felt like I really enjoyed it it didn't feel like a chore it was really exciting I had no idea who i've I've always been like this Michelle it's like I know where I want to get to but I don't always know how I'm going to get there and and I have to trust the process um so yeah I'd done a lot of research and then started to access tiny little pots of funding like you know a thousand pound grant fund that helped me buy fabric I worked with the local university where I studied um to do prototyping and I started prototyping and then we held these kind of um workshops with women where we got women in and got them to look at what I was suggesting look at my brand names look at different things that I was
00:22:25
UKRunChat
Mm-hmm.
00:22:48
Alex Feechan
suggesting I was going to do as a brand and get their feedback. And that was really, really, really important to to then take that vision that I had and put it in front of real women who were doing stuff in the outdoors and get their feedback because you can live in this little bubble that's your dream and your v vision.
Addressing Women's Needs in Outdoor Clothing
00:23:08
Alex Feechan
But unless you get that out there and get the feedback, then you're not really kind of, you know, testing the market or anything. ah
00:23:16
UKRunChat
yeah
00:23:16
Alex Feechan
And that that was quite terrifying at at the start because I thought if my bubble gets burst, you know, then what, you know, so that that was really quite tough. And these women, and they were encouraged to be completely honest, and they were.
00:23:33
Alex Feechan
And there's many of the women that came that day that are are customers to this day, and we still talk about, remember that first day? And and some of them, there was two two twin sisters.
00:23:43
Alex Feechan
Oh my God, they were brutal, absolutely brutal.
00:23:47
UKRunChat
But that's probably helped you become, you know, elevate what you're offering, hasn't it, and become the best.
00:23:47
Alex Feechan
Brutal.
00:23:50
Alex Feechan
Yeah, yeah.
00:23:52
UKRunChat
What were people saying during that initial research phase of what was missing?
00:23:52
Alex Feechan
Yeah.
00:23:57
UKRunChat
What did they need?
00:23:58
Alex Feechan
Well, I think it was thinking about product from a women's specific um viewpoint, you know. I think like I had this fixation, funnily enough, on shorts that had side seam opening because at that point it was very much about bike.
00:24:17
Alex Feechan
So when you're on the bike, you put pressure on the sort of opening at the front. And and I just, I thought I'd solved everyone's problem. So I was going to have this side zip and all the rest of it. And then that got completely blown out of the water on that day.
00:24:30
Alex Feechan
So it was like, that's not the problem, but here's the problem. The problem is we can't get shorts to fit us on the hip and the waist at the same time.
00:24:37
UKRunChat
yeah yeah
00:24:38
Alex Feechan
Ah, right. So we need adjusters in the waist because that is a key thing. Women have can have all shapes. that that Women are all shapes and sizes. And some women have tiny waist and larger hips. So if they get something that that fits them on the hips, it's too big on the waist.
00:24:54
Alex Feechan
um And, you know, if they get a size that's right for their waist, they probably can't get it. over You know, so it's like. right, okay, women are, there's such a variation and like, you know, I'm quite straight, you know, I'm like hips and waist are probably not that different to each other. So I'm quite straight up and down. um And then just like,
00:25:15
Alex Feechan
women want comfort more than anything they want to be comfortable but that comfort doesn't need to come at the sacrifice of it feeling stylish or looking good you know so that and that was always what i believed in my gut was like you know we want i want women to feel good and be comfortable but not like have to not like we don't have to compromise on the style element we can still have a stylish product So there was things like that that came out.
00:25:43
Alex Feechan
I had a chart a board that had lots of brand names on it and it was like people had to put little asterisks next to the names. And then I had a board of lots of images of women in the outdoors and it was again, put stickers on the ones you like.
00:25:57
Alex Feechan
And it was really like women were drawn to the most, not surprisingly, the most authentic image and representation of women in the outdoors. And if you think back 12 years ago, and it's still not quite resolved, how women are represented um through images of women in the outdoors is still, you know, yeah either over-sexualized or or like just just not there, you know.
00:26:22
Alex Feechan
So um i i have um I have always been and I'm a great believer that if you don't see yourself, then you don't feel you belong, you know.
00:26:23
UKRunChat
Yes.
00:26:32
Alex Feechan
So that's that. And just hearing firsthand from these women. And I think the fact that it opened a conversation, i don't believe that there were any other brands particularly doing that well at that point where we're having that conversation going, okay, I've got two images. What one what one do you think represents women in the outdoors? and So I think they felt brilliant about being able to express that. And that's why they were able to be so brutally honest because for the first time it was like, I'm getting a say in...
00:27:02
Alex Feechan
what this might look like and being able to express that from a, this is what I want to see, you know, it was quite refreshing. So, so it was, it was really good. um and it made me think a lot, you know, it was really interesting because you can have a preconceived idea and even though you want it to be better you can still have a preconceived idea so so it was really really important that we'd done all of that groundwork before I launched it was really I always look back and I say to other women who are launching a business I'm like do the homework do the get the good foundations in so that you understand what you're building and you lay them on good foundations dig deep and it might feel frightening but dig into that uncomfortable feeling yeah
00:27:50
UKRunChat
Yeah, and it's it's scary, isn't it? Because you don't you don't want to fail.
00:27:53
Alex Feechan
No.
00:27:54
UKRunChat
But like you say, we we can think we know what's right, but that research is so important, isn't it?
00:27:57
Alex Feechan
Yes.
00:28:00
UKRunChat
and Yeah, I'm thinking back to what you said about women seeing themselves. The only thing I can think that was happening around that time, it was the This Girl Can campaign. Do you remember that?
00:28:08
Alex Feechan
Yes. Yes.
00:28:09
UKRunChat
so it was people were just starting to realise that we did need representation.
00:28:11
Alex Feechan
Very good.
00:28:14
Alex Feechan
Yeah.
00:28:15
UKRunChat
and we we were beginning to just see women...
00:28:15
Alex Feechan
Yeah.
00:28:20
Alex Feechan
Yeah.
00:28:20
UKRunChat
enjoying the outdoors and being themselves. And I think that's so important, isn't it?
00:28:25
Alex Feechan
Yes, it really is.
00:28:25
UKRunChat
And I guess clothing does have an impact on that. It is important. I mean, can Pawkit be a barrier to participation?
00:28:33
Alex Feechan
I think for women, lots of things can be a barrier and I think poor kit definitely can. um You know, if you don't feel comfortable in a pair of shorts or a pair of trousers or leggings if it's badly designed you know if you're thinking about when you're out running you know I've spoken to lots of women with regards leggings and if you're out running and the trousers go you know if you've got if your stomach comes over the top of the trousers or like you know you're you're just going to feel rubbish about yourself it's going to be an irritant you know and you want kit that you put it on you think that feels good everything since stays in position you know you shouldn't be thinking about your kit when you're running when you're cycling when you're hill walking
00:29:03
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:29:16
Alex Feechan
You should be able to use that time to get all those amazing benefits of of doing that activity from a physical point of view, from a mental health point of view, from being outdoors. and You should be able to focus on all of that. So kit that's annoying or doesn't fit well or hasn't got the things in the right places is definitely a distraction. And I don't want to make a mass generalisation statement, but I think that that women are so busy quite often in life, are so busy juggling so much and for them to to give themselves permission to have that time to themselves is quite rare and and they've probably got to go through quite a lot of mental hurdles to say, I'm having that time. So when they get that time,
00:30:05
Alex Feechan
we you just don't want anything that might be like, oh, I've got those leggings and look no those leggings don't fit. It's fine. I'll go next week. You know, we're good at talking ourselves out of giving ourselves time.
00:30:17
Alex Feechan
So if we can take stuff away, if we can make sure that there are less barriers, then yeah, I hope, I would hope that that we have more chance of doing what we love and doing something for us, you know?
00:30:17
UKRunChat
Yeah,
00:30:33
UKRunChat
it's so, so important, isn't it? I was talking about that on my run this morning, actually.
00:30:35
Alex Feechan
Yeah.
00:30:37
UKRunChat
It's so important.
00:30:37
Alex Feechan
yeah
00:30:37
UKRunChat
and We often don't give ourselves time or the the the kind of permission to do it, do we?
00:30:43
Alex Feechan
yeah we're good at not we're good at putting other things in the way and and it's funny i was talking to had coffee with a girl last week who um she does um sort of coaching and and sort of helping women to get over
00:30:43
UKRunChat
Yeah, yeah.
00:30:59
Alex Feechan
those kind of barriers and we were chatting about said when was last time you were out bike and went it's been a while actually and um I've been doing a lot more wild swimming and we were chatting about all of that sort of thing and she's like what what's your barriers to getting that back out in your bike and I was laughing that was like oh oh there's nothing blah blah blah and then I said she said she started to probe a little bit and she said where is your bike and I said it's in the garage She's like, right.
00:31:24
Alex Feechan
And are there like lots of things in front of it? I says, no, no, there aren't. I said, but there's a key lock and it really irritates me so much so that I'm like, I can't be bothered with that key lock. And she's like, there you go.
00:31:37
Alex Feechan
So what are you going to do to overcome the key lock thing? And the key lock issue is because someone will have taken the key for the garage and forgot to put it back. And so I would get all ready to go my bike and then I'd get to the key lock.
00:31:50
Alex Feechan
and get it opened hey presto no key so you know i then didn't even realize that that was becoming a barrier to me which is ridiculous isn't it
00:31:55
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:32:00
UKRunChat
Yeah, it's the smallest thing, but that's often and all it takes, isn't it? Yeah.
00:32:04
Alex Feechan
yeah it's terrible well we're going on holiday at the weekend and the bikes are going so yes in one respect and i'm i'm sure that that will inspire me to get back on my bike yes
00:32:05
UKRunChat
Have you resolved that now, Alex?
00:32:10
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:32:16
UKRunChat
Yeah. ah so So, yeah. So what a start to Findra. That's incredible. So that that launch must have felt both exhilarating and terrifying for you, I imagine.
00:32:23
Alex Feechan
Yeah.
00:32:26
Alex Feechan
Absolutely.
00:32:27
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:32:27
Alex Feechan
Yeah.
00:32:28
UKRunChat
Was it just Mountain Bike Kit you were launching at
Sustainability and Growth at Findra
00:32:31
UKRunChat
that time?
00:32:31
Alex Feechan
It was just for like, you know, specific to mountain bike, but i always knew right from the start that I wanted the brand to be broader.
00:32:40
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:32:40
Alex Feechan
and to have a broader appeal and to develop clothing for women in the outdoors because I walked and I'd done different things. um But I started in that niche of mountain biking and it was terrifying, but but really exciting.
00:32:54
Alex Feechan
But yeah, there was quite lot of fear and apprehension. And, you know, again, that feeling of what happens if, you know, all those things, um if no one likes it, what happens if this, what happens if that? And,
00:33:10
Alex Feechan
but but really mixed in with a lot of excitement that I'd got to that place where were just about to launch. so um It was another 18 months that I juggled the brand um and progressing the brand, selling, you know, selling online, um going to events.
00:33:16
UKRunChat
yeah So how long did it take to feel like you were established and you could you could just go with Fyndra then and kind of quit quit the day job, as it were? Yeah.
00:33:36
Alex Feechan
I juggled that with my job. um It, I just knew that I had to kind of juggle both until I got to a place where I felt that because I needed this, the salary, if you like, I needed to be able to have an income.
00:33:48
UKRunChat
yeah.
00:33:49
Alex Feechan
Um, and so yeah, 18 months before i then was able to transition being able to focus on the business full time, which, which was hard. I look back at that period and I think, oh my goodness, because I also joined a business accelerator, uh,
00:34:07
Alex Feechan
hub as well which was absolutely brilliant but I do I sometimes look back and think that was the craziest period ever how I don't know how I done it I think I just like didn't overthink it I just done it you know so it was it was an exciting time I was very motivated and very um probably running on adrenaline but it didn't feel like a chore none of it felt like a chore it felt like a really enjoyable exciting
00:34:18
UKRunChat
Yeah. Yeah.
00:34:32
Alex Feechan
And I loved the whole getting into the whole side of the business side of it. I found that really interesting and fascinating. So that helped a lot as well that I enjoyed that side of it.
00:34:43
Alex Feechan
Yeah.
00:34:43
UKRunChat
Yeah. So are you still kind of Fyndra or have you got a a big team behind you now, Alex, to help?
00:34:48
Alex Feechan
We've got a huge team. We've got quite a small team, but we there's a handful that like are employed and then we work with external people as well. um But I always say we're small but mighty because we do a huge amount for such a small team. and we achieve a lot and get through a huge workload so that's quite nice, it's really nice and that has been an interesting journey you know finding the right people has not been easy um and it's taken quite a while um but touch wood, we've got a good great team um who just get what we're trying to build and and do and um
00:35:31
Alex Feechan
work really hard and we have we have good fun as well, you know, as well as as kind of managing the stress and pressures we enjoy what we do. So it's it's brilliant.
00:35:40
UKRunChat
Yeah, I think that's important. Yeah, definitely.
00:35:42
Alex Feechan
Yeah. Yeah.
00:35:43
UKRunChat
And it's clear you've got a lot of passion about it.
00:35:45
Alex Feechan
Oh, yeah.
00:35:46
UKRunChat
yeah it's It's lovely to hear. So you you touched on your values earlier. So what are the FINDRA values then? And because we were talking a bit about sustainability as well, weren't we?
00:35:55
Alex Feechan
Yeah, so sustainability is and really important and and not just sustainability from the point of view of like sustainable fabrics, which is important. So we look for recycled or natural materials, um but also sort of sustainability in terms of the the triple bottom line. So that triple bottom line in business is about um profitability, um you know, so sustainable materials. So people, planet and profit are the three sort of key things in a sustainable business. So investing in the people, looking after your team, but also investing in the wider community.
00:36:36
Alex Feechan
um And so so for me, it was like, you know, those women that I'm mountain biked with, that that the spirit of those women and the feeling that I wanted to shine a light on women in the outdoors to and show more women, other women in the outdoors. And and very much at a level that that's not a kind of top of the mountain level. It's very much, you know,
00:37:00
Alex Feechan
Like you can do it. You can take the first step to running. You can take the first step to trying mountain biking or swimming or, you know, I wanted to show real women because then it's relatable. and But also to celebrate women that aren't achieving great things and because they are inspirational. So so people are really important. um And giving back to that community and supporting that community is and And encouraging younger women to come through um and then profitability, building a business that that is stable. um
00:37:35
Alex Feechan
So there's a lot in the business world where, you know, and again, this is a whole other conversation about being a woman leading a business in the outdoor industry and being a female entrepreneur. you know, there's this whole thing of the hockey stick curve, which is where you grow exponentially and like really quickly. And and like that terrified me. It's just not doable. well It is doable for some people, but it's not a sustainable way to grow. and And the data tells you that women-led businesses like to grow in a stable way, you know, an incremental growth.
00:38:09
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:38:10
Alex Feechan
So that that is important. And then, you know, the the product sustainable ah sustainable as possible we can't be fully um sustainable but we try really hard we you know try and work with as many uk suppliers as we can the overseas suppliers that we work with you know they're all accredited for example with willmark there's um have um accreditations in terms of how they treat their staff and and their environment and things like that so
00:38:42
Alex Feechan
We build really good, so building relationships, you know, our key suppliers we've worked with for the last 10 years and they have supported Findra in a way because they've banked on us in the early days and and grown with us. So that's been brilliant. And so those relationships are really important. So people are really important Findra.
00:39:03
Alex Feechan
And um I think around those three things, you know, it's it's people, it's the planet. and it's stability and it's stable, sustainable growth. um And we're about being kind, treating people with respect. um We don't take ourselves too seriously. You know, what we take creating a product seriously. We take building a sustainable business seriously, but we don't take ourselves too seriously. So we want to celebrate women in the outdoors. So an element of joy, you know, at whatever level is really, really important.
00:39:36
Alex Feechan
um And I think just being open and as transparent as we can be, be transparent, those are the things that matter the most to us and to enjoy what we're doing, what we're building,
00:39:47
UKRunChat
Yeah.
Empowerment Campaign and Product Range
00:39:48
Alex Feechan
you know?
00:39:48
UKRunChat
And you've you've got a new campaign at the moment, haven't you, called On Our Terms.
00:39:51
Alex Feechan
Yeah.
00:39:52
UKRunChat
Tell us a little bit about that.
00:39:54
Alex Feechan
So the On Our Terms campaign was launched in April um and that that came about, um so about, well, it was 18 months ago now, we'd done a very sort of big brand review a review of the product range and we talked about what we wanted to build into the range. So product development is very expensive. Introducing new products is really expensive. And we survived COVID as a business and off the back of COVID, things were really tough. So that was quite hard going.
00:40:25
Alex Feechan
And it was probably about 2024 that i felt like I kind of lifted my head above the parapet and went, okay, I can look to the future again. And so we started to review everything that we were offering. started to do some, um we knew the customer profiles that we had. There was one customer profile that I felt we weren't really delivering for, and that was a slightly more technical product and more performance product. Our clothing is very versatile, so it performs, but it's also, you can wear it for every day. And I wanted to kind of go a little bit technical. um
00:41:00
Alex Feechan
And so on that brand review, we felt that was the important next steps and that we wanted to get back to that, our roots in a sense that was right, what what motivated and inspired me right at the start. And it was those women on the trail. And so we wanted to get back to that confident kind of grittiness that we had right at the start. um And through conversation, it was, you know,
00:41:26
Alex Feechan
we don't, women have been told so many times that, you know, if you've gone into ah an outdoor shop or maybe a bike shop or whatever, and you're kind of quite often met with this kind of, oh, we don't we don't have a big women's section because women don't really like doing stuff in the outdoors. You know, there's all these excuses that that if you spoke to a group of women, they would all have an example of how they've been made to feel.
00:41:52
Alex Feechan
And, you know, so it just felt like that is so wrong. and It's not true, and but it's so wrong that we are made to feel that way. And even sort of 10, 12 years on, there's still elements of that that women are are feeling. and And so being passionate about that whole sort of statement of if if you don't see yourself, you don't feel you belong. So making women feel like they belong. So not defining how far do you run, not defining how far you cycle or how high you climb it's all about what do you want to do and how does it make you feel and does walking the dog twice a day make you feel good brilliant you've been outdoors that's great so it was like okay well that's like let women do it on their terms you know so collectively it's like on our terms we're going to do this on our terms And for Findra, it's like, we are going to give you the kit to do that.
00:42:44
Alex Feechan
That kit is going to help you do what you do in the outdoors on your terms. So we dug into the different aspects of the kit, of the range that we're missing.
00:42:55
Alex Feechan
And we developed kit that we felt nice pieces to add to what we've got very much in the Findra handwriting, but pieces that weren't already there and were slightly more technical. But again, you know recycled fabric,
00:43:07
Alex Feechan
um elements of natural fibers and and just like really enjoyed so i've worked with a new product developer Donna's came on board but 18 months ago um she's got fantastic experience um loves the outdoors and lives and breathes the outdoors and so it's things like the fit of the garment was really important and where the pockets were, where their pockets, you know, what do women want? So as a team, we would start to think about these products and develop them. And when we'd get prototypes, we would wear them.
00:43:45
Alex Feechan
And then we would come back and we would be like, this this pocket needs to move because I can't do this or that. Or this doesn't feel the right fit. It's, it's you know, it's irritating me in this way. Or I think this needs to have,
00:44:00
Alex Feechan
a hood that's this shape or, you know, so we would spend time wearing these things, doing, wearing these products, doing what we love, whatever that is, and then tweaking them so that we get a garment where when someone went out and wore it and they come they're like, that's brilliant, that works so well.
00:44:17
Alex Feechan
And then it's like, right, that's ready to be added, you know, to, brit so so we've just worked really, really hard over the last 18 months to introduce this range, this on our terms range, um which is,
00:44:30
Alex Feechan
uh trousers fantastic trousers adjustable waist which is really fantastic great fit great shape um and then we've got our um lovely wool blend fleece which is fantastic and lightweight t-shirts really lightweight um breathable it's our lightest weight merino blend um just little things like the vest has wider shoulders so if you've got rucksack you're not going to shape you know it's not going chafe on the shoulders so just lots of things um and we've just really had fun doing it really enjoyed it and
00:45:00
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:45:07
Alex Feechan
You know, it's it's about women and thinking about all the things that women want and need as much as we possibly can. And ah that new range goes up to XXXL.
00:45:18
Alex Feechan
By Christmas, by the end of the year, we'll have right up to XXXL. And then we will consider going another size above um again. So we just want to break down as many barriers as possible to women getting there.
00:45:31
UKRunChat
Yeah, I think that's brilliant. Yeah. what What have you got in your range for runners specifically at the moment then?
00:45:37
Alex Feechan
So we've got the Aspen and Alder leggings. They are a beautiful recycled fabric. It's a buttery soft fabric. and Really quite lightweight though, but breathable.
00:45:50
Alex Feechan
And you can the the Aspen is the printed version and that and the Alder is plain. They've got that lovely deep waistband. They've got an adjustable waistband, deep side pockets for phones and keys and things.
00:46:02
UKRunChat
I love pockets. Yeah, we love pockets.
00:46:03
Alex Feechan
Yeah, they're so practical, aren't they?
00:46:05
UKRunChat
Yes.
00:46:05
Alex Feechan
They're just, yeah, you really need them as well. and And then we've got the Elfin T-shirt and the Elfin vest. And that's a really lightweight merino.
00:46:17
Alex Feechan
and And they're just such easy pieces to wear. So the t-shirt is is slightly shaped to the waist, but it's just very practical. It's got merrow seams, which means that they're like really nicely, the stitching on the seams is really smooth so that when it's next to the skin, it's it's um nice and comfortable, but also really durable.
00:46:41
Alex Feechan
and And then we've got the Etta fleece, which is brilliant um for next layer on top of the merino t-shirts um for cooler days um lovely fit great hoods great fit pockets
00:46:55
UKRunChat
So could you run in that? Is that breathable enough to run in? Yeah.
00:46:58
Alex Feechan
I would say that the t-shirt and then we've got a soft shell jacket which is perfect for running so the leggings the elfin t-shirt elfin vest and Aussie and jacket that is a great running outfit
00:47:03
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:47:09
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:47:09
Alex Feechan
They both wick away the sweat. So the Merino is perfect for wicking away the sweat. We were working really hard to get an even lighter weight fabric. m And we've got that going on in the background, especially because Donna's a runner and she was like almost fixated on this really lightweight, wickable fabric for runners. and so But the Elfin T-shirt's brilliant and the best. So those three pieces, I would say, for are there four. The two leggings, the Ossian Softshell and the Elfin products, brilliant for runners.
00:47:44
UKRunChat
Yeah. and And I guess you'll now be working ahead to, you'll you'll be well underway for autumn, won't you? Already working for next spring, summer.
00:47:52
Alex Feechan
We are already working. So just before we spoke, and Wednesday's our product development day, so I had two product development meetings. So we're all ready. We're getting all the prototypes for spring, summer 27 next week, um and we'll be fitting them. So we fit on, we call her, we call fit model is the technical term. So it's a real person that you fit the product to and you consistently fit to that person. So so we'll be doing fittings next week of the early stage prototypes of spring, summer 27.
00:48:22
Alex Feechan
Yeah. It is, yes.
00:48:23
UKRunChat
exciting. Yeah. So if our listeners had ideas for what they need from running clothing, would you be open to listening to them?
00:48:33
Alex Feechan
100% I absolutely love to hear what people want I love honest direct feedback um and if there's something that's missing I would love to know because that that's what it's about it's a two-way process you know it's not about the rest of the industry which dictates what you or believes that they know what you want without asking what would you like you know so on
00:48:35
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:48:58
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:48:59
Alex Feechan
FINDRA is all about that interaction. um You know, we want women, we want as many women in the outdoors enjoying themselves. And so if we can help, that's what that's what we're here to do. So hearing about any product that we've not got that women would like for running, we'd love to hear.
00:49:17
Alex Feechan
Very welcome.
00:49:17
UKRunChat
Yeah, there you go. So get in touch. What's the best way for people to contact you?
00:49:22
Alex Feechan
So you can contact us on any of our social media platforms. So there's our Facebook platform or Instagram. You can send a DM through Instagram. and You can also contact us through the website or through our emails, which is hello at findra.co.uk.
00:49:38
Alex Feechan
And we will happily um communicate about any of that and chat and chat. And if we get enough, we would love to do a little forum, a little online chat group, you know, where we could have ah a call and just chat chat through that stuff.
00:49:52
Alex Feechan
I love that kind of thing. That's, you know, what really helps inform the range of products and ensures that we invest our resources into the right things for women.
00:49:54
UKRunChat
yeah
00:50:05
Alex Feechan
Yeah.
00:50:05
UKRunChat
yeah and that's got to be really valuable to you to actually speak to people face to face who actually use your clothing yeah yeah oh well thank you so much Alex that's been it's been such an interesting chat and thanks so much for joining us on the podcast and we'll pop all the links in the show notes for people to get in touch for you okay so thank you
00:50:07
Alex Feechan
Yeah. Definitely. Yeah. Yeah.
00:50:16
Alex Feechan
Thank you. I've loved it. Yes, that would be brilliant. Thank you so much. That would be great. Thank you. Lovely to speak to you.
00:50:27
UKRunChat
Yeah, you too. So if this episode has inspired you to try something new or you've got some ideas for Alex on what Findra might include in their next range, and we'd love to hear from you. So thank you for listening and we'll see you next time on the UK Run Chat podcast.