Matt Taylor Speaks With LeanLuxe
What does it take to build a “serious brand for serious runners”? Our founder and CEO, Matt Taylor, spoke with LeanLuxe’s Colin Nagy to share his vision and core values. You can read the full story on LeanLuxe, a few highlights are excerpted below.
Tracksmith feels like a serious brand for serious runners. Was this a conscious decision to eschew the casual?
The seeds for Tracksmith came from a frustration with the way established running brands ignored the core runner, watering down their messaging to appeal to a broader fitness/athleisure base. So in establishing the framework for Tracksmith, it was important to speak to that runner who’d been left behind.
What role have your New England roots played in the vibe and aesthetic?
Having lived here for twenty years, I’ve come to find that New Englanders are incredibly hard working, straightforward and pragmatic. As a brand we embrace these qualities as part of our core values and in our approach to product.
How have you scoured the heritage of professional running in regard to your product design?
Really, our biggest design inspiration are runners themselves. What are the problems they face trying to train over a hot summer for fall marathon season? How can we build a short or a singlet that enhances that experience? If there’s a way to incorporate some functionality or detail from the sport’s past, we will. But it’s really about trying to solve problems and elevate the offering.
What stories do you feel like you have the right to tell? What does Champion for the Running Class mean for you and how does it manifest?
Not every runner can hit the paces that [the athletes in our photoshoots ran], but they can connect with the idea of waking up at 6am to squeeze in a run before work or changing in the bathroom at the office to workout before heading home. These are universal experiences that transcend pace and PRs, and really speak to a committed lifestyle. Those are the stories we look for and seek to champion.
Running can be an individual pursuit, but there’s also a strong collective community. How do you make this work for the brand and why is it important?
It’s important to remind people about those shared experiences that make the sport so much richer. We do that through our community, Hare A.C., but also with the workouts and events we offer at the Trackhouse in Boston. It’s also something we bring to our pop-ups at the major marathons – whether that’s hosting a group shakeout run or hand-stamping finisher’s posters after the race. There’s an incredible sense of camaraderie that comes from having a shared goal of running faster. As a brand, we understand that these human connections are what keep people coming back.