SWOBO Returns

Swobo, the company famous for its funky, wool cycling gear, is returning to the market after a brief hiatus. Normally, I'd stitch together some kind of announcement, but the version the company has crafted is pretty damn smart on its own. We'll try and conduct an interview with Tim Parr (the imperial leader) in the near future. Stay tuned for that. In the meantime, check this out...

Remember off-kilter promo ads like this? Well, the kids at SWOBO have plenty more where that came from. The company returns to the market in July.

MILL VALLEY, CA - Swobo - the alternative cycling movement that high-fived the inner cyclist in all of us - will officially return on July 7th, 2005, and will once again commit to pioneer innovative viewpoints and ideas - not only with the products that Swobo sells, but with the business that it creates - for people who just don't feel comfortable with the mainstream. In fact, they think it just really sucks right now…

“We're creating more than commerce here...we're looking again to stir the pot on several different fronts in order to make a difference,” said Tim Parr, returning Commander-in-Chief. “If we were just making ‘stuff’....then we wouldn't have started. Anybody can source products and put them on a shelf. We think that there's things going on in business (and in our industry) that are fundamentally wrong. What are they? You'll see....”

The Swobo experience will continue to lead the market with innovative Merino wool products, as well as introduce new ideas and styles. Swobo has developed a relationship with the creators of MAPP Merino, a unique approach which manages the entire supply chain in order to develop advanced merino technologies. “By using MAPP, we’re able to guarantee source, process, and functionality of a very complex fabric. There's really no other partner like them in the world right now. We're happy to be working with them again,” said Parr.

Swobo lifestyle products will ramp up shortly after the launch. “We're committed to telling the urban, non-technical/lifestyle part of our story, as much as we are the technical innovation. Hell, it’s been what we’re all about since the beginning…”

The Swobo story begins in 1992 with a young(er) Tim Parr, full of vim and vigor and a strong sense of what was right and righteous, set out to build a community of like-minded souls into a movement and was in search of a vehicle, or a beacon that could broadcast the truth - that cycling is cool.

The movement, called Swobo, needed some ‘thing’ that spoke to the very core of the cyclist in everyone. Parr focused on classic wool jerseys, for reasons that became obvious once you rode in one. The performance attributes and its strong link to cycling’s heritage made wool a natural.

Parr built Swobo into a counter-cultural movement with a tribal following that extended well beyond jerseys and into a way of doing business that was more a way of life than just a way of moving merchandise. Swobo was exclusive to those who knew and open to all who found it.

Swobo was eventually credited by Tim’s mom with inventing the alternative cycling clothing category that now dominates the cycling industry. Relative fame and fortune followed.

Then, Tim sold it.

Such is the American capitalist dream. Following the acquisition of Swobo by Santa Cruz bicycles in 2001, Parr gathered his belongings in his rucksack and set out on a walkabout in the world wide to discover. He met new people with new ideas and philosophies. He explored new offices in new industries, meditated on sustainability, and tried to catch fish.

Other companies in search of the Swobo voodoo sought Tim’s consultation so he started a brand strategy and design firm called Parr Goldman & Byrne. The firm provides brand strategy, design development, and communication solutions to leaders at companies such as L.L. Bean, Scott Fly Rods, Patagonia, Timbuk2, Von Zipper eyewear, the Kona Bicycle Company, and Meadowbrook Lane Capital, all the while Tim still tried to catch fish.

Then one day, Tim bumps into Rob Roskopp (owner of Santa Cruz Bicycles). Rob and Tim spend 5 minutes on small talk, then the other 10 minutes on bringing Swobo back. Why? Because Swobo never really left. The brand, still strong within the true believers, needed to come back.

So, Tim is bringing Swobo back.

To get in on the latest, visit www.swobostore.com

(some asshole in China owns Swobo.com).