Inside Levelwear’s all-inclusive approach to the athletic apparel business

What does it mean for a brand to take a holistic approach not only to products but also to its image towards consumers?

Levelwear, a family owned and operated clothing company founded in 1987, gets you.

The Canadian clothing brand has spent decades as a manufacturer of high quality and limited name recognition, but that is starting to change.

Recent partnerships with some of the biggest names in pro golf, from Adam Hadwin and Corey Connors on the men’s side to Carlota Ciganda and Alena Sharp in the women’s game — not to mention superstar athletes in other sports, like the Edmonton Oilers’ Ryan McLeod and Los Angeles Dodgers by Chris Taylor – gave Levelwear more exposure.

The brand’s influence lies in the quality of its products and the depth of its customer relationships – a point of pride for everyone involved. When it came to developing a vision of the brand’s future mission, celebrating a collection as opposed to an individual felt like the natural choice.

Jay Chaney is a partner and chief strategy officer at Broken Heart Love Affair, a Toronto-based agency hired by Levelwear to help shape the company’s future brand strategy.

To get a feel for the company’s culture, Chaney conducted interviews with Levelwear employees, partners and customers.

“I’ve been doing this for 25 years,” he said. “The most amazing part of the whole process was the consistency, there was one type of story that kept coming up, whether you worked at Levelwear or were a customer, that there was humanity in the organization, and that it was the people who mattered.

“So, of course, the products were being delivered and there was product consistency and it was very good quality. But what customers were telling us was that this was an organization that they felt cared about them as customers and people and that the personal relationship that existed between them and Levelwear made the relationship very valuable, and something they looked forward to.”

Who’s with you?™ and Win as One™ were ultimately chosen as the main concepts behind the new Levelwear concept. Instead of focusing on the individual, Levelwear wanted to see the team efforts that make it all happen. Each product has several people behind it. From design to production to delivery, each team member has a role in making Levelwear products the best they can be, so the consumer – from Tour players like Connors and Hadwin to you and me – can be the beneficiaries of that quality. Although golf is an individual sport, a collective effort is equally appreciated. To be successful a player needs many people in his corner, from the coach and caddy to the coach and supportive family members. That recognition – and celebration – of the team is Levelwear’s point of differentiation from other clothing brands.

“They’re inclusive and open to everyone,” Chaney said. “What is true and alive about this organization is that they truly believe that the only way this company will succeed is if everyone is treated with the respect of the entire organization, and how they treat other customers as important people, not just financially. accounts or business opportunities.”

That ethos starts at the top with Levelwear’s leadership. This brand is family owned, and CEO Hester Ngo wants that partnership to be reflected in the products.

“We want to be recognized as the number one brand of apparel that celebrates teamwork and teamwork – by consumers,” he said. “We all have a family, by blood or by choice, behind us all, not only to see the victory of the athletes, but to celebrate all those who played a part in their success.”

The rise of Levelwear’s brand can be attributed to many things: the Covid golf boom, a less volatile, fast-changing business model, and higher quality products. But Ngo said that licensing strategies that work with major sports companies such as MLB, NHL and NBA have helped the brand in terms of consumer awareness. Key moment: when Levelwear’s NHL licensing deal coincided with the Winnipeg Jets acquiring their expansion franchise.

“Levelwear was in a great position to help them go to market quickly with high-quality, fan-licensed apparel,” said Ngo. “Our service model provides an attractive point of differentiation for our partners.”

That commitment to work is evident in Levelwear’s relationship with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. Brent Frew is the director of corporate partnerships for the Oilers Entertainment Group, and two years ago, he sought to expand the existing retail partnership into a full advertising partnership.

“The quality of the product speaks for itself, and why we have done the volume we have,” he said. “Not only does it have that kind of feel, it also has a great price point. But again, the Levelwear ownership group is very committed to doing more than what the papers show, not only for their product, but for us as well. They have stepped up to the plate on countless occasions when we have needed sales support, with an expedited timeline, to assist us. Working with them is like working with friends, because they have your back when you need it.”

In addition to licensing agreements with other professional sports organizations, golf is another important cell for Levelwear, which not only dresses the athletes associated with the brand on tour and provides green grass accounts and e-comm sales, but also a multi-year licensing agreement. on the PGA Tour. In 2019, Levelwear also launched a tournament launch, the Levelwear Caddy Lounge, which includes a barbershop, physiotherapy, product giveaways, food and drinks and even massages for the sport’s professional loopers. The Caddy Lounge is on-site at select PGA Tour tournaments throughout the year.

At the recent RBC Canadian Open, the Lounge was a favorite hangout.

“It feels like you’re in the clubhouse and you’re part of the team,” said Danny Sahl, who plays for Corey Connors. “Everything in one place you need for the day.”

“This experience is an 11 out of 10,” said Ryan Moore’s singer, Austin Gaugert. “I love that Levelwear does this for caddies and I’m always compelled to find out that the boys are at the event.”

“Guys go above and beyond to make sure they’re taken care of,” said Matthew Achatz, who plays Kevin Streelman. “They provide us with everything we need if we forget something.”

Anticipating wants and needs — especially when it comes to the Caddy Lounge — is what sets Levelwear apart, said David Desmond, PGA Tour Senior Vice President of Permanent Relations and Media Marketing.

“Levelwear puts together some incredible products,” he said. “So you know what happened? Suddenly, they will market X and the temperature drops to 38 degrees. [The Caddie Lounge has] pullovers, they have rain jackets, they have little shirt bags. Players actually wear their shirt because it’s there. And the player didn’t have to go into the clubhouse and try to find things. Levelwear built a program that focused on the well-being of caddies, and was an outlet for someone who might need something.”

That enthusiasm helps build an army of brand ambassadors, all of whom thank Levelwear for putting their needs first.

“I’m looking forward to doing an event where Levelwear provides the lounge,” said Jeremy Wu, who plays for his brother, Dylan. “They touch all the bases. It gives the caddy a reason to stay and participate on the course. “

The relationship. Quality. Service. Doing things differently. Those are the qualities that launched Levelwear to success in the past, and should continue to propel the brand to even greater heights in the future.