VOITED: The Brand That Uses Recycled Fabrics To Create High Quality Products
Founded by former Element Global GM Frank Voit, Voited exists to meet the needs of those who travel and represents the passion for comfort and zero-waste culture in the outdoor sports community.
Frank, please tell us about your work history leading up to the founding of Voited.
After working in the sports industry for over two decades, I became increasingly troubled by how mass production, driven by shareholders’ interests and bottom-line objectives was not catering to the new expectations of consumers who were leaning towards specialized products designed by authentic and innovative brands. My vision was to create sustainable, versatile products that would be supplied to the market in proportion to the demand, therefore eliminating waste and providing enhanced value. With this in mind, I made the bold decision to walk away from my executive career to pursue my dream of owning my own passion-driven brand. My mission was to increase the scale of consciousness of what buying a useful product does for the consumer and for the environment. I conceptualized a digitally native brand to manufacture products directly to the end consumer, avoiding waste and involving the consumer in a collaborative design process. In an effort towards responsible ownership and production, I have envisioned a brand dedicated to avoiding the depletion of natural resources by creating eco-friendly products from ethically sourced raw materials.
Please tell us about the brand.
Our mission is to co-create unique products that inspire us to get out there and live authentically. VOITED is a community of like-minded and inspiring creatives who have a hand in developing products that are eco-conscious, durable and highly functional. Our products are a combination of love for the outdoors and adventure sports with our dedication to lessen the impact that manufacturing has on the environment. The result: collections that blend creativity, performance, quality and value.
Eco-Conscious
At VOITED we blend state-of-the-art recycled fabrics with contemporary design at no cost for the planet. Our high-performance products hold their own whatever you put them through. We use materials typically found in premium outdoor gear that are lightweight, breathable, water-resistant, quick-dry and made to last. We design for the movement, to keep you comfortable on all your adventures.
Factory
Our factory is important because we want you to know where our products come from. We have worked very hard to achieve such sustainable responsible practices. It’s a project shared between the people who make our products and those responsible for VOITED. We are continually striving for zero waste and zero impact on the environment.
VOITED Product Blanket
What ‘s your USP?
From our adventures, we came to know what’s really important and what isn’t. When developing our products, we integrate only the best and most useful features. Whether you are a surfer, kayaker, mountain biker, climber or just a general nature lover – we design with multiple purposes and sustainability in mind. Our lightweight, packable products are equipped with useful details to save you time and space so that you can purely enjoy your explorations.
What’s your sales model in Europe?
We are first and foremost a digitally native brand dedicated to enhancing the consumer experience, supported by a “factory to market” model that has emerged from our past encounters with inefficient traditional supply chains. VOITED operates on a flexible distribution chain, integrating consumer demand into our design and marketing program to be more responsive to trends. Our manufacturing process supports a more seasonal, trend-oriented product line with relevant stories that interact with our target consumers.
Our main objective is to work with partners selected according to their approach to the market and how it is reflected in our VOITED brand. By selecting companies that reflect the values of our brand, we create an amplified opportunity for our retail or distribution partners to benefit from rapid stock rotation thanks to our conceptual approach to the market.
Which have been your biggest and best performing markets since starting the brand?
Our best performing markets are Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the UK.
And which market has seen the best year on year growth for you in the past 12 months?
I would say all of them, people’s concept of the outdoors has changed and our products are offering our clients the opportunity to escape and live authentically using multifunctional products.
Who do you have working for you at the brand?
At VOITED, we collaborate with inspirational and passionate people from all over the world. We provide a platform for talented designers to co-create products that reflect their passions and individual style. Our design process is built on creative freedom. Our products are not defined by trends or seasons – they tell stories about the artists, athletes and innovators who inspire us to get out there and live our dreams. We call them creators. Together we’re able to create unique products that serve a real purpose for people like you who have escaped convention and want to live authentically.
VOITED Product Poncho
How are you marketing the brand?
I envisioned a brand whose purpose will be to avoid the depletion of natural resources by creating eco-conscious products from ethically sourced raw materials that pose no threat to the environment. With this in mind, we want our marketing stories to talk about seeking outdoor adventures in the nature and escape from everyday life. One of our marketing principles is to integrate consumer-focused content into the mix to engage and share the brand experience with our audience.
Which channels and markets do you see providing the best opportunities for the brand in the coming 3 years?
We will continue to build our Direct to Consumer reach throughout Europe. Our North America platform is showing amazing growth with a receptive consumer audience engaged in popular outdoor and van life culture. There are countless opportunities to work with a new breed of retailers that offer a showroom as a retail space while functioning as a regional online partner, leveraging VOITED products through a fast supply and high inventory turnover program.
