The Proof is in the Pants

We spoke to one of the more buzz worthy companies (who we had to continue delaying posting because they kept selling out), Proof.

Ten months old and founded by Omar Rada who worked in the corporate world for five years until he went to a trade show in Utah called Outdoor Retailer and noticed many outdoor brands attempting to create tailored pieces but not quite hitting the mark. He teamed up with Schoeller who is the top of the mountain for technical fabrics, and  launched a pair of shorts that sold over 200 pairs. “We weren’t expecting that at all. People responded really well and we decided to launch a full line,” he told us.

The end of the year they launched another eight products and the company continues to thrive. “For 2013 we are revising some of the key pieces. We are taking our time to do intense R&D for each product,” Omar explained to us.

We spoke to him about competition, best sellers and designing for the ladies.

How are you different from brands like Outlier and Now?

We will all contribute to a rising tide. Outlier and others are all making fantastic products so the more the better. The biggest challenge is how to communicate this new branding to people who don’t know. You can go to REI and buy pants that do all this but you will look like you are climbing a mountain.

Where is everything made?

Everything is made in the garment district in New York City. Luckily that area is slowly growing again due to the whole ‘Made in America’ movement and young designers establishing studios there.

Are you targeting women now?

Well, it is pretty underserved in this niche so we dipped our toe in the water with some women’s pants. Another reason was that my fiancé got miffed I wasn’t making anything for her!

What are the best sellers?

Spellman shorts and pants for sure. We are going to work with a great Japanese company on some amazing tech fabrics too. The crew and Henleys are doing really well since they are breathable, odor resistant and very comfortable.

Tell us more about your fabrics.

For our core fabric we use a high-performance Schoeller Dryskin blend.  This makes our pants highly breathable, qucik drying and durable. Using 10% elastane, the Spelmans offer substantial freedom of movement and comfort. We also decided to use a NanoSphere® treatment on the core fabric to make the pants highly water + dirt repellant (coffee, red wine and water slide right off the fabric).