I was left with an injured neck and back, a totalled car, and a shattered career as a bodybuilder, fitness coach, and personal trainer.
I sat. Alone. In the dark.For months.
But one day, my wife, Armita (she was endlessly supportive through this time), pitched me an idea.
She poked her head into my dimly lit bedroom and said, “We should start a fitness apparel brand.”
She was a web/graphic designer, and I knew all about the fitness industry and how to make the best-fitting activewear for comfort, performance, and quality.
The idea sparked life back in me. I felt the same energy that I did on stage and in the gym after a ravenous workout.
After several months of preparation, including building the website and testing various textiles, Devoteewear was born in our one-bedroom condo in Vancouver, Canada. Because we intended to build a brand for people who are committed to fitness and a healthy lifestyle, we chose the name "Devotee wear."
Soon after, we hired a few local influencers and held popups at trade events and local fitness competitions. We began focusing more on locating local factories and manufacturers. The issue, however, was locating a manufacturer who could produce both high-quality and reasonably priced activewear, something we could not find in North America. Either the price or the quality had to be sacrificed. So, we decided to work with global partners and travelled to China in the spring of 2019. There, we spent weeks searching for the ideal manufacturer that could match their demands, and fortunately, they discovered the one.
After we returned to Canada, we immediately began to expand our collections. We ran out of space in our one-bedroom condo as more and more customers fell in love with the quality, fit, and cost. As a result, orders began to pour in. We had to hunt for a warehouse because our home was full of inventory from the bedroom to the living room. By July 2021, we relocated all our inventory to our current Vancouver warehouse, where we store, package, and ship all of their orders.
I sat. Alone. In the dark.For months.
But one day, my wife, Armita (she was endlessly supportive through this time), pitched me an idea.
She poked her head into my dimly lit bedroom and said, “We should start a fitness apparel brand.”
She was a web/graphic designer, and I knew all about the fitness industry and how to make the best-fitting activewear for comfort, performance, and quality.
The idea sparked life back in me. I felt the same energy that I did on stage and in the gym after a ravenous workout.
After several months of preparation, including building the website and testing various textiles, Devoteewear was born in our one-bedroom condo in Vancouver, Canada. Because we intended to build a brand for people who are committed to fitness and a healthy lifestyle, we chose the name "Devotee wear."
Soon after, we hired a few local influencers and held popups at trade events and local fitness competitions. We began focusing more on locating local factories and manufacturers. The issue, however, was locating a manufacturer who could produce both high-quality and reasonably priced activewear, something we could not find in North America. Either the price or the quality had to be sacrificed. So, we decided to work with global partners and travelled to China in the spring of 2019. There, we spent weeks searching for the ideal manufacturer that could match their demands, and fortunately, they discovered the one.
After we returned to Canada, we immediately began to expand our collections. We ran out of space in our one-bedroom condo as more and more customers fell in love with the quality, fit, and cost. As a result, orders began to pour in. We had to hunt for a warehouse because our home was full of inventory from the bedroom to the living room. By July 2021, we relocated all our inventory to our current Vancouver warehouse, where we store, package, and ship all of their orders.