INTERVIEW WITH FOUNDER, Shaan Ronchi
How do we pronounce gprixx? The correct way is 'gee pree'
What was your inspiration behind the brand name 'gprixx active'? The name came from an admiration for top level sports & mainly from my passion of horses & equestrian... i just added an extra X on the end for good luck!
What influenced & inspired you the most when you founded gprixx active? As a whole it had a lot to do with giving back, team culture, empowerment & the planet. My love for nature, craftsmanship, sports & people of all cultures was my main influence. My Inspiration was making a difference in the world. Through the gprixx active brand we're able to back positive initiatives that are helping to deal with some of the worlds pollution issues, take eco conscious accountability through our own practises & give back to the communities involved.
How long did it take you to launch gprixx active? We're coming up nearly 2 years. It takes time to do things right... set backs & curve balls always happen but most of all there is a lot of learning to do & everything is a valuable learning experience. "Done once, Done Right" is my motto.
What was your mission for gprixx active? 2 years ago my mission was to create a high quality athleisure brand using recycled & sustainable techno fabrics & working with ethical manufacturers. We've already achieved the above so we're onto the next mission of team & empowerment which will come through the development of the brand.
What are recycled & sustainable techno fabrics? Its a process of using waste, putting it through a technological process of regeneration & refinement & producing a high quality fibre that can be re-used. ECONYL® is a fabric we use and their products can be recycled indefinitely.
What does 'indefinitely' mean? From my understanding... Indefinitely means the fabric can simply go through the regeneration processes again, get turned into a pellet and then refined back into a new fibre ready to be re-used... from ocean waste to premium active wear is what they call it & the process from start to finish is very impressive!
How can you achieve Ethical Manufacturing? Have a good relationship with your manufacturer. Ethical manufacturing isn't cheap so you have to be willing to pay the cost but to me this was a no brainer! Craftsmanship is an art and when someone loves what they do, i personally, can really feel it when I'm wearing that garment. Our manufacturing team is an 'open manufacturer' meaning we can visit them whenever we like & meet the whole team, they're a very important part of our brand!
What does gprixx actives slogan 'Look Good, Feel Good & Do Good' mean? 'Look Good' is about our styles and their versatility. CONTOUR collection for example is perfect for all occasions from working out to going out & you can even swim & sauna in them. 'Feel Good' comes from our fabrics having feel good factors like: Contouring of the body, perfect muscular compression which helps reduce lactic acid build up while exercising and softness and breathability. Inspiration & motivation is our other 'Feel Good' factor and thats what our marketing will cover. 'Do Good' is my favourite part and its about giving back to those in need. Each Athleisure piece supports grass root organisations that advance woman's education & the environment in the Indonesian communities where they're produced. We also 'Do Good' by being eco friendly with all our brands practises. Eco consciousness and minimising our impact is at the core of all our planning processes.
Whats next for gprixx active? We're in the process of finalising the development of our next collection. This features a super soft techno fabric thats suited to all types of movement fitness & body shapes. We've also got our eye on some influential woman we aim to have on board as brand ambassadors next year. These woman are an inspiration in both sporting and the every day world and will help show case our values behind the gprixx active brand. Some new colours will be added to our exisiting collections also.
And finally... What are you and the brand proud of so far? We're proud to be apart of the new revolution of Eco Conscious change, taking accountability & helping to change the game one Athleisure piece at a time. Shaan x