Physical fitness and sporting prowess are sterling assets, but without good mental health they count for little.
Now with 16 brick-and-mortar stores nationwide and with a sophisticated website, Stamford-based Rhone is a “high-performance” apparel brand that also champions mental fitness, partnering with the NBA and LPGA. Not surprisingly, its co-founder and CEO Nate Checketts, is a man on the move, but we caught up with him for a quick Q&A session about Rhone, its mission and its success to date:
Nate, you and your brother, Ben (who co-founded the company and serves as creative director), grew up in New Canaan, the sons of NBA executive David W. Checketts. So sports business was familiar to you and, we guess, Stamford as well.
“…Stamford has always been close to us. The Fairfield County community is incredibly tight-knit, and we feel right at home having Rhone headquartered here. I now live in Darien, and we also have a store in Westport that gets a lot of love from the local community.”
We gather Rhone is named for the river in France. Why the Rhône of all rivers to choose as the name for your brand?
“We were inspired by the Rhône and the region in France, known both for its beauty and function. We’ve both spent time in that region, and it left a lasting impression. The name felt like the perfect connection of what we were trying to build – aesthetics and function in performance-driven clothing.”
You launched in 2014. What had brought you to the point where you wanted or were ready to enter the cut-throat sports apparel market?
“The idea sparked when I worked at the NFL. Female colleagues were excited about gifted Lululemon gear, but when I mentioned owning a pair of their sweatpants, a coworker joked, “Do you buy your underwear at Victoria’s Secret, too?” That moment highlighted the lack of premium, high-quality performance apparel designed specifically for men. I shared this with Ben, and together with our brother-in-law (Palistar Capital investment partner Carras Holmstead), we saw an opportunity to fill that gap with a DTC (direct-to-customer) model. Ten-plus years on, we have evolved to now offer women’s (apparel) and sharpened our focus and mission on mental fitness.”
What were the principal start-up challenges you faced? How did you go about finding solutions and investors?
“From the beginning we faced obstacles at nearly every turn – finding sources of working capital; learning the supply chain; building a website; understanding the new omni-channel retail model as it was evolving. We worked on the business at night and during commutes while juggling family responsibilities. A personal turning point came just weeks before launch when I suffered diabetic seizures due to exhaustion. My wife Dayna saved my life, and we took a step back to ask if the stress was worth it. We decided to move forward, and our belief in Rhone was validated when we hit nearly $100,000 in sales during our first month.
“(But) by 2017, we were barely getting by, and my co-founders and I had to personally fund payroll to keep the business alive. An investment from L Catterton (the Greenwich-based, American multinational private equity firm) later that year gave us the financial stability to grow exponentially.”
Rhone has 16 stores nationwide, with six more in the pipeline. What’s the secret of their success in an age that has shunned brick and mortar?
“Our stores are more than shopping destination; they serve as community hubs, hosting events like Mind & Muscle, which combine dynamic workouts with meaningful mental health discussions. This combination between physical and mental fitness reflects Rhone’s mission to foster connection and well-being. Our aim this year is to have our biggest growth in company history and we believe we can achieve that.”
Lastly, do you feel the current model is sound and/or can we expect to see any significant developments or changes of direction at Rhone in the near future?
“At its core, Rhone is dedicated to helping people be and feel a little better every day. We strive to be more than an apparel brand; we exist to inspire and support individuals on their journey to both physical and mental fitness. With our mission of creating performance apparel fit for progress, we’re always looking for ways to deepen our impact and build a stronger community. That will continue to be our focus and my hope for our legacy.”
