“We’re not a running brand, but a lot of our team are into running, and more broadly, we recognise that wholesome activities like running probably resonate more with our community these days than just drinks in the store or a big party. The crossover between our two worlds is significant.”
Tying the laces of the event was Progress Run Club, a run club and London-based retail space specialising in all things post- and pre-run. Basically, it’s a very good shop and definitely worth a look if you ever find yourself wandering or running around the Big Smoke.
Commemorating the event, the four parties worked together on a limited run of T-shirts featuring the words ‘FRIENDSHIP’, ‘COMMUNITY’, and ‘COLLABORATION’ on them. The tees were handed out to the early arrivers at the event and sold online afterwards to raise money for charity.
“The tagline was a very simple reflection of exactly what we wanted the event to be: a group of friends hosting something for the local Nottingham community, and celebrating it with a collaborative T-shirt.”
“It’s great to come together for a run, some beers, and pizza, but we also saw this event as a great opportunity to harness the power of community and give back. We partnered with Shelter, who do amazing work supporting people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.”
For the event itself, runners turned up in droves to the Universal Works store, and by early evening there were over 100 people in attendance. The earlier you arrived, the better your chances of acquiring one of the tees, but fortunately, stock to try Saucony’s finest runners wasn’t so finite.
A socially paced, but not so socially terrained, 5K circuit saw the hordes of runners arrive back at the store, and it didn’t take long for hill-induced jelly legs to be forgotten about, thanks to alcoholic and non-alcoholic refreshments courtesy of Jubel, Lucky Saint, and Karma.
"The response on the night and afterwards on social media was overwhelmingly positive. In the end, we had over 100 people running through the streets of Nottingham and hanging out at the store afterwards. A real joy to see.”
Often, especially in the realm of fashion, collaboration can leave a bad taste in your mouth. How many times have you seen brands come together in an uncreative way to benefit each other in a way that is only monetary?
Fortunately, the ever-growing interplay between running and fashion seems to be changing this, and nowhere has this been more evident than the four-way collaboration between Saucony, Embankment Run Club, Universal Works, and Progress Run Club.
The partnership was natural, the product was charitable, and the event gave people from all walks of life the opportunity to converse and interact with each other, whether that be about the Saucony trainers they were wearing, the Universal Works Spring Summer collection, or what they had for breakfast that morning.
What we’re trying to say is this event was truly about community, friendship, and collaboration. It brought people together in a way that logo-slapping another brand’s most popular silhouette could never, and as long as running continues to aid that, we’re happy for it to stay in fashion for as long as it likes.
“The two worlds are definitely merging. Without doing in-depth analysis, you can feel that crossover anecdotally – just by talking to our customers and our team. Many of them wear Universal Works and also run recreationally, and we don’t see that changing anytime soon.”
