RYU promises their apparel will adapt to whatever athletic endeavour the North Shore offers, from the Grouse Grind to a yoga class to a kayak in Indian Arm.
The Vancouver-rooted company, which recently opened a 3,967-square-foot store at Park Royal South, declares their clothes and gear are designed for the multi-discipline athlete.
While other brands are synonymous with specific sports like yoga or soccer, RYU’s apparel takes you from one to another, according to RYU vice-president Alex Briglio.
“What RYU was founded on was ... we are here to facilitate human performance, and so we do it with the apparel,” explains Briglio.
RYU, which stands for Respect Your Universe, wasn’t worried about the competition when they launched in Vancouver’s heavily saturated athletic-wear market in 2015, according to Briglio.
“There’s more than enough pie for everybody to eat,” he says. “Our real competitors in our space is more video games, or just sitting on the couch watching (TV) instead of (exercising).”
“Tailored innovation for the urban athlete” is RYU’s tagline. At its basic level, RYU gear has to be really durable and perform to its highest ability, explains Briglio.
Then the men’s and women’s products are separated into three categories: gear that will get you there and back, gear for training and development, and rest and recovery pieces – in sizes ranging from XS to XL.
RYU employs Corlayr – mainly cottons – and Teclayr – mainly synthetic – types of fabrics for its rest and recovery pieces and high performance apparel respectively. Meanwhile, RYU’s apparel styling is minimalistic and very sleek looking, describes Briglio.
The Vapor line is new for spring, made from a mixture of synthetics and silver salt, which is a relatively new anti-odour innovation for performance wear. Briglio says the Vapor apparel dries incredibly fast and weighs next to nothing, “that’s why we call it Vapor.”
“In the hot weather, sweating, you don’t feel it – it’s not sticking to you,” he adds.
A Vapor Crew Neck Tee costs $63, and a Racerback Tank, $53.
RYU tries to troubleshoot athletic wear issues. With ladies’ tights, for instance, RYU patented a Trilayr (three layer) waistband with a special compression element sandwiched in the middle layer.
“What is does is it holds the tights up all the time,” explains Briglio. “So if you are ever doing squats or running you’re never pulling up your tights, they stay. Because most of the time you are adjusting, adjusting, adjusting -- you don’t have to do that with ours.”
A bonus benefit of these Trilayr tights, popular with women after pregnancy: they help to engage your core muscles, says Briglio. RYU’s Tough Tights cost around $100.
RYU’s Ethos series, introduced a month ago, makes hoodies and sweatshirts that are more flexible for arm-blasting workouts. The company is patenting the underarm fabric, which allows for 360 degree movement and keeps the athlete’s top in place. A men’s Ethos Pullover Hoodie is $153.
When customers become an RYU Athlete Member – it’s free to join – they become part of the Up-Down and Gear Replacement programs. Say you’ve changed sizes, bulked up or slimmed down, within a year of buying RYU apparel.
They will take back the clothes, donate them to a local charity, and give you a new size for half the price.
Same goes for RYU’s gear replacement policy. If within one year of date of purchase you accidentally damage or completely wear through your gear, RYU will replace the item at half the current price.
The esthetic at RYU’s Park Royal location is clean, modern and minimalistic, describes Briglio, adding the airy and relaxed space allows people to connect with each other.
In addition to the retail component, RYU has a 2,000-square-foot events space, which is open to the community for a variety of functions.
“On the North Shore there is a vibrant, fit community and so it’s just good to be in the community,” says Briglio of why Park Royal was chosen for RYU’s third retail location.
RYU will be offering some cross-promotion with YYoga and the soon-to-open Steve Nash Fitness World & Sports Club at Park Royal.
RYU is hosting a grand opening event Saturday, April 8 at Park Royal South, featuring on-site workouts courtesy of YYoga and Steve Nash Fitness World & Sports Club, healthy refreshments, and hourly prize draws.
More info: ryu.com.
