Activewear label Wone as founded by Kristin Hildebrand continues to build buzz around an approach that emphasizes quality over quantity.
Launched in June 2018 with a five-piece capsule comprised of logo-free black matte leggings, two sport bras, short and a sheer cardigan, each Wone item was limited to 600 pieces and was numbered to highlight exclusivity. Pricing ranges from $150 for a sports bra up to $320 for leggings.
Rather than employing influencers and a beautifully-curated Instagram, Hildebrand taps into insider appeal with a system that requires interested buyers to submit an email that gains them access to a waiting list. According to a write up on Fast Company, if you’re upgraded to active status, you have one week’s time to make a purchase.
It helps that Hildebrand was for seven years the creative director of global concepts at Nike where she no doubt learned a thing or two about building word-of-mouth buzz through hard-to-obtain coveted item. Prior to Nike, she was the name behind Bleach Black, an ultra-cool website known for its starkly cool aesthetic.
With a goal to sell 15,000 items by year-end, WONE will become slightly less exclusive through a wholesale partnership with Barney’s where the brand soon will be sold online and in two locations.
Collection One is now sold out, but according to wone.com’s countdown clock, Collection Two is set to go live on December 15th at 12:00 PM EST.
