Self-developed technological fabric. Urban women's sports brand "Feylyly" secures millions in seed round financing | Exclusive from 36Kr.
Written by Zhang Zhuoqian
Edited by Yuan Silai
36Kr has learned that recently, the urban women's sports brand "FEYLYLY" announced the completion of a several-hundred-thousand-yuan seed round of financing. The investor is Deju Investment under the X GROUP. This round of funds will be used for supply chain construction, channel construction, and team building.
"FEYLYLY" was established in 2022. It is a technological sports brand that focuses on the urban women's sports market, targeting women aged 35 - 45 in first-, second-, and third-tier cities. "FEYLYLY" mainly offers four types of products: clothing, equipment, shoes, and sports beauty products. Currently, the clothing and equipment products have been launched for sale.
"FEYLYLY" product image
The "2023 China Fitness Industry Data Report" shows that women are still the main force in the fitness consumer market, and women's consumption power in fitness and sports is continuously rising. In recent years, sports brands have begun to make a big fuss around the women's market. However, compared to the huge women's sports market, the product gap of women's sports brands is still very large. Not only are there very few sports brands specifically for women, but the products also lack aesthetic appeal. In the past, the sports apparel on the market was mainly for men. Whether in design or usage scenarios, the differences in the needs of men and women were not considered. Usually, the products were simply made smaller in size, the color was changed to pink, and then directly pushed to the market.
Based on the pain points of the women's sports market, "FEYLYLY" positions the brand as a "women-exclusive" sports brand and is driven by technology. Currently, "FEYLYLY" has two core product lines. One is the Urban All-Around Series, which is characterized by the use of technological fabrics, a minimalist and upward design, and is tailored to the physical characteristics of Asian women, suitable for professional women's sports scenarios. The other is the Sports Fashion Series, whose design is derived from classic designs, combining technological fabrics with traditional classic fabrics.
"For women's sports brands, beauty must be the first driving force, and second, as sports goods, it is professionalism," introduced Cheng Haozhi, the founder of the "FEYLYLY" brand. "Currently, the most popular women's sports brand in China is lululemon. One of the core differences between us and it is the application of technological fabrics." "FEYLYLY" currently has three types of technological fabrics. One is the "ECQS Cocoon Nest" three-dimensional support fabric, which has the characteristics of elasticity, quick-drying, and breathability, and has better wrapping and shaping capabilities. The second is the "Air Conditioning Film" self-regulating temperature hollow technological fabric, which can maintain body temperature and balance dry and wet while being breathable. This balance lies in the unique textile structure and the unique molding process of the hollow layer. The third technological fabric uses a biological method to remove body odor generated after exercise.
In addition, "FEYLYLY" also has its own design system patents, such as the "Body-Shaping Rose Line" three-dimensional cutting technology, the "Airflow Control" dynamic airflow management technology, and the "SGS" non-Newtonian fluid polymer shock-absorbing material technology, etc. Taking the "SGS" technology as an example, "FEYLYLY" applies it to the yoga mat in sports equipment. "Practicing yoga is actually relatively prone to sports injuries, especially the knees. Just like people who just start practicing yoga won't do floor exercises because it hurts. And our mat is to solve this problem. We also gave it a nickname - Easy to Kneel," Cheng Haozhi introduced.
"FEYLYLY" product image
"FEYLYLY" products were officially launched last year, with a monthly sales volume of about 2 million yuan. This year's sales target is 80 million to 100 million yuan. Currently, "FEYLYLY" promotes through both online and offline methods. The online promotion is mainly on the Douyin platform, and in the future, it will expand to other platforms such as Xiaohongshu. Offline, it starts with cooperation with venues, selecting experienced coaches to experience and promote the products.
In terms of the team, "FEYLYLY" currently has more than 10 people. The founder, Cheng Haozhi, once served as a company executive in a well-known international sports brand and has participated in the establishment of several well-known domestic retail brands. The co-founder, Su Jishan, once founded Brookstone Insurance Group, LLC, which was later acquired by the American listed company Brown&Brown (TOP 10 in the American insurance industry). Most of the core team members are serial entrepreneurs with rich experience in brand management and supply chain integration in internationally renowned brand companies and retail chain institutions.
Investor's perspective:
Wu Zonglin, the partner of Deju Investment, said: "FEYLYLY is a company with a high technological content in the field of women's sports apparel. The technological fabrics independently developed for Asian sportswomen are very rare in the global apparel field. I highly appreciate the founding team's in-depth understanding of the retail industry and the ultimate pursuit of consumer products. The core members of the team are veterans who have been working in the retail industry for more than ten years. The founder, Cheng Haozhi, has even served as an executive of an international sports brand (Fortune Global 500). In recent years, the women's sports market has been growing rapidly, but currently, there are very few well-known domestic brands specifically for women's sports. I believe that under the leadership of the founder Cheng Haozhi, FEYLYLY can break through the siege and become China's lululemon."