AustrAliAn triAthlete | 55Accessories and clothing is the same
approach, just much faster as they are less
complicated. We are also really proud of
our test pilot program and have about 40
global athletes who provide additional
feedback and size check all our garments.
AT: How would describe your designs?
Who/what is your inspiration?
Volare: Being a Gold Coast based brand,
Volare is certainly influenced by surf
culture. For example, our newly released
V1 range includes a sleeveless wetsuit,
sleeved wetsuit and buoyancy short. The
V1 range features fluoro yellow neoprene
panels, which are design cues taken from
surf. However, we’re not slaves to fashion,
but certainly, style and function can
definitely work hand-in-hand. The fluoro
yellow neoprene, while on point from a
fashion perspective, dramatically
enhances visibility in the water, improving
water safety.
Personally, I love an underdog, the
weekend warrior or the person who just
wants to have a crack. Having previously
rowed for Australia, I love working with our
elite athletes and watching them chase
their dreams. From a business inspiration
perspective, it’s hard to go past Branson
and Phil Knight. I come from a pretty
entrepreneurial family; my Dad had a poor
upbringing and has built a number of
successful brands over the years. I drew
inspiration from his journey, and he is a
great mentor. You are only as good as your
support network, and I’m lucky to have an
amazing family who is beyond supportive.
My wife Julie works in the business and is
really the boss (laughs).THE COMMUNITY
AT: We’ve seen plenty of athletes
rocking Volare, and you seem to have
quite a community built, especially in
Queensland. Talk us through how you
select your ambassadors, and how the
Volare community has been built.
Volare: We are definitely community
driven and try to be very engaged with our
supporters around the world. Receiving a
photo or are a story from someone who
has purchased or competed in one of our
products gives us a buzz. It keeps it
personal, which is so important. Volare
has been built around our love of triathlon,
and likewise, it’s that passion for triathlon
that we are looking for in our
ambassadors. Spirit and connection to the
sport and others are far more important tous than just having the best athletes.
The hashtag, #whovolareswins, captures
our ethos of having the courage to chase
your dreams. This is a cheeky take on the
SAS motto: “Who Dares Wins.”AT: How does one get into some Volare
gear in their collection?
Volare: Volare is available locally at
leading triathlon retailers like TriShack in
Brisbane who stocks our entire range.
Volare has a concept store on the Gold
Coast, and you can purchase online at
volaresports.com, which has same
day dispatch.
Globally we now have retailers in the
UK, USA, NZ, Europe, Dubai and Japan.
We also attend major triathlon events
like Ironman Taupo, ITU Yokohama,
Ironman Cairns, ITU Gold Coast and Noosa.T HE FUTURE
AT: Looking say, two, five and 10 years
ahead, what do you hope for Volare?
Volare: We like to dream big - just like our
athletes - and we are focused on building
Volare both locally and internationally.
However, ultimately, the key is just staying
true to the brand and continuing to design
great products. If we remain focused on
listening to athlete’s needs, creating
high-performance product solutions, while
offering superior service, then the rest
should follow. We like to think that
wherever you are in the world if you
purchase Volare, the experience will be
personal. You’ll be dealing with someone
that’s passionate about the brand, and
gets a kick out of seeing your photo, post
or story just as we do now.
We are working hard now on some
range expansions; we want to be able to
offer athletes a complete solution, so we
still have a lot of work to do to achieve
that goal. I would hope over the next 10
years we can continue to invest in
talented staff and my dream is to have
in-house testing facilities, like a swim
flume and wind tunnel. Now that would
be really cool! It would be great to be
able to speed up the testing and product
design process. However, for now, we will
just focus on the now, and continue
building brand momentum.