The Opportunity

GB Rowing is responsible for training, preparing and selecting GB Rowing teams for international competitions at junior, U23 and senior level, including Olympic and Paralympic Games. With funding from major sponsors such as Siemens and Lottery, GB Rowing required a full outfitting solution for training and racing, across all categories for the entire squad. This included over 380 athletes and 130 support staff. Kit was also required for a further 150 athletes involved in key development programmes including Sporting Giants (funded by UK Sport) and the World Class Start programme.

A major requirement of the kit solution was custom design and fitting to suit all body shapes and sizes from junior through to senior athletes, paralympians with specific design needs and support staff which included training, administration and medical staff.  Fabric selection, sponsor specific branding, prompt delivery and the flexibility to produce fill-in orders were also key to this project.

The Solution

JKUK Sports proposed a complete technical offering of on-water training kit, racing kit (JL brand) and off-water kit (Crewroom brand). The key objectives for JKUK were:

To design a range that conformed to the requirements of GB Rowing and international regulations.
To work with key sponsors to ensure all branding conformed to corresponding branding guides.
To ensure the garments would offer athletes technical benefits including wicking, breathability and antimicrobial properties.
To offer made-to-measure garments which would ensure excellent fit and function for all athletes and endure the rigors of daily training.
To create garments which athletes would be proud to wear.

JKUK worked closely with GB Rowing, sponsors, elite athletes and an established manufacturing base to create a comprehensive range of high-end garments. Delivery was made according to the international racing calendar with flexibility for urgent fill-in orders.

In 2008, JKUK worked with Adidas to produce the GB racing unisuits and gilets used by athletes at Beijing. Adidas also required a bespoke range of branded garments for Paralympic athletes which JKUK supplied to a tight deadline. As a London based company, JKUK was easily accessible to Adidas management and could respond quickly to their requirements.

The outfitting solution for GB Rowing has resulted in an elite team uniform which provides excellent fit and function for the athletes involved. Through a close working relationship with the GB Rowing team and feedback from athletes such as Andrew Hodge (Gold, Beijing 2008) and Debbie Flood (Silver, Beijing 2008) JKUK continues to work on new fabrics and designs for the future, including kit ranges leading up to London 2012.