Recently I had the opportunity to communicate with Lisa, the owner and operator, of Wicked Wraps. She was kind enough to answer some questions about her uniquely Canadian brand. Take the time to visit her site and see the wide, and constantly updated, variety of Wraps on her site at: http://wickedwraps.ca/
Can you tell me a little about yourself and your brand?I am a Mom to 4 kids and for the past several years I’ve been a “stay at home Mom”
spending much of my spare time as a volunteer within my kids school, fundraising,
parent council etc. I first discovered CrossFit in Oct 2013 when a CrossFit gym opened
up in our town (CrossFit N6). I had heard a little about CrossFit from a friend but was
still unsure of what it was all about. A couple of months prior, my husband and I had
separated and I was now of the mindset that it was time to start doing some things for
myself. I had been wanting to “get fit” for a couple of years but hadn’t committed to
anything. Once I started CrossFit I was totally hooked and it’s been a huge part of my
life ever since. Lifting weights is incredibly empowering for a woman. I think every
woman should try it :)
What was the “spark” or start of your company?As I went further into my CrossFit journey, I inevitably began collecting all the gear that
goes along with it. My first pair of wrist wraps were purchased for me by a CrossFit
friend who regularly travels to the U.S. She knew of a place in the States where she
could get hand made wraps. After using my new wraps for awhile I thought it would be
nice to add to my collection and get another pair with some sort of funky pattern (my
first ones were solids). So I went to Google which inevitably led me to Etsy which had a
great choice of wraps. The only problem was that none of them were made in Canada.
I was hoping to buy Canadian, not only to support Canadian business, but also to avoid
excessive shipping costs, wait time and then there is the matter of currency conversion
which often bumps up the price of anything we buy from the US considerably. This is
when I realized there was a gap in this niche market within Canada. I decided to have a
go at this and see if I could figure out how to make wrist wraps. I studied various styles
from different companies both large and small. I borrowed a serger machine and
started sewing. I made a few different versions and would bring them into the box and
get some input from my friend Kristen (who purchased my first pair) and my coach Sil
with regards to different fabrics and varying levels of support. Once I had settled on
something I liked, I started making a bit of stock and put together a website and things
took off from there. I’ve had tremendous support from the community at my box. It is so
fun to look around mid wod and see my wraps on so many wrists! It was also super
exciting to get that first “online” sale! That’s when I thought, “Ok, I can really make this
work”.
Where did the idea for your brand come from?Haha, actually the name just popped into my head and I went with it…. Wicked Wraps
just sounded good to me so that’s what I stuck with.
What is the goal or main priorities of the brand and
company (outside of financial)?My goal from the start has been to provide athletes and gym owners with a quality
Canadian option for purchasing wrist wraps. I’ve had a great deal of support from fellow
Canadians who truly want to support Canadian business. It’s quite heartwarming really.
Customer service is the main priority for me. My goal is not to offer the cheapest wraps
around or to have a million dollars in sales. My goal is to provide the best quality wraps
and exceptional customer satisfaction. If something is not right, I want to make it right.
I also want to provide a way for athletes to express their personality. I don’t sell solids
on my website and I’ve been asked why? Personally, I think solids are boring so I’ve
decided it’s not something that I want to offer (with the exception of custom logo orders).
I love all the prints and different ways you can put them together. I love the creative
process involved in designing the wraps, choosing colour schemes and finding funky
new fabrics. Put me in a fabric warehouse and I’m like a kid in a candy store! Can’t
believe I just said that, but its true ;)
How do customers/athletes, and their opinions, influence
or impact your brand?My customers and their opinions have a huge influence on what I offer. I’m always
open to suggestions for design, product improvement, colour schemes etc. Quite
frankly, I aim to please. When athletes and gym owners let me know what they want, I’ll
always do my best to create it. I had a lovely thank you message from a lady in
Quebec. She had purchased a pair of wraps for her boyfriend and wanted to let me
know how much he enjoyed them. She also asked if I had ever considered doing a
“Frozen” themed wrap, that’s how the “Olaf” wrap came about. I love hearing from
customers and I try to stay constantly engaged with them via social media.
Where do you see your brand in one year and in five
years?As I have only been in business for a few months now (since mid Oct) it has been a bit
of a whirlwind. I started up just prior to Black Friday and then came the Christmas rush
immediately followed by Boxing Day. January has given me a little (much needed) time
to catch my breath and replenish my stock. Leading up to Christmas I spent many
nights at the machines until 3am. My stock was completely sold out and I was making
orders as they came in each day. My biggest goal for this first year is exposure/brand
recognition. I want Wicked Wraps to be the first thing that comes to mind when an
athlete needs a new pair of wraps. I have fortunate to have had the opportunity to sell
my wraps at a couple of local competitions, CrossFit Groundworx in Newmarket and a
WeLift event at CrossFit Durst in Brantford. I would like to get involved in more local
comps within Ontario in the coming months.
As far as a five year outlook, that’s hard to say at this point. I am figuring things out as I
go and making changes along the way as needed. I definitely want to grow this
business and see where I can take it, at the same time staying true to my roots and
keeping it Canadian.
What is the impact of social media on your brand and
business?I love social media, it has had huge impact on my business. Social media makes it
possible for absolutely anyone to bring an idea or vision to life even on an extremely
limited budget. It gives you the power to reach thousands of people across the globe. To
this point all of my marketing has been done via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. It
has allowed me to expand into the US where we have several customers. We have also
had requests from UK and around the world. I am hoping to start shipping internationally
by the end of 2016.
If you wanted people to know one thing about theclothing (art, fit, durability, etc). What would it be?Hmm… I guess I want people to know that I will always put out the best product I
possibly can. Sub-standard doesn’t cut it. Quality over quantity every time. I want to
earn your business by simply providing you with the best
Gear review to follow!!
