CEO MONTHLY / MOST INFLUENTIAL CEO AWARDS 2023 99 CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 5 2023 17 have invested heavily in working with sustainable fabrics for the brand,” Adam tells us, “creating collections that include leggings and bras made from bamboo, hoodies made from recycled polyester and organic cotton. We’ve also begun to produce more items in the UK to reduce our carbon footprint.” Since opening the doors of Legacy Sportswear, Adam has committed to understanding the basics of each part of his business as far as possible. “To be a good CEO, I believe you should spend at least 3 months in every area of the business, including web development, dispatch, clothing development, creative, and photography to help understand how it works, what issues it faces, and how we can solve them faster,” he tells us. This depth of understanding has ensured that Legacy Sportswear can be as reactive as it needs to be in a challenging market. The market for sportswear is one which you simultaneously have to seek out, and be sought for. Sports fans can find Legacy Sportswear through their e-commerce, with social media driving a great deal of traffic. Team wear, however, is typically sold through word-of-mouth and clubs seeing our brand on professional sports teams on television as well as at most ice rinks when we have pop-ups. Because Adam understands every part of how the business works, he can adapt to suit the individual markets that he is serving. One of the challenges that Adam has managed to overcome over the last couple of years has been clothing production oversees. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the factory the team used closed. Fortunately, there was plenty of stock in storage but it did lead to a major change for the business. “Legacy Sportswear was re-invented from top to bottom,” Adam explains. “We looked at suppliers, production, and how we could cut costs. I decided we had no choice but to move to on-site production. This proved to be very beneficial for Legacy because it kept costs down and our work almost tripled as the time frame shrank.” Because so much is now done in house, it’s easy for the team at Legacy Sportswear to match up precisely to what their clients expect. “Legacy’s in-house design team will create the collection using our cuts, the club’s colours, and heritage to create a team wear collection to be proud of,” Adam tells us. “Our team will then create an e-commerce store for the club, which is housed on our team wear section of our Legacy webpage, so customers and fans can order clothing quickly and easily from the club, and we will provide a quick and easy service for their fans using our print on demand methods.” Aiming items directly at a fanbase is what Legacy Sportswear excels at, primarily because each member of the team comes from a sporting background themselves. Looking ahead, Adam plans to take significant steps to become a one-stop shop for all of the team’s needs, including those of its players, coaches, and fans. “The most exciting part will be phase three of this plan,” Adam says, “where kit designer teams will be able to login and design their own kits online, with colours, and personalise them with numbers and names.” Until then, he and the Legacy Sportswear team will continue to develop new products such as the recently released highquality fabric for ice hockey jerseys and socks, which is now in production. The team have also created a new website for the brand and an easier user experience journey so that ordering for clubs, teams, and the brand is super speedy and effective. Growth is no easy achievement, but Adam has proven determined to make it a reality. We celebrate his tremendous success and look forward to what Legacy Sportswear manages to achieve in the weeks and months yet to come. In the meantime, the company will be bringing excitement to Camberley town centre from Monday 15th May after winning the first four-month spot at The Pop-Up Club located on 27 Obelisk Way. “We’re excited to bring our brand values to life with the launch of our opportunity in The Pop-Up Club,” Adam comments. “We believe that our values of quality, sustainability, and customer service are what sets us apart from our competitors. We’re looking forward to showcasing our products and expertise to the people of Camberley.” Company: Legacy Sportswear Name: Adam Franks Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.legacysportswear.co.uk
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