Spin Sportswear apparel for male and female
Established in Thailand in 2012, Spin Sportswear started out as a retail outlet when the founder, Wilson Lee, decided to get into apparel manufacturing after meeting his partner in Thailand and began their business by promoting the brand at various expos around Thailand. Spin Sportswear’s products include sports apparel for men and women as well as accessories such as armbands to hold mobile phones, running pouches, and sports performance wristbands. Its main purpose is to become one of the biggest sportswear companies in the world that focuses on running, yoga, and other outdoor sports.
Before taking up this business, Lee came from an engineering background, therefore, the beginning was indeed difficult for him. “I had to start with zero knowledge and only managed to learn after tons of research to understand the process,” said Lee. A few years later, Spin Sportwear’s factory was moved to Malaysia as Lee was motivated by competitors in Malaysia to test the waters in the Malaysian market. Aside from that, Lee mentioned that this step would also make it easier for him to be closer to his parents after many years of being apart.
Wilson Lee, Founder of Spin Sportswear
When he returned to Malaysia, Lee did not take the same route as he did when he started Spin Sportswear in Thailand. Instead, Spin Sportswear has changed its traditional ways of running its business by going entirely online. They use online shopping platforms such as Lazada, Shopee, and even their own website to sell their products.
During the MCO, Spin Sportswear suffered badly due to the fact that its products were mainly meant for outdoor use; many people could not do any outdoor activities, thus, there was no need for sports garments. However, Spin Sportswear adapted by producing fabric face masks which were supported by the government bodies, corporate partners, and most importantly, their customers. According to Lee, there was some good that came from the pandemic such as making their brand more established because of the mistakes that they learned. After many years of hard work, Spin Sportswear is where it is today with 23 outlets in Thailand and a manufacturing factory in Malaysia
Participants of Run For Wilayah 2022, sponsored by Spin Sportswear
Lee also had an interest in sporting events such as marathons when he decided to approach marathon organizers such as Garmin or KK City Borneo as partners or sponsors of events. On a yearly basis, Spin Sportswear does about 30 to 40 events nationwide and overseas. Lee said that he does have plans to expand internationally in the next few years, although he has already done corporate events in Laos, Thailand, and Indonesia. Spin Sportswear even has its annual Spin Run event at Taiping which hosts runners from all over the country. “It is really nice to host our yearly Spin Run because we often get good feedback from our participants. We also are able to donate to charity by using some of the profits made from the run,” said Lee.
Lee is very thankful for receiving a SEBA as it motivates him to improve the quality of our products while making him feel like all the years he put through in making Spin Sportswear this successful to the point that he is recognized this much has really paid off. He is also proud as a Malaysian business owner to locally manufacture sports apparel for all Malaysians. When asked about his future plans, Lee shared that Spin Sportswear may be opening its first outlet in Malaysia located at Batu Kawan, Penang soon.
