It’s time for the Friday Focus where we take a deeper dive into some of our favorite streetwear brands. This week we we went ringside with Jonathan Snyder, the owner of Contenders Clothing and Combo Boxing. Here’s how it went down.
Hey Jon, Nice to get a chance to sit down and have a conversation.
Thanks Percy. Always happy to talk.
So, Let’s start off by talking a little about Contenders Clothing. When and where did that get started?
I acquired Contenders in 2015. At the time they were actually just doing boxer briefs. We applied for licensing, concentrated on direct to consumer and once we got those licensing agreements things began to take off.
Let’s talk about licensing. I notice that Contenders is mostly focused on the collaborations. Most namely Rocky and The Karate Kid. How did those relationships get started?
To us Rocky Balboa represents the ultimate contender. He comes from the streets and climbs his way up. He gets knocked down he gets back up. It’s rags to riches, the American dream. Karate Kid is similar. It’s the little guy Danielson, getting sand kicked in his face by Johnny and his dojo, but after hard work and proper training thanks to Mr. Miyagi, he gets the last laugh. That’s what being a contender is all about. We’re super fired up about the Cobra Kai on Netflix. We have a whole new lineup in production as we speak.
Brand: Contenders Clothing
Release: Available NOW
Available on: TheDrop.com
Interesting. So is there any collaboration you wanted to do but weren’t able to?
Well, we’d love to do something with Mike Tyson, but he’s almost untouchable right now. That’s something we may look into however.
Gotcha. Iron Mike is still commanding big dollars. Let’s discuss Fight Club. How did that get started?
It’s an interesting story. Fight Club actually came about from feedback we received from real fighters organically weighing in about our products. Once these interactions started picking up steam we knew we were onto something. Today Fight Club is comprised of 8 sponsored fighters:
Jessie Magdaleno is a former world champ and #1 contender.
Abraham Nova is the current WBA-NABA super featherweight belt holder.
Rajon Chance is a high-level prospect and heralded amateur fighter.
Clay Collard is a media darling and has fought 3 times in the MGM bubble during the pandemic.
Chia Santana is a gritty vet who has had a number of high profile bouts.
Sonny Conto is a high-level prospect.
Steven Torres is another high-level prospect.
Greg Vendetti is actually fighting for a world title this weekend.
Good stuff Jon. I’ll check out that Vendetti fight for sure. Let’s talk about Combo Boxing.
We acquired Combo Boxing because we wanted to get into more active wear and offer more styles for women. We liked what the brand was doing and it fit our vision for the future. That’s basically it.
Brand: Combo Boxing
Release: Available NOW
Available on: TheDrop.com
I see. Seems like a solid acquisition. As a company what has been your biggest struggle during this pandemic?
Honestly it’s been keeping up with growth. We need more resources both financial and human. I mean online business is up. We’ve proven it. Companies like TheDrop.com have shown it. It’s time for the big players to start investing. It’s time to cut checks!
Absolutely! That’s something we can get behind for sure. What’s next on the horizon for Contenders Clothing and for Combo Boxing?
We’ve got some big things in the works. We’re currently working on a deal with Bloodsport with Jean-Claude Van Damme and we’ve added a new member to our team who is very well known in the streetwear industry. Going to keep the lid on that for now, but we’ll announce it soon.
Cool. Can’t wait! Thanks for taking the time Jon. I really enjoyed our conversation.
No problem Percy. I’m glad we did this.
