Tapout (clothing brand)
 | |
| Joint venture | |
| Industry | Apparel |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Founders |
Charles Lewis, Jr. Dan Caldwell Tim Katz |
| Headquarters | Seal Beach, California, United States |
| Products | Graphic T-shirts, Denim, Jackets, Fleece, Wovens and Accessories |
| Revenue | $100M (2008) |
| Parent |
WWE (50%) Authentic Brands Group (50%) |
| Website |
www |
Tapout is an American sports clothing and accessories company. The company is a supplier of sportswear and casual apparel. Tapout's global headquarters is located in Baltimore, Maryland. Its European headquarters is in Amsterdam's Olympic Stadium. Additional offices are in Denver, Colorado, Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China, Jakarta, Indonesia, Toronto, Canada, and Austin, Texas.
In 1997, Charles Lewis, Jr. and his two friends, Dan Caldwell and Tim Katz, began selling mixed martial arts apparel from the back of their Mustang.[1] By 2007, the company had revenue of $22.5 million, with a 2009 target of $225 million.[2]
In 2007, Lewis, along with co-founders Tim "Skyskrape" Katz and Dan "Punkass" Caldwell, starred in Tapout, a reality television series on cable channel Versus that followed up-and-coming mixed martial arts fighters. The second season of the program began airing in July 2008.[2]
In March 2015, WWE announced a partnership with Authentic Brands Group to relaunch Tapout, formerly a major MMA-related clothing line, as a more general "lifestyle fitness" brand. The apparel, for men and women, is expected to be released in spring of 2016. Through 2015, WWE will market the brand through various products, including beverages, supplements and gyms.[3] WWE will hold a 50% stake in the brand, and so will advertise it regularly across all its platforms, hoping to give it one billion impressions a month, and take some of the fitness market from Under Armour. All employees and students of the WWE Performance Center will wear the clothes.[4]
References
- ↑ "TapouT Founder Killed in SoCal Ferrari Crash". Fox News. 2009-03-12. Retrieved 2013-08-24.
- 1 2 "Q&A with 'Mask' from TapouT". Sports Illustrated. CNN. 2008-07-30. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
- ↑ "WWE Relaunching Prominent MMA Brand Tapout as ‘Lifestyle Fitness Brand’". Sherdog.
- ↑ Marc Graser. "WWE to Relaunch Tapout Clothing Brand in New Joint Venture". Variety.
External links
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