Lazypants experiences growth supporting charity

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Adam Bledin is the co-founder and CEO of Lazypants, a 14-month-old brand with a big heart. What started as a t-shirt clothing company has since been transformed into a sweatpants brand, with a huge emphasis on comfort. Initially Adam was interested in the design side of the business while his brother dealt with the practical side of things, however when the boys mother was diagnosed with cancer the company took on a whole new life, with new priorities and a new found vigor to succeed. That vigor and motivation was to give back and to help those in need.

It was at this point that Adam stepped up to the plate and began molding Lazypants into what it is today. “It was one of those Eat, Prey, Love moments,” he recalls. “I decided that it was now or never for the brand and I didn’t want to be faced with that ‘What If’ feeling in a few years time.” Adam booked a flight to Istanbul to meet the sourcing agent his brother had previously worked with on the t-shirt brand and they hit it off straight away.

Adam had a firm idea of what he wanted. “Everyday after school I loved getting home and taking some time off from the world by watching television or playing with my dog in the garden. In essence, I wanted to be lazy. I used to love hanging out in my sweatpants and for Lazypants I wanted to take that simple comfort and improve on it.” In Istanbul, Adam began by designing the product. He chose all the materials by hand and everything down to the last stitch was given his utmost attention. Lazypants were born and immediately gained traction in Toronto and online.

The brand’s target audience is young professionals – men and women between the ages of 22 and 32 – but Lazypants are also becoming very popular with high school kids and younger children. “They are sweatpants, everyone loves a good pair of sweatpants,” says Adam.

Lazypants’ aim is to give back and do good - in order to do that Adam recognises that he needs a very strong product. A small company with low turnover can donate much less than a large company with positive cash flow. With this in mind, quality is king at the business. “We put an emphasis on the fact that our pants are handmade and we promote the fact that all our manufacturing is totally ethical,” says Adam. He also takes great pride in being hands-on at the business – Adam oversees all production and signs off all new design, fabrics and suppliers. “I am involved with everything we do,” he says.

Since Lazypants was established 14 short months ago, Adam has experience an average growth rate of 316 percent month-on-month. This success has already allowed the brand to support a number of charities close to his heart.

“Charity is a very big part of what we do, it motivates me to get up in the morning,” says Adam. “This season we chose the neon pink hoodie and pants and a portion of all sales will be donated to ovarian cancer research. We have also recently sponsored a boat rally supporting a charity for sick children. We were able to donate pants to children, their parents and their siblings, so sometimes we donate money, sometimes we give away products and sometimes we give our time.”

“Charity is the most important aspect of the business for me. As we grow I will continue to ensure Lazypants supports those in need. I would like to make this a standard in the industry, there is a lot of money to be made, so why cant everyone just give a small amount,” he says.

Growing the business to realise his ambition

Continuing growth is high on the agenda for Adam and he has already built some firm contacts in the industry to make this possible. Firstly, the brand has achieved recognition on the celebrity circuit with the likes of Mila Kunis being spotted sporting the pants. “Celebrities are trend makers, but as long as somebody likes my pants, celebrity or not I am the happiest guy,” laughs Adam.

The company is also exploring new ranges and pushing its products out of Canada and the US to more far afield locations. As an example, LazyKids has just made its debut and by working alongside LA store Kitson the brand is going from strength to strength in the US.

The real differentiator however has to be the emphasis on charity. I keep going back to it, but its this level of compassion, which really sets the brand apart. Adam is so motivated by the need to give back that it’s driving the company forward at exponential rates. His passion for Lazypants is clear and obvious when you speak to him (and when you see him – he has the brand logo tattooed on his neck!) but it’s the company’s passion for helping others that will see it continue to grow.