A new apparel brand is trying to change the way the world sees activewear, and it's led by a Nike veteran and the son of one the greatest basketball players of all time.
Jeffrey Jordan, son of Michael Jordan, and Tim Gobet, a 15-year Nike alum, recently launched Äktiiv — pronounced with a hard E-sound. The two met while working at Nike, and clicked immediately, Gobet said, over their shared love for sustainability.
“We have kids, we’ve got to build a better planet and we want to innovate,” Gobet said.
Gobet’s specialty at Nike was activewear, and he was even behind the original Nike Pro active line. Something that always bugged Gobet about creating those products, though, was that they all required petroleum-based materials, which would live on the planet forever.
Gobet and Jordan both dreamed of creating their own brand, something Jordan had already done in 2020 when he left Nike to found Heir, a web3 entertainment company specifically made for athletes.
Now with Äktiiv, Jordan acts as more of an advisor to the brand that he and Gobet spent two years creating. The products will biodegrade within five years, Gobet said, and they created them by weaving three materials together in a way they say makes the products as durable as competitors, but with less permanent damage to the planet.
“My wife loves Lululemon, and I had a pair of (Äktiiv) prototypes on our bed, and I came into the house and I see her in the prototype tights that the factory sent me. I'm like, ‘What are you doing? Those are my prototypes!’ She's like, ‘Oh my God. I thought these were my Lulus,’ and it clicked there,” Gobet said. “My wife only wants to wear Lululemon, but she couldn't tell the difference in the fabric.”
But the sustainability goes beyond the product, Gobet said. Äktiiv uses a factory in Shanghai that competitors like Nike and Lululemon also use. This factory, Gobet said, is known for its sustainable practices, good working conditions and more.
“It's not just the apparel, right? I care about factory conditions, water sources … to me, I couldn't sleep if we're doing good over here but then I know our sources are bad,” Gobet said.
Äktiiv isn’t the only new biodegradable apparel company in Portland. Unless Collective, started by former Adidas brand president Eric Liedtke, also makes biodegradable apparel but only in streetwear. Gobet said Äktiiv stands out because it is activewear that is functional, not just fashionable.
The brand so far has been funded entirely out of Jordan, Gobet and other co-founder Brian Boesen’s pockets. Now though, Äktiiv is seeking $25,000 from a Kickstarter it launched earlier this week. It had raised nearly $18,000 as of Wednesday afternoon.
Gobet said the brand is interested in taking on outside investors — and he said there has been interest — but they are being strategic about any partnerships.
“I want to make sure the VC we do take in, or angel investor, is committed to the lifestyle. Do you recycle? Are you truly sustainable? If someone knows that you've invested in our brand, but then they see you taking private jets everywhere and whatnot, put your money where your mouth is,” Gobet said. “Jeffrey and I are talking about being strategic on who that is, someone that is a believer in the movement and the brand versus just us taking money. Because if they don't follow what we believe in, how's that any better?”
