Business Spotlight: Unozero

With so many boot options for players, fans, and coaches, we often reach for the name brands we know and are familiar with. However, Venezuela-born owner of UNOZERO, Sam Garzon, was kind enough to answer a few questions about these top-quality soccer cleats that his company makes. We continue our Business Spotlight with UNOZERO:

What inspired the founding of UNOZERO and does the name have a specific meaning?
UNOZERO comes from a personal need. The need to connect with a true soccer-centric brand, one that only produces top-tier product for the serious footballer. There was nothing like it in the market before UNOZERO.

Regarding our name, UNOZERO comes from the number worn by the all-time greats, the mythical #10. The vision was to create the best performing boot, with the highest quality materials, made by the best shoemakers in the industry, in order to create a boot worthy of the great players that have sported the number.

Your design aesthetic is breathtaking, what informs the decision to use the natural materials and classic design we see instead of the flashy modern looks and synthetic materials?
Thank you for the compliment…we agree with you (laughs)

UNOZERO cleats are designed to provide optimum fit, while at the same time provide comfort and protection. When it comes to getting a ‘custom’ fit, leather and knit are the best materials. However, knit does not provide good protection as the material is too fragile. Leather, on the other hand, does provide that protection while molding to the foot for that custom-like fit.

When it comes to our design, a number of years ago I needed to buy a pair of cleats, and when I got to the store, I found I had two color options: neon green or bright red. If I wanted a more serious colorway, I would have to settle for a boot designed (and not updated) since the 80’s. I could not believe there were no options for the serious footballer. Either you get a modern performance boot and look like an 8 year old, or, you get a more serious looking boot but have to put up with an outdated technical design. That’s when I realized there was an opportunity to create something special, something different. An elegant and modern performance boot.

Our design pays homage to the more traditional boot, while at the same time contains modern accents, like the bronze elements across the mid-foot and counter. We use a modern sole-plate that provides great traction and rotation, as well as, use a mid-sole to reduce stud pressure and increase comfort.

We have truly created a ‘modern classic’ designed for today’s level of play. 

Our readership is primarily players, coaches, owners and fans of lower league US soccer; who is your target demographic - what type of soccer person are you trying to appeal to?
Our target is the serious footballer. A serious footballer is someone that plays, loves, and understands the beautiful game, and we find that these traits run across all demographics. That is why we find high school, college, amateur, semi-pro, and pro players alike wearing UNOZEROs. We cater to the true footballer. 

Each boot is hand-crafted from Kangaroo Leather by artisans in Northern Italy

We've seen your affiliation with UPSL soccer, so we know you're aware of footy at this level here - can you tell us more about how that relationship with UPSL came about and do you have anything similar planned going forward?
It is critical to support the development of the beautiful game from the ground up. Especially during these challenging times, where we have seen fundamental institutions like the national soccer youth federation fold. It is important for us to do what we can to support the continuous growth of the sport in the country. We are always looking for ways to help.

Your product line seems spartan, with just the one boot in either black or white - are there any additional boots in development; perhaps a flat for indoor or futsal players? What's next for UNOZERO?
Great question. In short, yes, we always spend time in the drawing board developing new models. In fact, we have plans to release a new model this summer. As we continue to grow, we will include other surfaces into our portfolio. We are very thoughtful on everything we do, that is why we do not pump out product every three weeks like other brands. Others play what I like to call the ‘flavor of the month’ game. We have a more meticulous approach.

UNOZERO makes honest, high quality products, and shy away from the ‘mega speed, lethal power’ gimmicks. UNOZERO is a football brand for those seeking a higher quality boot that allows them to perform at their true peak level, with no gimmicks, no compromises. This will always be true to UNOZERO, and that sets us apart.

To get yourself into a pair of UNOZERO: https://unozero.com/

Business Spotlight: Stimulus Athletic

For 12 years, Geison Moura led the line with at least 146 appearances and 89 goals, for clubs all around the world. Starting in Brazil at Esporte Club Bahia and making stops in Singapore, New Jersey, Ft. Lauderdale and Minnesota - Geison led the life a professional footballer and knows what players and clubs need to look good and feel good. His company, Stimulus Athletic, is now one of the leaders in customized sports apparel and is our Business Spotlight of the week…

Everyone loves a good origin story; can you tell me why you wanted to start Stimulus Athletic and how that came about?  

Back in my playing times, I was always very active in the community coaching camps and doing team appearances and I remember hearing from coaches how they always struggled with uniform providers. So, I decided that the day that I retire from playing I was going to create a brand that would offer easy to order high-quality custom uniforms at affordable prices. And that's what we did! 

An interesting story about my first order. From the get-go giving back has been at the core of who we are and what we do. So, before I had made any sale, I went to a local store, bought 400 dollars’ worth of sports equipment, and took it to a very underprivileged community in Brazil (where I was born). I ran a full-day of soccer camp and distributed the equipment as our first give-back initiative. Then when I got back to the house, I had a message from a very close friend saying that the school he coaches for had approved him to buy their uniforms from Stimulus. It was our very first order! We didn't have our factory fully lined up yet. I have jerseys coming from one place shorts from another place it was crazy. But we managed to deliver all the uniforms. Fast forward to today we have provided uniforms for thousands of athletes and had the privilege of helping a lot of people along the way. 

Geison has made it a point to Give Back to his home country of Brazil, where he distributes soccer equipment and hosts soccer camps for underprivileged children.

I'm most familiar with your work for MPLS City, what are a few of your favorite shirts you've done for them and what other clubs have you worked with? 

My favorite designs from MPLS City are always their latest. Their ability to show who they are where they’re from and what they stand for through their amazing designs it’s unbelievable. We are really lucky to work with them.

What aspects of style and design influence your work? While some clients may have some creative ideas of their own, how often do teams say "I dunno, what do you think would look cool?"

We have a very creative designer that has implemented a great process to help clients formulate their unique designs. 

From MPLS soccer kits to warm-ups for Karen Football Association, Stimulus provides a large selection of apparel for customization.

Do you cold-call soccer clubs to see if they need a shirt done, or do they come to you? What has been the most effective way of generating new clients?

Most of our clients have come to us from word of mouth.  

Aside from shirts, what other articles of apparel do you produce? Do you make items outside of the soccer world?

Aside from game uniforms (jerseys, shorts, and socks), customers can choose from a variety of custom products such as jackets, hoodies, pants, backpacks, and more. My background is soccer and that's the reason I got into this business, so naturally, most of our clients are soccer clubs. However, we have been growing in other sports as well including Basketball, Baseball, and Ultimate Frisbee.

What is Stimulus up to next – are there any innovations we have to look forward to?

We are currently working really hard to develop one of the most innovative kit designers. Our easy to use platform will allow customers to create stunning uniforms exactly the way they want. By adding as many logos as they wish and choosing from a huge variety of cool patterns, styles, and colors, our kit designer will make any team look like pros! 

No more emailing that one guy you know who can do 3D .ai renderings - you can do this on your own!

To check out more gear from Stimulus or to get a quote for your club, check them out here: https://www.stimulusathletic.com/

Business Spotlight: Ruffneck Scarves

A staple of the soccer supporter’s scene is undeniably a soccer scarf – every team in every clime offers some version of the iconic footy apparel and we wanted to find out more about one of the most widely used companies in US Soccer. From MLS and USL to NPSL and WPSL, if you love soccer, you are just a few degrees of separation from a Ruffneck-made scarf. Continuing our Business Spotlight series, we reached out to founder Jeff McIntyre to find out more about his brand and its connection to soccer at all levels.

Tell us how and why Ruffneck Scarves got started - what was the original mission and is that still the same?

We originally started Ruffneck back in 2007 because we were collecting scarves from around the world and couldn't find any options available to us in the U.S. We put up a little retail site online selling a few collections of scarves and then started working with a few local Seattle groups that were interested in making custom scarves. The mission was simple at first, sell hard to find scarves online, but it quickly shifted into creating a brand for proper custom scarves we could provide to supporters to help spread the love we had for the game across America.

Ruffneck has worked with some of the largest soccer brands in the US - but what are some of your favorite non-MLS scarves you've seen come through production?

We've really been fortunate to work with some great organizations at all levels of soccer as well as other sports and industries. Some of my favorite designs are on scarves we've worked with supporters’ groups on. American Outlaws chapters, our own local Emerald City Supporters and USL supporters really get creative and clever with their scarves.

Based in Washington State, Ruffneck has started off working with local clubs, supporters’ groups, and schools.

What do prospective clients need to submit in order to get a custom scarf made? I'm sure most folks have an idea of how they want their scarves to look, but do you have in-house design just in case the client is not design savvy?

Really, all we need from a group looking for custom scarves is an idea of what they're looking for and how they plan to use their scarves. Our internal creative team has been coming up with designs for many years and is able to help the customers design what they envision. It's not to say that if a customer comes to us with a design they want to use, we won't create it... In fact, we encourage our customers to be involved in the design process. 

There are a few industry competitors, sure they also make scarves, but what sets you apart? Also, tell us about the fundraiser aspect of your business - how did that come about?

Like every industry there will always be competition. We have had several small companies come and go when it comes to making scarves. What sets us apart, is that we've always been committed to serving our customers best by providing a great experience and the highest quality scarves. Our ability to deliver on those things is what has led us to being the official scarf provider to the likes of MLS, USL, US Soccer, NHL and several other teams and leagues around the world.

Fundraisers came about naturally by request of our customers. We realized school, teams and charities wanted an alternative way to raise money for their organizations besides the usual chocolate bar or t-shirt promotion. It became a natural fit for those groups connected to soccer and over time the popularity has crossed over into much more than soccer and sports.

Jeff McIntyre, not only helped to start Ruffneck Scarves, he helped found both Bellingham United as well as the league they played in, EPLWA.

Traditional Jacquard Knit, HD Knit, Sublimated "Summer" Scarves and... Custom Face Masks. How long did it take for the figurative light-bulb to appear above your heads on that one? What materials are you using and how protective are your custom masks? 

We are the "scarf guys" first and foremost... that will never change. It's what we love and what we know we're the best in the world doing. We started selling the face masks recently for a few reasons... we realized there was a need for the general public for cloth face masks for basic levels of protection. Also, with the economy being shut down, we too were suffering from very little sales and had to pivot to survive this downturn. Because we are in the "textiles" business, we quickly pivoted our production to being able to make masks out of readily available materials. We have a few different styles and materials we use in these. Some are cotton and some are a poly blend. Our premium mask has Velcro straps for comfort and fit and does have multi-layers and included filter for added protection. None of our masks are medical-grade.  

When we all come back out of our homes again, and supporters’ groups or soccer clubs are looking to make new scarves, will you be fully online and capable of making orders and how do they get in touch? 

We are all looking forward to getting back to watching our favorite sport and doing our favorite activities again. I can't wait for that day, but the safety and health of our employees and customers is most important. With that being said, our production is still online and available to produce scarves just as we are producing masks at this time. If anyone is looking for scarves, masks or interested in customizing scarves or masks, all they have to do is visit RuffneckScarves.com for more info and contacts.