Hastko raises €3M to take its seamless sportswear to the US
What's the deal? French sportswear brand HastkoDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has raised €3 million ($3.4 million) to fund its expansion into the US market. Founded in 2017 by Joséphine BigoDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Aurélie MoinierDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the brand makes seamless sports bras, shorts, and underwear for women. It reported 50% growth between its last two fiscal years.
What's the endgame? Hastko is targeting the US with pop-ups and retail corners in premium department stores. It wants to stand apart from rivals like Alo YogaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Lululemon with what the founders call a "badass" vibe.
Why now? The brand launched after the founders — who met at an equestrian centre — found that existing "core wear" for female athletes was inadequate. Seams in garments that touch intimate areas can cause injuries; some customers still send the founders photos of bleeding wounds. "So, it's a big issue," said Moinier.
What's the moat? After two and a half years of research, the founders developed a product line made in one of the few factories worldwide with the necessary expertise. The garments use ultrasonic welding and silicone or tape lamination rather than the seamless knitting common in athletic apparel.
What could go wrong? Selling technical women's products in physical retail carries risks. The founders say male salespeople assume women won't discuss their needs — an "apprehension" that needs to be "deconstructed." "There's a whole society that needs to evolve," Moinier said.
The signal: Hastko's €3 million round is a modest, early-stage bet in Europe's booming athleisure niche, where larger deals — such as €15 million for Berlin's The Icon LeagueDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → — dwarf it. The raise matters less as a landmark deal than as a signal of investor confidence that a digitally native European brand can export to a crowded US market.
Read more: Fashion Network
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
