The Crew Cut

The Centre Manager of the Putney Exchange has hailed Crewroom’s new flagship store in the town centre as “a breath of fresh air” for the local community. And she said our colourful sportswear shop has “transformed” the entrance to the popular shopping centre. Crewroom’s presence at the Exchange began when we opened a Pop-Up store there in October last year – and this month we thought it was time to top-up the Pop-Up. We are delighted to announce that we have now opened our doors on Putney High Street where our latest new shop is already doing a roaring trade. Our exact address is Unit 28 in the Putney Exchange, Putney High Street, postcode SW15 1TW and it’s on the corner of Putney High Street and Lacy Road. The shop is now stocking all our most popular items and, thanks to our friends at The Putney Exchange Shopping Centre, is in a great location. In fact, you can’t miss us! Anne Partridge, Putney Exchange Shopping Centre Manager, said: “We were intrigued but very happy to help, when last year we were approached by Kate Giles the owner of Putney-based Crewroom to experiment with a Pop-Up store in the shopping centre. “We thought the retail proposition a great fit for the Putney customer and an obvious one in terms of Putney’s long history as a riverside town and links with rowing. The Crewroom Pop-Up was innovative and quirky and delivered to a very high standard. “As predicted, the customer response was very positive and the experiment of a Pop-Up store was a huge success culminating in Crewroom choosing to open their flagship store at The Putney Exchange. The new store has transformed the entrance to the shopping centre and is a breath of fresh air for the town centre.” Anne added: “We seek to find smaller retailers that bring something unique and different to our retail line up and customer experience and Crewroom deliver this and so much more. We are delighted to be working with them and wish them every success.” Crewroom Founder Kate Giles said: “We are really proud to have opened our permanent retail store in Putney, the home territory where we began Crewroom years ago.” Hope to see you there soon.

There are just 10 weeks to go and if you’re entering this year’s Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon, your training is now approaching its peak and your nutrition is key. That’s why Crewroom, who are sponsoring Team Squirrel in the October 11 race, have offered their support to runners in the form of a series of Facebook question-and-answer sessions. This month, our Sales Director, Baz Moffat, took part in an online Q&A all about nutrition – and the queries from anxious racers poured in. Baz, Crewroom's resident personal trainer and a former international rower, took to the web to answer questions ranging from energy gels and protein snacks to recovery meals and vegetarian diet options. An experienced endurance athlete, Baz said: “It’s always a pleasure to talk with all our running friends. Crewroom is here to support you and we wish you all well on race day.” One online inquirer asked how they could substitute for breakfast if they didn’t have time to eat any before a long run first thing in the morning. Baz advised that a midnight snack the night before, of breakfast cereal, would be a good option. Another runner asked: ‘How can I be sure to get enough protein as a half marathoner if I am a vegetarian?' Baz suggested adding chickpeas, pulses and beans to soups and salads, or else try carrying a tub of peanut butter with you for snacking. What about recovery foods, and which are most effective, was another question. Baz, who frequently relied on recovery snacks during her distinguished rowing career, advised poached eggs or beans on toast, muesli, fruit and yogurts, always combining carbs with protein after a long exercise session. We’d love to hear how you’re getting on in your training, so don’t forget to follow @Crewroom on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Crewroom’s award-winning kit has been featured in a best-selling new “mag-book” published by Women’s Fitness magazine. The concept, combining a magazine with a book, has proved extremely popular with readers on the high street and at WH Smiths stores where the new publication is now on sale. The mag-book, titled “10-Week Fat Burn – Lose A Stone” has been produced by Editor and personal trainer Christina Macdonald. It contains a spread of photographs featuring a model performing exercises wearing Crewroom’s Lunge Knee Crops, which are a cross between leggings and standard crops. Finishing just above the knee they are functional and fab. The wide waistband is a treat, especially if you're conscious of your tummy, and the fabric feels amazingly supportive without restriction. Editor Christina said: “’10-Week Fat Burn – Lose A Stone' is about encouraging women to exercise regularly in order to achieve their weight-loss goals. Motivation to exercise regularly is key. One way to stay motivated is to invest in flattering workout kit that makes you feel good while you’re exercising. “Crewroom kit flatters the female figure in the right places and takes the emphasis away from those hard-to-trim areas like the belly. Good kit means feeling less self-conscious and more confident while you exercise and I’m all for that!” The mag-book is available priced £9.99 from stores and also online via www.magbooks.com. You can follow fitness editor and personal trainer Christina on @writefitchris.

Crewroom is delighted to have set up stall in the heart of what’s known locally as Nappy Valley, where Mums and babies are much in evidence. But to our surprise and delight, Dads and sporty men are also thronging in our new Northcote Road store, especially at weekends. The new shop, at Number 79 Northcote Road (opposite popular pizza parlour Franco Manca) has been open for less than a month but is already proving a runaway success. Last month, we were honoured when The Mayor of Wandsworth, Cllr Nicola Nardelli, popped by to officially declare our store open. The Mayor praised Crewroom as the perfect new business for the borough and complimented our “amazing designs” saying they were “jolly, vibrant, eye-catching and 'of the day'”. The Directors of Crewroom, Kate, Maria and Baz, are all spending lots of time at the Northcote Road store to meet and greet new customers in person. “When you start a new venture like this, it’s really important to listen to your customers and we’ve met some fantastic people in the past few weeks,” said Crewroom Founder Kate Giles. “Lots of ladies are coming in to buy presents for their men, and their friends, and at weekends especially, the majority of our shoppers are men. “We’ve got some amazing kit on sale offer this month, perfect for both men and women, so we look forward to meeting lots more new friends.” Among garments especially popular with male shoppers are Crewroom’s Elemental Fjord Shorts (pictured below, left), which are lightweight and made from fabric with four-way stretch for extra comfort and manoeuvrability. Nice little features include the rear zip pocket to secure your phone, card or keys and two side pockets, one zipped to secure energy gels and anything else you need to keep hold of during your run. Also selling fast are our Full Court Shorts (pictured below, right), a really comfortable, functional pair of running shorts. They feature hip pockets and side zip pockets so there's plenty of places to stash your gels, cards and keys safely. The elasticated and draw-cord waistband means these shorts will fit you a treat. We’ll be teaming up with One Element round the corner from our store, co-hosting a range of exercise and fitness classes – so stay tuned for news of those, coming soon.

It’s already one of our all-time best-selling products – and now the Crewroom Northwest Hoodie is back but with a difference. We have just taken delivery of thousands more garments to replace the hoodies that have been flying off the shelves, in our shops and at outdoor events we attend. And now, we are delighted to introduce the Crewroom Northwest Hoodie as you’ve never seen it before – in pink. The new pink hoodies will be available in the next couple of weeks. Athletes and sports enthusiasts of all shapes and sizes, and sporty Mums and Dads are already snapping up the Hoodie in black, blue, green and grey, and there has been great demand for the new pink version. Crewroom Director Maria O'Brien was swamped with inquiries when she recently attended the St Neots Regatta near Cambridge. “I had about ten ladies nearly mob me at the Crewroom stall. They said they had heard a rumour that our Northwest Hoodie was coming out in pink and could they buy one. “So we’re delighted to announce today that, like our customers, we are thinking pink.” Meanwhile, we have also entered our Northwest Hoodie into the Men's Running magazine awards and samples have been despatched to testers. So wish us luck!

The Mayor of Wandsworth, Cllr Nicola Nardelli, has praised Crewroom as the perfect new business for the borough. Opening our new store in Clapham, south London, the Mayor declared: “This is exactly the sort of thing we are looking for.” And to show her support for flourishing local firms, Mayor Nardelli then became one of our first customers, buying a pair of Crewroom leggings which, she revealed, she would wear for the new sport she’s just taken up – kick-boxing. “I have bought a pair of leggings. I box, so it's for boxercise. I have taken up kick-boxing,” said The Mayor. “I go twice a week normally but since I've been Mayor, once every 10 days. I have seen the Crewroom shop and I think the stock is jolly, vibrant, eye-catching and 'of the day'. It’s like you just want to get some on and get out there running and jogging. They have some amazing designs.” The Mayor highlighted Wandsworth’s current ‘Get Active’ project promoting cycling, running and other sports. “[Crewroom] is coming into an area where the demographic is already quite sporty,” she added. “The council stands behind any new business that is going keep any high street vibrant and lively and this is exactly the sort of thing we are looking for.” The new store, at Number 79 Northcote Road (opposite popular pizza parlour Franco Manca) is now open so whether you’re bringing the kids back from the school run, passing us on your way home from the office, or just fancy a browse, do pop in and say hello. More praise came from Wandsworth Town Centre Manager Lorinda Freint, a keen walker, swimmer and yoga enthusiast. “We are delighted to welcome Crewroom to Northcote Road. I think they are going to fit in extremely well,” she said. “People in this area will definitely appreciate what Crewroom offer, which is excellent quality and lovely design. People round here are very fitness-minded and into sport so Crewroom will definitely do well.” At a time when central government is encouraging the public to take more exercise and live more healthily, Crewroom’s ethos of promoting sport was well placed, said Ms Freint, who keeps fit through her job, a role which sees her walking a lot and clocking up 15-20,000 steps per day. “I think Crewroom's message in general couldn't be more on point. It's definitely encouraging to see a place like this open, (along with all the bakeries and ice-cream shops which we all very much appreciate). It is a good thing to have a shop that reminds us of the message of fitness and health and that we should all be taking exercise,” she added. With a retro-cool ‘locker room’ decor, featuring sports hall-style blue rubber-mat flooring, a vaulting horse and caged kit lockers, the shop also has a trendy paddleboard hanging from its ceiling. Fashionable sports kit on sale includes all the top items from Crewroom’s popular ‘Americana’ summer range, such as vibrant new vests, T-shirts, colourful shorts and crops. Regular favourites like North West Hoodies, hats and visors are also available. Kate Giles, Crewroom Founder, (pictured below with the Mayor) said: “We are thrilled that The Mayor was able to open our new store. It's a very exciting new chapter in Crewroom’s story. We’re all about staying fit, enjoying the elements in the height of summer, running, paddleboarding, trail running and other sports. We’ve wanted to be part of the Clapham community for some time and when this opportunity came up in Northcote Road, we jumped at the chance.” Special thanks on launch day also went to Samira Afrasiabi, (below) who was welcomed as our first mother-and-baby customer. Samira, a keen tennis player, pushed her pram and three-month-old baby son, Robert, round the store before leaving with a purple Crewroom Air Head Visor. “It’s amazing here,” she said. “I like the classic colours and funky designs, for both men and women.”