Ryderwear ready to stretch and resize

DAVID Lukic’s sportswear business is growing so fast, he has moved into a new purpose-built space that has a warehouse six times bigger than the last one.

22/08/17 Ryderwear owners David and Natalie Lukic (back) with models Dasha Gaivoronski and Freshian Rucker wearing Ryderwear sports fashion. photo Calum Robertson

DAVID Lukic’s sportswear business is growing so fast, he has moved into a new purpose-built space that has a warehouse six times bigger than the last one.

Ryderwear is among the state’s fastest growing businesses, ranking 13th on the Fast Movers 2018 list with an average growth in revenue of 81 per cent over three years.

The sports fashion wear company has about 30 employs with plans to grow to 50 by December and then to 150 in the next two or three years at its new home in Beverley.

“We have enjoyed good success domestically and in exports, but it’s a lot of hard work getting there,” he told The Advertiser.

“It’s about being strategic in our social media marketing, using the right people and delivering to expectations.”

Mr Lukic said there was an “inner belief” which helped him to follow his gut and intuition. David, 32, and his wife Natalie, 33, started the Ryderwear label in 2009.

“At the time there was a huge gap in the market for activewear online and, as a young bodybuilder, naturally immersed in the industry, I knew this was a good idea,” he said.

“I had to quickly recognise my strengths and weaknesses. I doubled down on my strengths by educating myself on social media marketing and used Facebook as a platform to sell to a worldwide audience.”

“At the same time I put ego aside and outsourced my weaknesses by hiring fashion designers, finance professionals and other very talented individuals.”

Ryderwear has grown through local support and networking. “Don’t let our small population limit or discourage your hopes and dreams of becoming hugely successful as an entrepreneur or business,” he said. “There is so much opportunity in SA and a huge talent pool of creative people.”

Ryderwear is expecting a multi-million turnover this year. Its main customer base is in Australia and the US, followed by the UK and Canada, and it plans to grow in Asia.

This year’s Fast Movers program, presented by BDO SA and Brand South Australia, attracted more entrants than ever with a strong regional representation.

The Advertiser is a supporter of Fast Movers 2018.