Sustainable sportswear brand Reflo has launched a £2.5 million crowdfunding campaign, giving members of the public the opportunity to invest in the fast-growing company alongside England captain Harry Kane.
The fundraising round, which opens on 5 March via the investment platform Crowdcube, marks a deliberate shift away from traditional venture capital funding. Instead, Reflo’s founders say they want the brand’s customers and community to become part-owners of the business as it scales globally.
Founded in 2021 by childhood friends Rory MacFadyen and Peter Philippou, Reflo has rapidly emerged as one of the UK’s fastest-growing challenger brands in sportswear. The company generated around £5 million in revenue during 2025, achieving gross margins of approximately 60 per cent while building a diversified business across direct-to-consumer sales, wholesale partnerships, corporate apparel and sports team collaborations.
The decision to open the investment round to the public reflects the company’s philosophy that the people who buy its products should have the opportunity to share in the brand’s growth.
MacFadyen said the founders had been approached by venture capital firms but ultimately chose a different route.
“VC money was an option, but Reflo has always been built differently,” he said. “We are challenging an industry responsible for up to ten per cent of global carbon emissions, and we believe the people who wear the product should have the chance to own part of that mission. Harry Kane believed in what we’re building and chose to invest. Now others can too.”
Kane joined the company in 2024 as both a lead ambassador and investor, backing the brand’s focus on sustainability and long-term innovation rather than marketing-led environmental claims.
The England striker said he had been drawn to the founders’ ambition to disrupt the sportswear industry.
“I was really impressed with Rory and Pete’s vision for the brand and wanted to get involved,” Kane said. “It’s growing quickly, and it’s exciting for me to be a part of it.”
Rapid expansion across elite sport
In just a few years, Reflo has secured partnerships with several high-profile sporting organisations, positioning the brand as a credible alternative to legacy sportswear giants.
The company has produced apparel for the Atlassian Williams Racing as well as multiple teams in the Formula E including Jaguar TCS Racing and Nissan Formula E Team.
Reflo has also collaborated with major global sporting events including The Open Championship and the DP World Tour, alongside football clubs such as Luton Town FC and Forest Green Rovers.
These partnerships have helped accelerate brand visibility while demonstrating the performance capabilities of Reflo’s sustainable apparel.
The company says it has already recycled the equivalent of five million plastic bottles into its clothing and planted more than 200,000 trees as part of its sustainability commitments.
Reflo’s business model is built around three core divisions designed to capture multiple segments of the sportswear market.
The first pillar is its core direct-to-consumer sportswear brand, which produces apparel for activities including golf, running, training and padel.
The second, TeamLabs, focuses on sustainable kit solutions for elite sports teams and major sporting events, supplying performance apparel designed to meet professional standards while reducing environmental impact.
The third division, SupplyLabs, provides corporate and B2B apparel partnerships, working with businesses seeking sustainable branded clothing and merchandise.
By operating across these three revenue streams, Reflo has built a diversified commercial platform that the founders say strengthens its long-term growth prospects.
The company is targeting a global sportswear market valued at $335 billion in 2023, which analysts expect to grow to $646 billion by 2030 as demand for fitness apparel and athleisure continues to expand.
At the same time, increasing scrutiny of environmental impact has placed pressure on clothing brands to improve transparency and reduce carbon emissions across supply chains.
Reflo’s founders believe this shift in consumer behaviour is creating space for new entrants that combine high performance with genuine sustainability credentials.
Philippou said building a brand around responsible manufacturing has required the company to adopt a more demanding approach to product design and sourcing.
“We make our lives harder by doing things properly,” he said. “Cleaner materials, responsible manufacturing and better design. It proves that sustainability and profitability can coexist.”
He added that the crowdfunding round would allow the company to scale its model internationally.
“This raise is about taking what we’ve built and expanding it globally.”
The founders say the crowdfunding campaign will allow thousands of smaller investors to participate in Reflo’s growth story while strengthening customer loyalty to the brand.
Crowdcube has become a popular platform for consumer brands seeking to raise capital while building engaged communities of shareholders.
The Reflo campaign is expected to be one of the most prominent consumer-brand raises promoted to Crowdcube’s investor base this quarter.
Investors who participate in the round will be backing a company positioning itself as a sustainability-focused challenger brand capable of competing with established global sportswear manufacturers.
For MacFadyen, the crowdfunding campaign represents more than a financing exercise.
“Our goal is to build a brand that proves sustainability and performance can exist together,” he said. “And we want the people who believe in that vision to be part of the journey.”
Jamie Young
Jamie is Senior Reporter at Business Matters, bringing over a decade of experience in UK SME business reporting.
Jamie holds a degree in Business Administration and regularly participates in industry conferences and workshops.
When not reporting on the latest business developments, Jamie is passionate about mentoring up-and-coming journalists and entrepreneurs to inspire the next generation of business leaders.
