Rhoback athleisure apparel brand opened first store in Charlottesville, Va.
/Rhoback, a digitally native athleisure apparel brand opened its first store at the Barracks Road Shopping Center in Charlottesville, Va. last month, and cofounder Kevin Hubbard has already set his sight on running Rhoback physical stores nationwide (perhaps even globally) within 10 years, according to an interview with CBS19 News (Charlottesville).
The idea for Rhoback began while co-founders Matthew Loftus and Kristina Loftus studied at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. In addition to her academic training, Kristina taught herself how to design clothing using Photoshop courses on YouTube.
Rhoback first started as a class project but later with Hubbard, the trio launched a line of upscale activewear and then opened their first warehouse in their hometown of Charlottesville to design and sell men’s and women’s apparel.
Since its founding in 2016, the apparel maker has grown into a 100-person company with over 3 million products sold online. The lifestyle activewear brand designs, manufactures and sells high-performance apparel that blends athletic function with a clean, lifestyle-inspired look. The brand’s logo is modeled after the Loftuses’ dog, Bunker, a Rhodesian Ridgeback breed.
To mass produce its quality products, they partnered with a trusted manufacturer in South Korea that offered standout fabrics and samples.
Rhoback has now partnered with RepSpark to streamline its wholesale operations and accelerate expansion into a variety of retail partners, including golf pro shops, collegiate bookstores and specialty retailers like Alabama Outdoors and St. Bernard Sports.
The brand also has a significant focus on collegiate apparel through its "Rhoback U" program. They currently work with over 50 colleges and universities and plan to add 30 more in 2026. This strategy builds brand awareness in specific regional markets through athlete partnerships and licensed merchandise.