Blackstrap

What Blackstrap does

BlackStrap is a privately held, founder-led mountain lifestyle technical apparel brand headquartered in Bend, Oregon, designing and selling functional clothing and headwear for outdoor enthusiasts engaged in trail, water, snow, and everyday active pursuits. Founded around 2010 (with company-stated heritage of nearly 20 years) by Abe Shehadeh, the company operates a new 66,000 sq. ft. Midtown Campus headquarters opened in October 2025 and employs roughly 50 people. The brand sells direct-to-consumer globally through its Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront at blackstrap.com with shipping to 6+ regions, supplemented by a dealer locator network, Pro Purchase Program, and GOVX service discount.

The product line centers on proprietary fabric technologies including UPF 50+ sun protection, drirelease® moisture-wicking fabric, and Merino wool blends for temperature regulation. These are integrated across tech shirts, hoodies, fleece, base layers, balaclavas, neck gaiters, gloves, and kids' apparel priced from roughly $18.99 to $149.99. Marketing emphasizes athlete ambassadors (Maggie Voisin, Johnny Egan), Warren Miller Entertainment film features, and community partnerships (BT Bounds). The brand claims 5,000+ five-star customer reviews across product lines and segments its assortment by activity (Trail, On Water, Cold Weather, Everyday Active).

The business model is primarily transactional one-time apparel sales through owned DTC channels with a thin layer of recurring engagement via the Flow State Rewards loyalty program (10% cashback) and small-volume custom/B2B orders. The company has raised only $200,000 in disclosed funding (September 2011), indicating founder-financed, bootstrapped growth rather than institutional capital scaling.

Name

Blackstrap

Website

https://bsbrand.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

BlackStrap is a privately held Bend, Oregon-based mountain lifestyle apparel brand selling UPF 50+ sun protection, drirelease®, and Merino technical clothing and headwear direct-to-consumer globally to outdoor enthusiasts across trail, water, snow, and everyday active segments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outdoor Technical Apparel

NAICS

Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers (45811), Sporting Goods Retailers (45911)

SIC

Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600), Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949)

akta.pro primary industry

Outdoor & Active Lifestyle Apparel Retail (CRAAABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Outdoor Performance Footwear & Apparel Retail (Trail/Hike) (CRAMACAI), Ski & Snowboard Protective Gear Retail (Helmets, Goggles, Pads, Back Protectors) (CRAMAJAC)

Keywords

• Technical outdoor apparel
• Sun protection clothing
• Base layer clothing
• Balaclava accessories
• Mountain lifestyle gear

Headquarters

HQ city

Bend

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: Direct-to-consumer online sales of technical apparel and accessories through owned e-commerce storefront at blackstrap.com. Products sold at fixed retail prices with standard shipping and returns.
2. Flow State Rewards Program: Loyalty program offering 10% cashback and exclusive promotions to drive customer retention and repeat purchases
3. Custom Products: Bespoke/custom product capabilities for teams, groups, or wholesale buyers requiring personalized apparel

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BlackStrap designs, manufactures, and sells mountain lifestyle technical apparel for outdoor recreation. Its core lineup includes sun-protective tech shirts, sun hoodies, base layers, mid-layer fleeces, shorts, balaclavas, neck gaiters, beanies, headbands, gloves, and kids' equivalents, built around drirelease® quick-dry fabric, UPF 50+ UV protection, and Merino wool blends. The brand sells direct-to-consumer via blackstrap.com with global shipping and supplements that channel with a dealer network, a Pro Purchase program, a GOVX service discount program, and bespoke custom apparel services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EVAP Shorts Multi-purpose performance shorts designed for trail, water, and everyday active wear, positioned as a hero product on the homepage.
• Caldera Sherpa Fleece Premium mid-to-outer-layer fleece priced from $129.99 to $149.99, part of BlackStrap's premium outerwear and fleece tier.
• Expedition Balaclava Cold-weather balaclava priced at $44.99, designed for helmet compatibility and cold weather protection in the headwear line.
• Goggle Covers Printed goggle covers sold as part of the accessories catalog across men's, women's, and kids' offerings.
• Upcycled Stuff Sacks Upcycled stuff sacks sold within the accessories catalog for outdoor organization.
• BlackStrap Gift Card BlackStrap-branded gift card SKU sold via the accessories menu for gifting across the catalog.
• Custom Products by BlackStrap Bespoke/custom product service for teams, groups, and wholesale buyers requiring personalized or branded technical apparel.
• Summer '26 Collection Seasonal Summer '26 technical apparel collection spanning Trail, On Water, Everyday Active, and Cold Weather activity categories.
• Shoreline Collection Water-and-trail apparel collection including active tops, shorts, pants, neck gaiters, and balaclavas engineered for paddling and trail use.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,000+ five-star customer reviews
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• BT BoundsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partnership supporting inclusive snowboarding events and programs, including the Ride Day at Loon Mountain Resort. BlackStrap provides sponsorship and brand support for community-building events.
• Warren Miller EntertainmentminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand featured in Warren Miller ski film heritage content, recreating legendary 1992 ski segment in Cappadocia, Turkey featuring brothers Dan and John Egan, with BlackStrap ambassador Johnny Egan.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Buff: Original inventor of the tubular neck gaiter category and BlackStrap's most direct headwear/buff competitor. Buff offers a similar multi-sport, helmet-compatible product line spanning trail, snow, and water activities, directly contesting BlackStrap's core assortment.
• Smartwool: Merino wool sock and base layer brand owned by VF Corporation with overlapping technical positioning. BlackStrap's Merino wool base layers and headwear compete directly with Smartwool's apparel line for the same outdoor consumer.
• Turtle Fur: Specialty headwear and neckwear brand with strong ski/snowboard heritage and similar multi-sport positioning. Directly comparable product category (balaclavas, neck gaiters, beanies) and customer overlap in mountain lifestyle communities.
• Coal Headwear: Technical lifestyle headwear brand focused on beanies, hats, and accessories for skiing, snowboarding, and everyday wear. Closely comparable target demographic and product category with similar price points.
• Outdoor Research: Outdoor technical apparel and accessories brand with strong sun protection (UPF) and base layer offerings. Directly overlapping technical specs (UPF, Merino, quick-dry) and competitor in headwear/accessory categories.
• Airblaster: Bend, Oregon-based technical outerwear and apparel brand serving snowboarding and freeride communities. Same geographic base, overlapping athlete ambassador strategy, and comparable mountain lifestyle positioning.
• Icebreaker: Merino wool base layer and apparel specialist (now under VF Corporation) with identical Merino-based technical positioning. Directly competes for the temperature-regulating base layer consumer BlackStrap targets.

Emerging players

• Sun Day Afternoons: Family-owned sun protection hat and apparel brand with strong UPF focus. Comparable technical sun protection positioning and overlapping trail/water/everyday outdoor use cases, particularly for hiking families.

Broad incumbents

• Patagonia: Dominant outdoor apparel incumbent with broad product line including base layers, fleeces, and technical shirts that overlap BlackStrap's Merino and UPF offerings. Serves as the category benchmark and primary competitive headwind for scaling.

Others

• Polartec: Technical fabric mill supplying fleece, Merino blends, and moisture-management textiles to outdoor brands. Functions as a potential fabric supplier or partner for BlackStrap's proprietary drirelease-adjacent technology stack rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/blackstrap
• Xx.com/blackstrapinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/bsbrand
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blackstrap-industries-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Blackstrap