Laceeze
Laceeze is a UK-based direct-to-consumer brand, founded in 2017 by Emma Burke, that sells elastic bands wrapping around sports shoes to keep laces tied during grassroots youth football and other sports. It serves parents and young athletes across the UK, USA, and Canada via Shopify.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersParkstone, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Laceeze does
Laceeze is a UK-based direct-to-consumer consumer goods company founded in 2017 by Emma Burke. Its core product is a small elastic band that wraps around a sports shoe and holds a single tied lace knot in place to prevent shoelaces from coming undone during athletic activity. The flagship product is sold in two size variants — Laceeze Original (standard sizing, multiple colorways including Noir, Ice, Inferno, Violet, Lime, Zest, Neon Pink, and a translucent Nude) and Laceeze Max (larger sizing). The company has sold over 700,000 pairs cumulatively since launch and positions the product primarily at children and young athletes participating in grassroots football, with secondary use cases in basketball, cricket, rugby, hockey, and golf.
Under the Defiance sub-brand, Laceeze has extended into a broader children's sports accessories range that includes silicon-grip performance socks ($13), Sportwrap sock tape, compression clothing, shoe/kit fresh products, gloves, accessories, and bundle gift packs. The Defiance lineup is described by the company as growing year over year and serves as the primary vector for category expansion.
Laceeze operates a pure-play DTC e-commerce model through a Shopify storefront, shipping throughout the USA and Canada with free shipping on orders over $50. Pricing is unit-based (pay-as-you-go) with Laceeze Max priced at $14.00 and a $95 Team Bundle Offer SKU designed for bulk grassroots team purchases. Marketing combines earned media (BBC Dragons' Den in 2025, with investment from Touker Suleyman; coverage in The Sun, Independent, Elite Business, and Sky News), an ambassador program, a 'Friend of Laceeze' affiliate scheme, a Refer-a-Friend program, email marketing, a blog, and YouTube/video content. The company has no disclosed patents, no mobile app, no public API, and no disclosed institutional funding beyond the 2025 angel investment from Touker Suleyman.
Laceeze firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Laceeze
- Legal name
- Laceeze
- Website
- https://defianceclothing.store
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Laceeze is a UK-based direct-to-consumer brand, founded in 2017 by Emma Burke, that sells elastic bands wrapping around sports shoes to keep laces tied during grassroots youth football and other sports. It serves parents and young athletes across the UK, USA, and Canada via Shopify.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Laceeze industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sports Accessories
- NAICS
- Shoe Retailers (45821), Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers (458)
- SIC
- Retail-Shoe Stores (5661), Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Footwear Components & Materials (Uppers, Soles, Laces, Insoles) (CRAAACAK)
Keywords
Where Laceeze is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Parkstone
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Laceeze business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Product Sales: Laceeze generates revenue through direct sales of its Laceeze band products and Defiance-branded sports accessories (grip socks, clothing, fresh products). Products are sold at various price points with both one-off purchases and bundle options available. The company operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce model.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Laceeze Band products available in Original and Max variants |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Defiance Grip Socks - available in 3 sizes and 2 colors |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Laceeze product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Laceeze designs, manufactures, and sells elastic bands that wrap around sports footwear to keep a single tied lace knot in place, preventing shoelaces from coming undone during athletic activity. The bands are sold in Original and Max (larger size) variants and multiple colorways, with over 700,000 pairs sold since launch in 2017. The company also operates the Defiance sub-brand offering children's sports accessories including silicon-grip socks, compression clothing, shoe/kit freshness products, and bundle gift packs.
Product overview
Laceeze offers two core product lines: Laceeze Original (standard size bands) and Laceeze Max (larger size bands), both designed to wrap around sports footwear and keep shoelaces tied during athletic activity. The company has sold over 700,000 pairs since launching in 2017. Under the Defiance sub-brand, the company expands into children's sports accessories including grip socks with silicon grip, compression clothing for all seasons, fresh/shoe care products, accessories, and gift bundle packs. The product ecosystem serves grassroots football and broader sports markets, with products available across multiple colorways and size options.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Defiance: Children's sports accessory brand offering grip socks, clothing, fresh products, and bundle packs. The brand is growing every year.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 700,000 pairs of bands sold since launch in 2017
Companies that use Laceeze
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Laceeze technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
Feature1 record
Laceeze partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Laceeze competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Stoko: Stoko is a DTC compression apparel brand for active individuals, overlapping with Laceeze's Defiance sub-brand (compression clothing) and sharing a similar direct-to-consumer, niche-performance positioning in sports apparel.
- Feetures: Feetures is a performance athletic sock brand sold through specialty running and sports retailers and online — comparable to Defiance's grip socks in use case (grassroots and performance sport) and customer profile (parents, athletes).
- Bombas: Bombas is a leading DTC athletic and everyday sock brand, closely comparable to Laceeze's Defiance Grip Socks in customer profile (parents, active individuals) and go-to-market motion (Shopify-led DTC, ambassador programs, cause-driven branding).
- KT Tape: KT Tape sells kinesiology tape and sports accessories directly to athletes — comparable to Defiance's Sportwrap Sock Tape and broader sports-accessory positioning, with a similar grassroots/athlete-ambassador distribution approach.
Direct peers
- Lock Laces: Lock Laces sells elastic no-tie shoelaces for athletes, runners, and triathletes — the most direct functional alternative to the Laceeze band, addressing the same shoelace-security problem in sports footwear with a comparable DTC motion.
- Xpand: Xpand offers a patented elastic no-tie lacing system for shoes, directly competing with Laceeze in solving untied laces during sport and active use; comparable product positioning, target athlete persona, and DTC-led go-to-market.
- Hickies: Hickies sells an elastic lacing system that replaces traditional shoelaces with a silicone-tipped band — a direct competitor to Laceeze, with comparable athletic and lifestyle positioning and a similar DTC e-commerce model.
Broad incumbents
- Adidas: Adidas competes with Laceeze indirectly through its youth football and team-sports footwear lines (e.g., Predators, Copa), setting the category standard for grassroots sports footwear that Laceeze's accessory wraps around.
- Decathlon: Decathlon is a broad sporting goods retailer with deep grassroots sports footwear and accessories assortments; its scale and entry-level price positioning make it a key indirect competitor for share-of-wallet on youth sports accessories.
- Nike: Nike is the dominant athletic footwear and apparel incumbent whose kids' and grassroots sports footwear ecosystems define the competitive context Laceeze operates in; the breadth of Nike's catalog and retail presence makes it the key benchmark for category scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Laceeze social profiles
Digital presenceLaceeze financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Laceeze leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Laceeze funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Laceeze M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Laceeze
What does Laceeze do?
Laceeze designs, manufactures, and sells elastic bands that wrap around sports footwear to keep a single tied lace knot in place, preventing shoelaces from coming undone during athletic activity. The bands are sold in Original and Max (larger size) variants and multiple colorways, with over 700,000 pairs sold since launch in 2017. The company also operates the Defiance sub-brand offering children's sports accessories including silicon-grip socks, compression clothing, shoe/kit freshness products, and bundle gift packs.
Is Laceeze a public or private company?
Laceeze is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Laceeze founded?
Laceeze was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Laceeze based?
Laceeze is headquartered in Parkstone, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Laceeze make money?
One revenue line is on record: product Sales.
Who are Laceeze's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Stoko, Feetures, Bombas and KT Tape. Direct peers are Lock Laces, Xpand and Hickies. Broad incumbents are Adidas, Decathlon and Nike.
Does Laceeze have an API?
No public API is recorded for Laceeze.
What industry is Laceeze in?
Laceeze's product category is Sports Accessories. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAAACAK, Footwear Components & Materials (Uppers, Soles, Laces, Insoles). Its NAICS code is 45821 and its SIC code is 5661.