EST. OCTOBER 19, 2020
WHAT IS BANDIT?
Hello, hello, hello. This is Tim West, Bandit founder, here. It feels very odd to answer this question (and create the timeline below) in the third person, so I've decided we'll do it live! #AdminReveal. I'm more of a behind-the-scenes type of person, so bear with me here as I recount the fast, crazy, and blurry last 6 years of Bandit.
I started Bandit out of my Brooklyn basement apartment smack dab in the middle of the pandemic, 2020. The first product was cushioned running socks in white and black. I hand-packed every box and wrote a personal thank you note for supporting this little venture of mine. Each order meant so much to me and they still do.
My mailman Ramirez would meet me behind the USPS drop-off location so I wouldn't have to pay the $1 per box fee at the store. It sounds small, but it meant a lot—and more than anything, it was emblematic of the support I received along the way from friends and strangers alike. Over the course of a year, I spent every last dollar to my name—reinvesting everything I made (and had) into photoshoots, better packaging, larger orders, etc.
Little by little, with the NYC running community rallying behind Bandit, especially my friends from Brooklyn Track Club, the socks and the brand caught a glimmer of fire. Each new sock release would sell out faster than the last. People began asking for different products that I wasn't personally equipped to make, but it gave me hope for something larger down the line. Almost exactly a year later, I decided to take the leap, part ways with my day job, and go all-in on a mission to Evolve Running (more on that below) with a few other brave souls.
Today, Bandit is a full head-to-toe apparel brand, putting on experiences, and telling stories that aim to breathe fresh life into the sport we love. Community always has been and always will be the center of everything we do and we're proud to be supporting runners around the globe from Olympians to first-timers.
