In the Red Corner: Canberra’s best boxing label

Posted on 20 May, 2015

As a woman, boxing can be a challenging arena (pun intended). While I’ve only dabbled in fitness classes, I’ve found that like many women it’s a male-dominated field. Not only are boxing studios, rings and gyms largely populated by men but the equipment is made for men too. Have you ever tried to hold a focus pad when every hit has you gripping on for dear life to save your hand sliding around? It can be frustrating, trust me.

Michelle Walton, long-term buyer for Sportsmans Warehouse noticed this inequity a long time ago. Sprawled across her office desk are a huge selection of boxing catalogues. The covers feature, perhaps not surprisingly, mostly males. The odd cameo female who makes the cover is glamorous and scantily clad — hardly a fair representation of real women’s boxing. The contents of the catalogues reflects the exteriors: the vast majority of product is for men and the women’s equipment, Michelle says, is essentially the same product but in pink or purple.

“I’ve been buying for Sportsmans Warehouse for over 20 years and I’ve been seeing these [same] brands for that entire time,” says Michelle. “I could probably pull you out a catalogue from 1990 that’s going to have the same kind of products. There hasn’t been a shift, yet there’s been a huge shift in women’s apparel and footwear.”

A true entrepreneurial spirit, Michelle saw an opportunity and in that moment Red Corner was born right here in Canberra. This innovative new brand’s tagline is “Fitness boxing gear designed by women for women“. While the brand supplies just as many products for men, their women’s range is particularly impressive. It’s designed to fit you with special moulded mitts, gloves, pads and more.

Cut to last Friday night at Fashfest, and the audience was left breathless after seeing the brand’s latest collection. With local fitness heavyweights and brand ambassadors Jenna Douros and Adriana Smith walking the runway rocking mitts and pads that featured bright colours and striking prints, the excitement from the front row and beyond was audible. If you’re wondering what place a boxing label had on a fashion runway, you need only look at the photos – the clever designs speak for themselves.

It’s not just the look that makes Red Corner such a covetable brand.

Michelle says, “There’s gear out there for women, but there’s very limited choice and the cuts just aren’t as good as ours. Our focus pads for women, you put your hand in and the ball is smaller and the hand is smaller. They just fit.”

I’ve had the pleasure of trying on the gloves and pads, and I can testify to their magnificence. They’re soft to touch but firm enough to take some serious hits. The fit is perfect, not too tight but snug enough to stop your hand from moving around. With longer fingers, padding extended over the finger tips and a secure wrist strap, they’re honestly unlike any other product I’ve tried.

Michelle wasn’t wrong when she described it as “like slipping your hand into a piece of velvet”.

Getting the perfect moulds right has been no easy feat, with the process taking around two years to perfect. Michelle has ventured to the factory where Red Corner is produced five times — racking up some serious frequent flyer points given the 8,000-odd kilometres to India where the factory is located.

“I’m enjoying working with the factory,” says Michelle. “It’s very ethically and socially responsible, they get audited twice a year from a company in England and have been found compliant. I’ve been there a few times and the workers do get looked after.”

While it’s male-owned factory, Michelle says that most of the management team are in fact women and many of whom Michelle has developed a personal relationship with through her trips. Not only has she inspired these women with her product but also through her love of fitness, gifting them running shoes and influencing their lifestyle.

“When I went over in February, they said ‘From your inspiration, we walk every night now, we’ve changed our diet’. When I’m there it’s not just about the product, it’s about how we can have an influence on their lives as well.”

In fact, inspiring women is one of the primary goals of Red Corner, says Michelle. “We’re driven to try and get women that maybe feel a little bit intimidated by boxing to actually feel comfortable in it. If we can get a product that’s funky, then they might be more inclined to take up fitness boxing, which is such a fantastic way for people to keep fit.”

The inspirational message really comes through in Red Corner’s branding. You certainly won’t see purely fashion models showcasing the brand in their catalogues or even on the Fashfest runway. Models are carefully selected to include mainly athletes such as Jenna Douros whose fitness credentials have led her to a spot as a finalist in the running to become Australian Women’s Health Next Fitness Star.

Brand ambassador Adriana Smith is an impressive full-time Canberran athlete. At just 22, Adriana has earned some impressive achievements, including winning a gold medal in the Elite Women’s 54kg division at the 2013 Australian Championships. Find out more about Adriana and why she loves boxing here.

The brand caters to rookies and veterans alike.

“We’ve got hand wraps, floor to ceiling balls, punch mitts, punch bags, accessories and more,” says Michelle. “What we’ve got is three series, so if you’re just boxing once or twice a week we’ve got something for you. If you’re going three or four times a week then the product has more bells and whistles. And if you’re a bit more serious then there’s full leather gloves too.”

Michelle has complete confidence in the brand and has huge goals for the future.

“I’ve got big plans for this brand; it’s not just a Canberra brand or an Australian brand — it’s going to be global. I’ve travelled the world and I know there’s nothing out there like it. There’s big opportunities for it.”

Red Corner enjoyed its national debut at FILEX 2015 in Melbourne where they received positive feedback from those who tried their products. Michelle says that while they were definitely the new kid on the block, it was a great opportunity to promote the brand on a national level. The ripples have already began to surpass our borders, with distributors in New Zealand interested in the product as well.

If you loved what you saw at Fashfest and you can’t wait to get your own, you’re in for a bit of wait. The new range won’t be available until later in the year but the core products are available for purchase at redcornerboxing.com.au and at Sportsmans Warehouse in Fyshwick.

Whether you’re a casual boxer or an athlete like Adriana, be sure to get your mitts on some Red Corner gear.

Photography: Rebecca Doyle Photography