Most performance apparel brands tell you they're building a lifestyle. Nate Checketts actually means it. As CEO and co-founder of Rhone, he's built a company where mental fitness isn't marketing—it's the foundation. "We say internally that we are a wellness company that just happens to sell clothes," Checketts explains. But here's what makes that more than a tagline: in year two of launching women's apparel, Rhone did more revenue than it generated in its first eight years of men's business combined.

In this episode of The Retail Pilot, Ken Pilot unpacks Rhone's unconventional journey—from defying the "wholesale is dead" narrative to launching a women's line that's reshaping the company's trajectory. They discuss why Warby Parker's advice to embrace wholesale early changed everything, how the 12 Pursuits mental fitness framework became both internal culture and external brand positioning, and why Checketts spent years resisting a women's launch before discovering his best customers were already 30% female.

In this episode you'll learn:

• Why Rhone embraced wholesale when every DTC brand said it was dead—and how it drove faster profitability

• How Rhone's women's business generated more revenue in 2 years than 8 years of men's

• The mental health crisis that inspired Nate to start Rhone—and why he couldn't build "just another apparel brand"

• Rhone's 12 Pursuits framework: How Benjamin Franklin's 13 virtues became a scalable mental fitness system

• Why "commuter" apparel became one of Rhone's biggest categories

• How Rhone navigated tariffs with a "third, third, third" model—splitting costs between suppliers, margins, and customers

• The Rerun resale program with Archive: Why high-quality product beats greenwashing

• Rhone's AI approach across design, merchandising, and customer service—and why "losing your job to someone who uses AI better" is the real risk

• How Rhone differentiates from Lululemon and Alo by targeting "whole person health" vs. yoga-focused positioning

Essential listening for: brand founders navigating wholesale vs. DTC decisions, retail operators building purpose-driven businesses, apparel executives considering gender expansion, and anyone interested in how premium performance brands compete in an oversaturated market.

Subscribe to The Retail Pilot for more conversations with retail industry leaders shaping the future of commerce.

Previous episode: Simeon Siegel (Guggenheim Securities) on the consumer spending paradox, 2026 stock picks, and why NPS should be banned from boardrooms.

Connect: Follow Ken Pilot Ventures on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

Learn More: Visit Rhone.com for the 12 Pursuits mental fitness framework and free wall calendar.

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