The Workout-Gear Brand Stylish Athletes Sweat
District Vision does not traffic in the hybridized world of athleisure. No, cofounders Max Vallot and Tom Daly are into performance: They launched the brand in 2015 with precision-engineered sunglasses and have since released a range of technical apparel for runners. DV is for athletes, not athleisurers. But don't blame Vallot and Daly if you buy a pair of their frames to wear while training for a triathlon and can't stop wearing them once you're done with your workout.
This might be expected. Before starting District Vision, both men had careers in fashion marketing: Daly was working at Acne Studios, Vallot at Saint Laurent. But when hard work and a heavy nightlife regimen caught up with them, Daly explains, it prompted some reassessment. The results were a newfound commitment to running, for Daly, and meditation, for Vallot.
They were also both really into Japanese-made eyewear and felt the market lacked the styles they wanted to wear. “It seemed no other interesting runner was excited about any sports eyewear,” Vallot says. “We felt sports eyewear could use some love.”
Love they could provide. For their first pair—squarish frames that look fast but not Tour de France fast—they hit on a few key features: an adjustable hypoallergenic nose pad, titanium-core temples, oil-and-water-resistant lenses. They applied those to the shapes that came next—high-fashion blades built for speed, '70s-inspired aviators, and raver-meets-alpinist ovals. Now all are stocked at high-fashion emporiums like Dover Street Market and SSENSE rather than traditional sporting-goods stores.
The duo didn't plan to get back into clothing, but eventually they couldn't help themselves. They developed Air-Wear, a mesh that appears solid but reveals thousands of holes when stretched (see the T-shirt above). A midlayer program, along with a grip of fashion and sports collaborations, is on deck.
It's all meant to fit seamlessly into the District Vision world—“somewhere at this intersection of sports and mindfulness,” as Vallot puts it. So when I found myself training for a marathon last summer, DV was my first stop. The race was back in October, and my mileage has since dropped considerably—but I don't wear my sunglasses any less.
A version of this story originally appeared in the February 2020 issue with the title "Why Stylish Runners All Sweat District Vision."
Sam Schube is the GQ Sports director. He began working at GQ in 2014 as an editorial assistant, and in the years since has assigned and edited features and profiles, written stories about subjects ranging from Johnny Knoxville to professional golf's existential crisis, and worked on all manner of magazine... Read moreGQ Sports DirectorXInstagramRelated Stories for GQSunglasses