The owner of Gymshark has given fans an insight into how the sportswear brand’s clothes are made after he toured factories in Vietnam, Singapore and Bangladesh.
British billionaire Ben Francis posted a YouTube video of his week-long trip which included a visit to a factory in Hanoi where he saw workers on the production line.
Mr Francis, who is worth £1billion just 11 years after founding the Birmingham-based company, also took part in one of two daily exercise sessions held for employees.
He said many observers ‘would imagine something that is far from what it actually is’ when thinking of a clothes factory, describing the modern site as ‘state of the art’.
The 31-year-old from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, also pointed out embroidery machines and the firm’s new ‘Crossover Leggings’ product which retails for £40.
The average wage of workers at this site was not given, but data from the Fair Labor Association in 2020 revealed workers at Gymshark factory Maxport in Hanoi got an average monthly net wage of VND5.8m (£195), up from VND3.6m (£119) in 2015.
Promoting a positive image surrounding Gymshark’s production lines is clearly key for the brand, especially after the ‘sweatshops’ scandal for Boohoo in 2020 when it emerged workers on £3.50 an hour were making clothes at a Leicester factory.
British billionaire Ben Francis visits a Gymshark factory in Vietnam in a new YouTube video
The Gymshark owner visits a factory in Hanoi where he sees workers on the production line
Mr Francis takes part in one of the factory’s two daily exercise sessions held for employees
Mr Francis points out the firm’s new ‘Crossover Leggings’ product which retails for £40
The 31-year-old from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, watched workers make Gymshark products
Father-of-two Mr Francis posted his video, entitled ‘I Travelled 12,840 Miles to Visit Our Gymshark Factories’ last Friday and it has attracted 23,000 views so far.
The 41-minute clip sees the business owner visit factories in Vietnam, including one in Hanoi where he looks at a scale model of the site and then a video presentation before going for a tour.
While looking around, he starts off by saying: ‘So then this is trims coming in here. Oh look, Gymshark trims, pair of Gymshark trims. How cool, this is great
His guide then tells him: ‘The principle in the factory – all the trim they check, every single bit.’
Mr Francis adds: ‘This is what you want, this is proper. These are all embroidery machines down here, so you can see that it’s running now. So this is where you’d have logos embroidered and things like that.’
He then goes outside and points out how the factory is ‘growing fruits and things like that, literally in between the different buildings’.
Looking at the new ‘Crossover Leggings’ product, Mr Francis says: ‘Here we go, this is the new stuff that’s just gone live isn’t it, what do they call it, the cross-legging?
‘This is really cool to see isn’t it, this is amazing. We’re now walking down the line, so all of this is Gymshark’s production, so this is the leggings that are being made here.
‘What you’ll see on here is all of the raw materials come in on this tray. It will then move over here and the panels will then get marked and they’ll all get stitched together as we move down the line.’
Their tour is then interrupted by the daily exercise sessions which he is told are held for workers twice a day.
Mr Francis watches workers at the Gymshark factory in Vietnam in his new YouTube video
The owner of Gymshark said he wanted to give fans an insight into how the clothes are made
Mr Francis posted the YouTube video of his trip to Vietnam where he toured the factory
The exercise sessions are held twice a day for employees at the Gymshark factory in Hanoi
Mr Francis is worth £1billion just 11 years after founding the Birmingham-based firm
He says: ‘Oh, time for the exercise? Come on. What do we do? How often does this happen? Twice a day. This is quite nice… I feel good, I feel happy.’
Mr Francis adds: ‘I just feel like when people think of a clothing factory and i feel like the views are fairly outdated and people would imagine something that is far from what it actually is.
‘And it’s nice for people to be able to walk around with us and see this place because it is stunning and it’s state of the art and it’s beautiful and we make great product here.
‘It’s really important for me that we work with the best factories and factories that are really thoughtful in their design and make sure that we can also produce the best product and do best by those who are helping produce our product around the world.
Mr Francis, 31, is pictured in Gymshark gym gear with his Canadian model wife Robin Callant
Mr Francis married Canadian fitness model and influencer Robin Gallant in September 2021
Mr Francis and Robin Gallant (pictured in Dubai) welcomed twin sons last December
Mr Francis is made a Member of the Order of the British Empire at Windsor Castle by Prince William on May 10 for his services to the business sector
‘And then hopefully by seeing places like this it gives you guys, the customers, the confidence that we’re producing the best product in the best way and we are doing right by our people around the world.’
In the company’s most recent modern slavery statement, it states that product supply chains are divided into five tiers – tier one for manufacturing sites where items are produced; tier two for garment panel dyeing or printing; tier three for knitting and weaving; tier four for yarn spinning; and tier five for raw material origins.
Among the other countries involved in production for Gymshark are Cambodia, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, China and Pakistan.
Mr Francis dropped out of Aston University in 2012 to focus on his business full time while still keeping his job as a Pizza Hut delivery driver to pay the bills.
American model Sofia Richie is pictured wearing Gymshark clothes in Los Angeles on June 5
Victoria’s Secret model Jasmine Tookes (left) wears Gymshark leggings in Los Angeles in April 2021, while model Kaia Gerber (right) wears Gymshark workout tights in March 2021
American model Lori Harvey wears Gymshark clothes in New York in September 2022
In May, he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire at Windsor Castle by Prince William for his services to the business sector.
In a Forbes billionaires list released in April, the father-of-two was estimated to have a net worth of $1.2billion (£1billion), making him the UK’s youngest billionaire.
Mr Francis married Canadian fitness model and influencer Robin Gallant in September 2021 and they welcomed twin sons last December.
He originally started the company alongside friend Lewis Morgan, who stepped back in 2014 after selling his shares but is still worth £125million.
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