CZ8
What was your pivotal experience or realisation that led you to pursue the path you’re on now?
Max Fraser
I spent a lot of time visiting gyms around London, and at the time there were a lot of recreational gyms popping up. Boxing was having a real moment, as boutiques were popping up and there was a lot of appetite for recreational boxing. But I felt like in all the gyms I was going to everyone was wearing the same brands, like Nike and Adidas. I felt like there was an opportunity there with this growing popularity in the sport to cater to this.
CZ8
You’ve got a business studies background – did that help form the idea, or did you already have an interest in it?
Max Fraser
I had an itch that I wanted to scratch – to run my own company one day – and I was pretty bored of moving numbers around in the City. I was just waiting for something concrete enough, that I felt I had the confidence to go and run with. It felt like it was the right time to give it a go. The other thing I’d say is that I’m a bit like a kid in a sweet shop when I go into a sports store. I’ll look at an item and get inspired. I’ll think, “I want to be on the track running with that top”, or “I want to go swimming in those shorts”. I love sports gear.
CZ8
What’s the core philosophy and message behind REAL? Who is your target audience?
Max Fraser
We’re talking about the kind of people that use exercise to punctuate and anchor their busy lives. It’s their chance to meditate; to break from the chaos and the noise of a fast-paced, pressurised life. Everything’s quite computer-oriented and deadlines are tight. Everyone wants everything done yesterday. We’re for those people.
CZ8
There’s a sense of community at REAL, that you’re very big on. Do you think boxing would be a great place for people to go to find community if they feel lost?
Max Fraser
I think it’s a wonderful church. It’s incredibly accepting. It’s fun to be around and it’s motivating, to be pushed further by people and their energy next to you. It’s a wonderful community.
CZ8
REAL promotes the idea of individual empowerment. Do you ever feel the weight of needing to always appear strong and in control, especially for a brand like REAL? How do you manage that personal pressure?
Max Fraser
I find boxing very centering for me, and one of the clear distinctions we have as a brand is our identity. We are trying to not be shouting, or loud. Boxing has historically been seen to be power over another, or being stronger than another. It’s the opposite of what we’re trying to be. We’re very much focused on that mental narrative, and the cerebral element of performance. True power gets felt not heard.
CZ8
Did you feel like you had a support system, or anyone you could turn to in tough times that helped you through things?
Max Fraser
Boxing and exercise. Reminding myself, ritually and daily, that I could do it and I was capable of more than I thought, and to just keep on keeping on. That’s my active meditation. But then, of course, there are other people in my network that I can turn to and ask for help.
CZ8
What legacy do you want to leave behind? Not just through your work, not just through the brand, but as Max Fraser?
Max Fraser
I’d like to have academies, and for those to be teaching all the characteristics that might otherwise be left out. Boxing can teach you so much. It can teach you a lot about yourself. It can teach you a lot of discipline. It can teach you a lot of respect for others. At the end of the day, competing in boxing, there’s risk behind every punch, and anyone who has known that risk respects the other person for their inclusion. So real academies, to instil all the wonderful things that boxing can teach you. I love the idea of recycling any of our products to boxing academies in countries that might need the equipment more. We would entice those that had purchased from us to return something they’d bought previously before they buy the next item, with the promise that we upcycle it to a third world boxing gym.
CZ8
If you had to describe yourself in three words, what are the three you’re picking?
Max Fraser
Loyal, combatant and honest.
Check out REAL here
