Viris Brand was started by a legend named... Andy Ward.
An ex-world cup mechanic that was always on the lookout for opportunities to work for a brand but decided to start his own, and this is it.
The global team is small… very small. Andy is the founder, owner, designer, and creative mind behind Viris Brand. He’s hands-on supporting riders, picking and packing orders, and even heat pressing his own merch.
In Andy's words, this is how Viris Brand came to be.
I started my life on the Mountain Bike World Cup circuit as head technician for the Atherton's (Gee Atherton & Andy 2010, Whistler).
I ended up spending 8 amazing years working with the best riders and teams in the world. The Athertons, Lapierre International, Devinci EWS Team, and MS Mondraker.
Gee, Dan, Rach Atherton, Cam Cole, Sam Blenkinsop, Loic Bruni, Brook MacDonald, Markus Pekol, Innes Graham, Emmeline Ragot, Damian Spagnola, Damion Oton, and Danny Hart have all ridden bikes I've worked on.
World Cup wins, World Cup podiums, EWS wins and National Titles are just some of the successes I've shared with these riders.
During a road trip to the Dirt office one day, myself and Innes Graham were discussing ideas about our futures in the sport. One of those ideas was to start our own eyewear brand. But why set up an eyewear brand?
As a race mechanic it was always the last thing I did for my rider. we would be in the start hut side by side. I would hand my rider their goggles. A quick fist bump and off they went.
Sometimes I would find myself standing in the finish arena watching the last riders come down. Watching the big screen I would always notice the goggles as the camera focused on the rider before their run.
'Now imagine if that goggle was my brand' I used to think to myself.
That was my new goal, a vision I had in my mind. To be stood in a finish arena staring at the big screen and to see my own brand name there.
While on that road trip, a few words were thrown around, and with two words mixed - Vision and Iris (the Part of your eye) the name Viris was born.
For some reason, we didn't start the brand back then. Innes retired from racing and I took a break from the circuit. But it was always in the back of my mind to start this brand.
Fast forward to 2018… I launched Viris Brands first goggle... The Alpha. With the help of a small group of brand ambassadors I managed to sell this unknown brand of goggles around the world.
Joe Breeden and the team put Viris Brand well and truly on the map, and with that, my goal/vision had been realised.
Stood in the finish arena at Fort William that year. Looking up at the big screen as Joe was about to start his run, and there it was... A Viris Brand goggle on the big screen. but this was just the start.
Joe went on to feature during the live feeds on Red Bull TV at other rounds that year due to his awesome qualifying results. It was amazing being sat at home seeing my own brand on the TV.
Things have progress significantly supporting a number of riders around the world, launching a range of glasses, a UK race team (GT Viris Racing) and now expanding with global distributors.
Roll on 2023…