Ariat
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Ariat is an American footwear, apparel and accessories brand for equestrian sports, work industries and other outdoor activities, located in
Union City, California Union City is a city in Alameda County, California, United States in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population in the 2020 census was 70,143, up from 69,628 in the 2010 census. It is located approximately south of Oakland, from San Franci ...
. Ariat was launched by Beth Cross and Pam Parker in 1993. It has since become a popular brand in performance footwear for
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...
and
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
horseback riding. As of 2023, Ariat is the largest equestrian sports brand in the world.


History

Ariat was founded in 1993 by
Stanford Business School The Stanford Graduate School of Business is the graduate business school of Stanford University, a private research university in Stanford, California. For several years it has been the most selective business school in the United States, adm ...
classmates Beth Cross and Pam Parker. While working for
Bain & Company Bain & Company is an American management consulting company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm provides advice to public, private, and nonprofit organizations. One of the Big Three (management consultancies), Big Three management co ...
and consulting to
Reebok Reebok International Limited ( ) is an American footwear and clothing brand that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company which had bee ...
, the co-founders saw an opportunity to apply athletic shoe technology to English and Western riding boots. They named their new company after
Secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who was the ninth winn ...
, the famous Triple Crown champion racehorse in honor of his "huge heart and competitive spirit." The same year it was founded, Ariat released its first two boot styles, then went on to hire a number of equestrians and horse enthusiasts. In the years following the company's launch, it expanded into new performance western and English apparel, as well as
workwear Workwear is clothing worn for work, especially work that involves manual labour. Often those employed within trade industries elect to be outfitted in workwear because it is built to provide durability and safety. The workwear clothing industr ...
. The company also expanded its distribution in the U.S., Europe, Australia, Mexico, and Japan. In 2009, Ariat became the official boot sponsor of the
Professional Bull Riders The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) is an international professional bull riding organization headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. It is the largest bull riding league in the world, sanctioning hundreds of events every yea ...
(PBR). In 2015, Ariat signed a sponsorship deal with the
International Federation for Equestrian Sports The International Federation for Equestrian Sports (, FEI) is the international sport governing body, governing body of equestrianism, equestrian sports. The FEI came into being following the Olympic Congress in Lausanne (SUI) in 1921 from May ...
(FEI). In 2017, Ariat joined partners with the non-profit Jared Allen's Homes For Wounded Warriors, an organization which builds homes for injured war veterans. In 2018, Ariat announced that they were continuing their partnership with the US Equestrian Federation (USEF), and Cross was awarded "Entrepreneur of the Year" in the Consumer Driven category by
Ernst & Young EY, previously known as Ernst & Young, is a multinational corporation, multinational professional services partnership, network based in London, United Kingdom. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and PwC, it is one of the Big Four accounting firms, Big F ...
. As of 2020, Ariat is reportedly the largest equestrian footwear and apparel company in the world.


Product design

Ariat manufactures boots in the United States, Mexico, Asia and Europe. Co-founder Beth Cross worked with biomechanical research groups and testing labs in the making of Ariat's boots, which are designed to be durable in outdoor environments, with patented Duratread outsoles, and patented Advanced Torque Stability technology, (ATS), a multi-layered lightweight sole with a gel-cushioned footbed and a heel stabilizer to provide more support while riding.The boots are made to last up to five years maybe longer if well taken-care of. In the late 1990s they introduced Hexcel cushioning technology for shock absorption while riding and on the ground, and introduced Cobalt technology in the early 2000s for further cushioning support. In 2006, the firm ventured into making western apparel, including woven shirts, tops and outdoor clothing for men and women. The clothing incorporates flame-resistant technology, which came into demand from the oil workers of Colorado. In 2018, Ariat released their waterproof . Their waterproof use a U-turn entry system to make them easier to put on.


Sponsorship

Ariat is the official footwear sponsor of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), and the title sponsor of the Ariat World Series of Team Roping (WSTR), the largest adult community of roping athletes. Ariat was featured in the 2015 movie '' The Longest Ride'', a Nicholas Sparks film about a PBR athlete who is making his way back in bull riding after a life-threatening injury. Since 2022, Ariat has been the primary sponsor of the Texas Rattlers of the PBR Team Series; held every summer through autumn in the United States. In 2024, Ariat sponsored 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.


References

{{reflist Shoe brands Clothing companies established in 1990 Private equity portfolio companies Companies based in Alameda County, California Shoe companies of the United States Jeans by brand