Naman Shrestha
If you thought that skiing and other winter sports could not get any cooler, Wildcoat will prove you wrong. The winter apparel business consists of coats crafted to make you look cooler as well as warmer. Entrepreneur and skiing enthusiast Giancarlo DiMeo made an appearance in the seventh episode of ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’ season 17 in order to introduce Wildcoat to the world. With a view to garner the attention of the masses and secure a lucrative deal from the Shark/s, he pitched his brand, emphasizing that his product holds enough power to take the business to newer heights.
Wildcoat: Who Are They And What Do They Do?
Before the idea of Wildcoat hit Giancarlo DiMeo, he earned his medical engineering degree from The College of New Jersey. For his first job, he worked at CrossFit 1Force as a Trainer and Operations Manager for a couple of years, from 2012 to 2014. He made a switch to Woodify, where he started off as a Product Specialist but moved up the ranks to get promoted to the position of Sales Operations Manager before becoming the Growth Manager.
In 2017, he co-founded Life Pure Recovery but cut ties with it in 2020 before he founded Wildcoat in Boulder, Colorado. It all started in the winter of 2015 when Giancarlo donned a costume bear coat for Christmas and wore it while skiing despite its lack of functionality. Over the years, many people reached out to him and asked him about his bear coat. When he noticed that his coat was in high demand, Wildcoat was born as he decided to come up with an equally fun yet functional version of it, fit for winter sports.
Although he lacked experience in clothing design, he made the most of his engineering background and more than three decades of ski experience to design a realistic-looking bear coat. When Wildcoat was officially founded by Giancarlo in 2020, he and his team spent the first year designing, planning, manufacturing, and testing the first line of products. Finally, in the spring of 2021, the first version of Wildcoats was launched, starting with two styles — the Grizzly and the Polar. As the coats are extremely cold-resistant, weatherproof, and animal-themed, they are perfect for snowboarding, skiing, and other winter sports.
Wildcoat: Where Are They Now?
When asked to introduce his brand, Giancarlo told Voyage Denver, “We make the most fun winter coats in the world. Our coats and hoods look like full-on animals (albeit 100% faux fur) — head, teeth, clawed mittens, and all — but also include technical features like waterproofing, helmet compatibility (or not, the hoods are adjustable), and an abundance of pockets.” In order to make the coats more versatile and wearable in the spring, they redesigned and added a feature where one could zip off the sleeves, hood, and mittens. Such a design was loved by cold-weather sports fans and it even attracted interest from Chicago Bears fans and other bear sports teams.
Since Wildcoat was founded, Giancarlo DiMeo and his team have ensured to keep taking the brand to the next level at every opportunity. Several years later, the brand has multiple styles and hundreds of five-star reviews from their customers. Over the years, more types of animal-themed coats, hoods, and cowls, have been added to the inventory, including Black Bear, the Wolf, the Panda, the Polar Bear, the Timber Wolf, and the Tiger Coat.
The price of the coats starts from $299 and goes up to $460. Meanwhile, the hoods are available at $99 only. Other articles of clothing, such as hoodies, t-shirts, beanies, caps, and sweatshirts, are also a part of its expansive inventory. In December 2024, they also introduced The Claw Koozie, which helps to keep your beverages cold. All Wildcat products are exclusively available for purchase on the official website. Wildcoat also has ties with multiple local non-profit organizations, contributing to the aid of animals of all kinds through donations.
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