A head worth covering: how Fractel became our Official Apparel & Headwear Partner

Fractel is now the Official Apparel & Headwear Partner of RunDais. That means run clubs and events can order custom Fractel kit straight through RunDais, with free design, shipping included and 15% off when they order before 1st December. But for me, this story started eight years ago with an Instagram DM.

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Back in 2018, running didn’t get anywhere near the attention it does now. “Super shoes” were in their absolute infancy, and there was barely any specialisation in apparel. I rotated through hats from all sorts of brands, and they either weren’t machine washable or, if they were, they’d be ruined after two cycles.

Then one day, much to my surprise, I got an Instagram DM from a new running specific hat company based in Australia: Fractel. Little did I know that over the next eight years, this relationship would take on so many different forms.

Form 1, 2018: Klay as Fractel’s first Brand Ambassador

To be honest, I hadn’t heard of them before. But as a dirt bag runner I more than jumped at the offer of a couple of hats to try! I later learned that I was actually their first ever brand ambassador, which was a bit of a shock to me. The week or so before I received the DM, I’d done a ‘running’ photoshoot to help out a friend, so I think they might have been fooled into thinking I was a bit of a hot shot.

Either that or, as a friend told me at the time, “You just have a head worth covering”.

To my surprise, these hats were so much better than any I’d worn for running before. This was before Matt and Mat (Co-Founders of Fractel) would do multiple trips to China and keep working to find the perfect factory for their products, but they were already great. So, naturally I wanted more. I got to work taking the best amateur photos I could at the time (I thought they were pretty great at the time) to help get the socials going. I hope they didn’t feel too pressured to use them just because I’d gone to the effort.

In 2019 I met Matt N for the first time when he came to Victorian event, Two Bays Trail Run. My favourite part of the photo below is the quality of their stall set up. Gives you a bit of a feel for where running was back then, compared to the set ups they have now.

Form 2, 2023: Klay as the Fractel Employee

2023, and I’d gotten to know the Mat(t)s and was emotionally invested in what they were doing with Fractel. Seeing the care they put into the things that others don’t see was inspiring. The time involved in finding a factory that can get the elastic at the back exactly right. Or getting the printing at a standard that means you can keep washing them and they still look good. I realised it was no accident that their hats were just better.

5 years after that first point of contact, I was now working as a Data Analyst in marketing. So, I decided to ‘shoot my shot’ and I pitched them both on doing a bit of work for them. This little bit of analysis led to a remote work role over 2023/2024 that I like to think might’ve helped, even just a tiny bit. Sometimes I see people wearing hats that I was quite involved in the marketing of and feel a tinge of pride (deliberately focusing on only the ad deployment; not the years of work refining the hat).

Form 3, 2026: Klay (RunDais) and the Mat/t’s (Fractel) Partner

The year is now 2026 and I’ve been working as a Co-Founder on building RunDais. I’ve also moved to the Sunshine Coast, where the Fractel head office is. Fractel now have a larger factory and do all sorts of apparel, not just hats. Still to the same standard.

One mission of RunDais is wanting to help runners find the very best for wherever their running journey is. Whether it’s finding the best event for what they currently want from an event, the run club with the best community and vibe or the best coach for what they’re training for, we want people to feel reassured they’re making the right decision.

Which brings me to merch.

A huge peeve of mine (and my friends) is getting a piece of merch that is basically unwearable. This is often down to one of two things:

1. The quality of the product is so poor I either don’t claim it, or after sitting in the back of my wardrobe it finally makes it to the op shop during the next clean out.
2. The quality of the design is so obnoxious, that even I, with my questionable taste, can’t bring myself to wear it outside the house.

For events and clubs, this is not only a waste of earth resources, it’s a waste of their human resources and money. What should be a good momento for the runner and a bonus piece of marketing for the event ends up leaving a negative last touch point.

What this means for run clubs and events

What we’re super excited about is that Fractel is now the Official Apparel & Headwear Partner of RunDais. Through the partnership, run clubs and events in our network can work directly with Fractel’s custom team, and get an exclusive offer on their orders.

We’re stoked this will help solve both of the problems above:

• High quality product that performs and lasts
• Professional graphic designers who make your kit look good, included for free

Ordering through RunDais gets you:

• 15% off before 1st December
• Free mock ups crafted by professional designers 
• Shipping included

From little things, big things grow. I can’t wait to see what your crew comes up with!

Ready to get started?

Head to the Merchandise tab in your Clubhouse (run clubs) or Event Studio (events). Not on RunDais yet? It’s free to join.

RunDais Event Studio.

RunDais Clubhouse.

Brand or business after custom kit can contact us directly.

Written by Klay Hopgood

7 contributions • Since 2025

Klay is the co-founder of RunDais and passionate about encouraging more people to create a healthy relationship with movement (ideally through running).

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