Global sports retailer Decathlon has announced a partnership with UK materials innovator Rheon Labs. The partnership will integrate cutting-edge material science into the fabric of everyday sportswear, bringing premium performance technology to all levels of athletes.
As part of the agreement, Decathlon will have unrestricted access to Rheon Labs’ advanced technology platform and its patented innovations in strain-rate sensitive materials. These next-generation polymers are smartly responsive to motion and impact, dynamically stiffening as they are stressed but remaining elastic to normal activity. The outcome: garments that adjust in real time to an athlete’s body, providing greater support, comfort, and control without sacrificing mobility.
This international partnership unites Rheon Labs’ rich experience in material innovation with Decathlon’s vast heritage in sports design and accessibility. Together, the two entities are striving to democratise high-performance gear—offering products that serve the needs of elite athletes yet remain within the reach of general users.
Stephen Bates, CEO, Rheon Labs said that Decathlon’s philosophy of innovation for all aligns exactly with their purpose. He added that they started at the elite sport level—but this partnership brings that same performance to millions more.
The first product of this collaboration is a Kiprun running tights that is to be launched in Autumn/Winter 2025. Designed to limit muscle oscillation and enhance energy efficiency, it gives a hint of what this collaboration has in store. Further innovations are already on the agenda, such as Domyos’ breakthroughs from Decathlon’s fitness brand, set to hit the market in 2026.
Aurelian Corbier, Textile Innovation Leader at Decathlon, noted that innovation truly matters when it empowers everyone. She further said that with Rheon Labs, they’re turning high-performance materials into everyday essentials—products that help people move better, feel better, and perform better.
