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Appoint a commission-only wholesale rep, seed 10-15 specialty retailers, let shelf presence do the category education DTC can't scale.
98 percent
of UV radiation
20 to 95 percent
of UV depending on weave and color
10 to 15
independent specialty retailers in your category—outdoor shops
40 percent
wholesale discount off retail
Solbari, the Melbourne-founded sun-protection brand selling UPF 50+ apparel direct-to-consumer since launch, appointed Grayson Davis as Head of Sales to lead a U.S. wholesale push into specialty retail, according to Business Wire. The move signals a calculated shift from pure DTC to hybrid distribution as the brand scales into a market with rising clinical awareness of daily UV exposure.
The brand built its foundation selling certified sun-safe clothing online—garments tested and rated to block 98 percent of UV radiation. Now it's betting that brick-and-mortar retail can accelerate growth by placing certified UPF apparel in front of customers who've never searched for it but will buy it once they understand the category. Davis will lead outreach to specialty retail accounts, a channel where education happens at the shelf and margin structure allows for brand storytelling the DTC funnel rarely affords.
The mechanism is category creation through retail placement. Most consumers don't know UPF ratings exist or that everyday clothing offers inconsistent UV protection. Wholesale lets Solbari turn shelf space into education real estate. A customer shopping for a lightweight jacket sees a hang tag explaining UPF 50+ certification, learns that standard fabric blocks only 20 to 95 percent of UV depending on weave and color, and converts on the spot. Retail staff become unpaid educators. The brand trades margin for discovery at scale.
Wholesale also derisks inventory. A DTC brand holding seasonal stock absorbs the full cost of unsold units. A wholesale account shares that risk—retailers order, the brand fulfills, and sell-through becomes a shared problem. For a niche category like certified sun protection, where demand spikes regionally and seasonally, retail partners provide geographic diversification without the brand operating pop-ups or running localized ad spend.
The steal for a small physical-product brand: hire a single wholesale rep on commission-only terms before you build a sales team. Identify 10 to 15 independent specialty retailers in your category—outdoor shops, wellness boutiques, regional chains—that already stock adjacent products. Reach out with a simple offer: net-30 terms, 40 percent wholesale discount off retail, minimum opening order of $500, and you'll provide counter cards or shelf talkers that do the education work. Send samples to the buyer with a one-page sell sheet that lists the certifications, the margin, and three reasons their customer wants this. No deck. No pitch call unless they ask.
Use the first five accounts as proof of concept. Track sell-through by SKU, ask for reorder velocity, and refine the assortment based on what moves. Once you have 90-day replenishment data, approach larger regional chains with that sell-through rate as your pitch. A small brand can run this for under $2,000 in samples and materials, paying the rep only when orders close. If product sits, you learn fast without hiring a salaried head of sales.
Solbari's hire suggests confidence that wholesale margin compression pays for itself in volume and speed to awareness. For a founder selling a product that requires explanation, retail is the shortest path to customers who didn't know they needed it.
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