Supply Run with Alex Zono
The Cape Town trail runner is best known for his iconic "I Dig Running" hat and beautiful prints, bold colors, and cute illustrations. I chatted with Alex over email about his design background.
The Cape Town trail runner is best known for his iconic “I Dig Running” hat and beautiful prints, bold colors, and cute illustrations. I virtually sat down with Alex over email to ask about his design background, how he got started in running, and the story behind his iconic-to-me brand.
How would you describe yourself?
I’m a designer and trail runner based in Cape Town, South Africa. I’m just a chill guy.
What got you into running originally and how long have you been running? How does it fit into your life?
After I finished school, all the school sports stopped. I had some friends who did parkrun and I joined them. This was the first time I found out about times. Very quickly I was like, whoa, 25 min 5 km, 22 min, 19 min. All of a sudden I was pretty hooked. That was in 2014.
Then it’s always been a part of my life from then. I got big into bodyboarding and would run when there were no waves. Then I moved to London in 2018 and then there were noooo waves hahaha, and that was it. Since then I just stayed running more and more, and now it’s just an everyday thing.
I wouldn’t say running fits into my life, but more that it’s a part of my daily routine. Same as drinking coffee. It got complicated deciding, should I run today, shouldn’t I, so just run every day haha.
How has the running scene changed since you first started running? What surprised you the most about that?
I think the number of people is the main thing. When I started, it was still popular, running isn’t a new sport, but it was easier to get entries into races. I am happy people are running; it’s so exciting.
When I started, there was a lot less talking about running. To elaborate, I would hang out with runners and triathletes, and they were quick and solid runners, yet we didn’t talk about training or nutrition outside of sessions. It felt more like a personal journey than an outward one.
I came across your iconic “I dig running” hat pretty early on, I think I saw Leon Cerrone wearing it. What was the inspiration behind this hat, from a slogan perspective to the design itself? Walk me through it.
It really came super quickly. A lot of people were asking me, “How do you run so much?”, “You’re crazy for doing such long trail races, what are you running from?” and the only answer I had was, “I just dig it.” That was it.
Then I was thinking, how can I get this idea across that you can run for fun? Then I saw a friend wearing a Kapital trucker hat, and they have those crazy long slogans, and that was it. I phoned my brother Zach and told him, “Dude, how wild would it be to make a running trucker hat that says ‘I dig running’?” And boom, it was born.
One of your other early items was a pair of pure silk running shorts. There’s only one other running brand I’ve ever seen make those. Why silk?
I was working at a different fashion label called Lukhanyo Mdingi. We were working on their beautiful silk dresses and had spare silk from offcuts. At that time I was running lots of trails and was always confused about how we were running in nature but effectively wearing plastic bags.
So I wanted to explore how natural fabrics could function just as well. 80% of any coaching program, any general runner, pro elite, or your granny, is doing easy runs where you don’t need the most moisture-wicking performance gear. So I turned the silk into shorts to see how they would go.
And they worked. Washing was an issue, but hey, they worked.
It’s funny — why do you think that popped off? What do you think has contributed to the success of the brand so far?
It does help that I run. There are loads of people who have started running because of their friends, family, or coworkers. Running was initiated from friendship. No other brand really talks about that or tries to implement that into their offering.
All my ideas have come from going on runs with friends, hearing the silly stories, the funny sayings, and the coffees afterwards. Making running more relatable, I think, has been its biggest success.
CT: Alex’s latest line was designed specifically with the cafe in mind. Check out what he showed at Paris Fashion Week.
One of the things I’ve been thinking a lot about recently is that in the age of perfection, mass reproduction, and AI, it’s important to have the imperfect human touch. I have to imagine this is something you think about with your brand — it’s the opposite of the clean cuts of Nike, Bandit, On. Does any of this resonate with you?
What is your design philosophy or ethos?
Ah, I love that. I love when my daily clothes tell a story. When my jeans get worn from use. When my jackets get holes, I stitch them up. All of that makes the clothing I wear mine.
As I was running more, I got the same emotion and feeling with my running clothes. Tripping and ripping my pants and sewing them back together. Now those are mine. No one else has the same.
I try to ensure that every piece has a little bit of human touch. I want it to feel as if each piece has been handed down to you by your dad or been fixed by your granny. Making it easier for you to create your own stories within the garments.
CT: I wrote more on that here.
Who or what has influenced that design philosophy the most?
My mentor, Lukhanyo Mdingi, really instilled this idea that craft can be modern luxury. Showing how beautifully hands can make clothing special. A fashion label that reflects this the most is Bode. How they add craft and nostalgia to their garments is really special.
There is no Bode for running.
CT: This was a quote from a phone call with Alex and I couldn’t agree more. I think he’s doing his own thing, but the tunes go well together. Brands like Bode, Bentgablenits, Wales Bonner, Lukhanyo Mdingi all incorporate craft into their garments.
You’re a busy guy running, racing, and doing all this. How do you decide on what you’re making next? Any plans for higher performance pure racing stuff? Pure lifestyle things?
I really go with the flow. I try to start with a super simple concept, as concise as possible, then build from there and think about what clothing would fit into that world.
A lot of the clothing items and styles are just what I need or want in my own wardrobe. I feel if I need it, surely someone else will, haha. I won’t ever do super performance gear. Soar Running and Wise do performance gear so well ,why would I try to compete?
I do want to expand my lifestyle side. The Ralph Lauren of running ;)
You were in just a handful of stores early on. How did you decide to go with those retailers? What goes into your decision when choosing new retailers?
They are just the coolest people ever. All my starting stores had staff who were runners. We bonded over races and running. They’ve all become really great friends and it feels more like a family than a brand relationship.
I try to look for stores that share that mindset, and where the customers will understand the brand. I know what I make is very niche and not for everyone, so I need to make sure the customer is open to this.
I imagine you have a lot of folks knocking on your door for collabs and other work. What’s been the most surprising thing that’s come along this year?
I recently walked into a meeting where I thought I had to really pitch and sell myself. I had my big schmooze on. And when I sat down they went straight into timelines. I had to really play it cool, inside I was freaking out.
Quick Hits
What are 5 things you couldn’t live without for running?
Split shorts
Sunblock
Hat (I honestly have worn running hats since I started — running bareheaded is wrong)
Jelly babies
My running group chat
Any favorite brands or apparel or footwear you love? What have you been wearing lately?
I just got my first Wise shorts and they are mental. I’m always obsessed with SOAR and got some long-running pants for the cold Paris winters. I’m very lucky to have been able to get a pair of the [Brooks] Cascadia Elites. They are so nice.
What piece of running tech from 10 years ago do you miss most?
Yoh, my first ever Polar watch haha. It had a battery life of 6 hours, so when I did my first ultras, I had goal times that would let me finish before it died. It hit my face very quickly.
What is your favorite project you’ve worked on in the past? Zono apparel or otherwise.
All my films with Adriaan Louw. He is a wizard. We did a fastpacking film for Soar, where we ran the Limestone Way in the UK and wild camped. Honestly one of the coolest weekends. We went out with our friends Declan and Bert. It’s called Country Boy and can be found on their Instagram.
Alex did an artist collab with SOAR as well as a fun fastpacking film which I wrote about in Roundup #32.
What are you working on right now?
Hahaha, I have some cool projects coming out in September. I do have a pop-up in Seoul for the Seoul Marathon alongside 10 Corso Como. Then I’m trying to get a very cool relay project together in CPH. But right now I’m off to do the Black Canyon race, where we’ll be making a small film of the trip.
What’s something you’d like to be working on in the future? Your dream project.
I would love a shoe. Wow. A shoe would be iconic. Also glasses. Oakley, hit me up.
Where do you see running culture heading in the next five or ten years?
Running will never die. You’re already seeing run groups turning into raves more than running, haha. I think running culture will ebb and flow and move to stay relevant or cool, I guess. But I think we’ll see it go back down to where it was before. Easier to get entries.
You can find Alex on Instagram, check out his website, or shop his apparel at your nearby running store.