BRUNT Workwear challenged century-old brands like Carhartt and Red Wing by targeting an underserved market of 23.5 million tradespeople with a direct-to-consumer model—reaching profitability while growing 200% year-over-year on less than $30 million in total funding. Founder Eric Girouard, who came from luxury footwear startup M.Gemi, recognized that work boot innovation had stagnated for decades while running shoe technology had evolved continuously, creating an opportunity to bring modern design and materials to a complacent $18 billion global market.​

BRUNT launched in September 2020 as a purely digital brand, bypassing retail partnerships to capture margins that would otherwise go to retailers and, more importantly, to own the customer relationship entirely. This created a feedback loop where the company could gather real-time insights, develop proprietary features like adjustable width systems and barnyard-resistant leather based on actual worker needs, and even name boot styles after Eric's friends in the trades who tested products.​

What made their execution surgical:

• Sold out their first 5,000-pair production run in nine days, validating product-market fit immediately​
• Achieved 63% month-over-month growth in 2021 with a 44% repeat customer rate​
• Maintained revenue per employee at $228,000 by staying lean and outsourcing fulfillment to Ryder​
• Captured market timing as COVID forced trade workers to shop online for the first time, accelerating digital adoption by five years in the demographic​
• Added wholesale in 2024 with QR codes on packaging that convert 90% of in-store buyers into direct relationships​

BRUNT didn't compete on price or heritage—they competed on innovation and community authenticity. While incumbents coasted on brand recognition from decades ago, BRUNT developed technical advantages like Goodyear welted construction and 30% energy-return midsoles through partnerships with suppliers like ISA TanTec. Their marketing bypassed celebrity endorsements for grassroots influencer partnerships with actual trade workers who had social followings, plus strategic sponsorships of properties their customers cared about—Patriots field crew gear, NASCAR, bull riding.​

Disrupting established players requires changing the game entirely, not matching incumbents on their terms. BRUNT proved that even with less than 0.2% market share, you can be the fastest-growing brand in a category by solving real customer problems with modern execution, capital discipline, and community-driven growth that scales profitably.​