Our History

Our History

Welcome behind the scenes at Kinetik! Want to learn more?

It all started in the Côtes d’Armor region of Brittany, for those new to "BZH."

While Jean-Marie Loirat is a leading authority in the development of technical endurance products, major brands seek his expertise in the fields of cycling, triathlon, and trail running.

He was behind concepts and products that remain success stories to this day, and some of them have transformed the way we play sports.

A bit of a Breton

So it was in 2008 that Jean-Marie—a “die-hard Breton through and through”—felt frustrated that he couldn’t find the products he wanted, so he decided to launch his own brand and go all out.

Jean Marie will develop a wide range of products that combine compression technology with high-intensity sports training. Kinetik will outfit a large number of professional cycling and triathlon teams.

Trail and nature lovers

As a lover of trail running and nature, he began developing more and more trail running products without even realizing it, so it was only natural that the brand shifted its focus to become a brand specializing in trail running.

As he often says, "It's because we mainly make trail running products that we're specialists."

Kinetik has grown significantly since its inception, yet it remains one of the few companies of this size that is still family-owned.

Kinetik's Successes

Kinetik has enjoyed great success.

Take, for example, the Ultra Trail Shorts, which—right from the start—featured a double layer and a built-in waistband, a subtle nod to certain brands that claim to have invented them; or the Rocket Vest Pack, which, weighing an incredible 65 grams, will help athletes conquer the world’s toughest trails.

Trend by Clothilde

Clothilde joined Jean-Marie on this journey to oversee the brand’s “trend” aspect, bringing her design talent to bear on the selection of prints and graphics for our products—elements that have become a true hallmark of our brand. Our products are not only technical but also beautiful.

Enthusiasm & Innovation

Still based in the heart of Brittany, Kinetik has grown significantly but has remained true to its core values: offering highly technical, unique, and affordable products to as many people as possible, regardless of their skill level.

Our enthusiasm drives us to constantly innovate and create new products that are as lightweight as they are beautiful.

Origin of the name

Gilles, his father—who was a physical therapist at the time and very knowledgeable about sports compression—was the inspiration behind the brand name.

The letter K is also widely used in Brittany.

That's it—"KINETIK COMPRESSION GEAR" is here.