We’ve got a socks problem…

RUNLY NEWSLETTER #142
Thurs Feb 19th 2026
 
We’ve got a socks problem.

Nothing to do with the quality. Nothing to do with the design.

I just can’t keep them in stock.

And if I’m honest, it feels eerily familiar.

About 18 months ago, this was our reality with the running vest. Every order we placed felt bigger than the last. We’d get all gittery and nervous placing what felt like a “huge” PO… only to watch it sell through faster than expected.

Demand kept outpacing supply.

It took the better part of 12 months before we could finally breathe and say, “Okay, we’re slightly ahead. We've got enough stock for the moment."

If you’ve ever run a product business, you know how uncomfortable that gap can be.

You’re forecasting months in advance. You’re committing capital today for stock you might not see for 60+ days.

And all the while, you’re hoping you got the numbers right!

Now our socks are in that exact same phase.

In the last 12 months they’ve gone crazy. Comfort. Soft touch. Elasticity that doesn’t dig in. Colours that actually look good with your kit. Word of mouth has quietly been doing its thing.

The challenge for me, as someone obsessed with optimisation, is that our main focus in this category right now is simply: keep the shelves full.

Not launch five new styles.
Not experiment with wild limited drops.
Not build out the entire roadmap I’ve mapped in my head in just a few months (trust me, this is the hardest thing for me to hold back, ha!)

Just stock.

It’s a good problem. I know that. But it’s still a problem.

And it’s interesting for me personally because I wrote recently about the sock brand I started a decade ago. The socks were good. But I had no idea what I was doing. No systems. No forecasting. No brand.

Now, the product is more refined. Tested. Researched. Worn by thousands of runners. But the premise hasn’t changed at all;

Make great running socks that are comfy, blister-free and durable.

That’s it.

We’re sold out of several styles again, less than two weeks after a restock. The remaining colours are thinning out quickly.

After some persistent nudging and a few favours pulled, we managed to squeeze in a speedy production run between larger orders. I’ve added 600 extra pairs back onto the site today in some of our most popular colours.

So if you missed the last restock, this is your window, because we won't be restocking after this for another 2-3 weeks!

You can shop the range here.

Beyond that, 2026 is shaping up to be a massive year for Runly. Especially in the vest category. New developments. Refinements. Some things I’ve wanted to build for years are finally lining up.

Thank you for being part of this. Building an independent Australian running brand is not simple. But it bloody means a lot. I love every second of it.

Next newsletter, I’ll be letting you know whether or not we've been accepted into the Gold Coast Marathon expo... stay tuned.

Run well,
Robbie