Marc Svojanovsky, artes motus:
“Golf teaches you humility”
Does the world need a new golfwear brand? In any case! This is what Marc Svojanovsky, co-founder and CEO of artes motus, says. Here the passionate hobby golfer explains what is actually behind the brand, who his fashionable golf role model is and what makes this sport so fascinating.
Marc, how did you get into golf?
I did endurance sports for a long time, swimming and triathlon. When time became more limited due to my job, I concentrated on more time-effective fitness training. And at some point I tried golf and realized: This is something different! And to get straight to the point: it's definitely sport! Anyone who has ever played an 18-hole round in midsummer when it was over 30 degrees or in autumn when it was 12 degrees and raining knows what I mean.
And what exactly fascinates you about golf?
I am fascinated by how technically complex and demanding this sport is. Every player - I'll just assume from myself - is always looking for the perfect swing, chip, putt, whatever. Golf teaches you humility. Every round of golf is different, and even within the same round there are ups and downs. And if that wasn't enough of a challenge, there are also the external influences that outdoor sports bring with them... You are rewarded by the beautiful landscape in which most of the golf courses are located, or the one that is supposedly perfect Drive.
Why did you start a new golfwear brand with artes motus?
I worked in the fashion industry for over 30 years and of course that left its mark. I still remember my first visits to the golf course, where I was particularly interested in the players' clothing. For an active sport, golf is more “dressed” with the requirement to fulfill a certain etiquette. And this is exactly where I saw a need for action. It simply needed a new, highly functional product with a cool and timeless design. And that's exactly what artes motus is all about. Our products are intended to support the game of golf and that is why we always focus on golfers.
How did you approach the whole thing?
From the very beginning, I annoyed almost everyone I met on the golf course with product questions: What do golf pants or a polo shirt have to be able to do? What bothers you about your clothes and what do you like? Which product detail would you like? And so on... My golf coach and of course all the golfers who tested our prototypes on the golf course were particularly patient and patient in answering my questions.
What does 'artes motus' actually mean?
artes motus comes from Latin and means 'the arts of movement'. This is how we came up with our claim “art of motion”… and for the grammar freaks among you: Yes, we consciously chose the singular, it simply sounds better.
“Art and Engineering” are two terms that are in the foreground at artes motus. What's it all about?
artes motus has set itself the goal of taking golf fashion to a new level by combining art and construction (“art and engineering”). The perfect swing, the perfect movement, the aesthetics of golf: all of this is reflected in the design of artes motus.
artes motus is the first fashion or sportswear brand that you founded yourself. What are your learnings so far?
The mechanisms for a brand, whether sportswear or active sportswear, remain the same. The excitement is more about building a brand from scratch. My learning curve in the last 24 months has been extremely steep, because as a founder you are responsible for everything yourself. Many things were new territory for me from an operational perspective. Key learning: learning never stops, which brings us back to a parallel with golf. And: combining a hobby with your job is something very special.
Is there a fashionable golf role model?
That doesn't exist, otherwise I wouldn't have founded artes motus. But I'm confident that this will change soon...