Apparel Group’s home-grown sustainable athleisure wear brand F5 Global joins forces with Dutch brand, Zen Running Club to launch UAE’s first-ever running shoes made from plants. Merging style, performance, and sustainability to attract the modern runner, solely on the runners and their lifestyle.
This is F5 Globals’ first international collaboration, introducing a new product category within the brand – plant-based footwear. “Sustainability is at the core of our businesses. We want to design products that help people in the region to build a sustainable fashion culture for themselves,” says Sarisha Ved, founder of F5 Global.
ZRC’s co-founders are footwear industry veterans and have designed shoes that are completely vegan and made using sugarcane, rubber, and eucalyptus. The styles are both lightweight and well-cushioned and have features of sock-like uppers with a snug fit and rocker midsoles meant to propel the runner forward.
F5 Global and Zen Running Club shoes will be available across the region, with a mission to engage with, and inspire, a growing community of like-minded runners who value sustainability, performance, and social responsibility in equal measure. This exclusive partnership is designed to enhance the brand’s global footprint and support UAE’s ‘Year of Sustainability’.
F5 Global x Zen Running Club, will be available at the F5 store in Dubai Hills Mall, select Athletes Co. stores, and on 6thstreet.com
About Apparel Group LLC
Apparel Group is a global fashion and lifestyle retail conglomerate residing at the crossroads of the modern economy – Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Today, Apparel Group caters to thousands of eager shoppers through its 2025+ retail stores and 80+ brands on all platforms while employing over 18,500+ multicultural staff.
Apparel Group has carved its strong presence in the GCC and expanded thriving gateways to market in India, South Africa, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia. Additionally, clear strategies are in place to enter emerging markets such as Hungary, Pakistan, Egypt, and Philippines.
Apparel Group has created an omni-channel experience, operating brands originating from the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The brands include leading names in fashion,
footwear, and lifestyles such as Tommy Hilfiger, Charles & Keith, Skechers, Aldo, Nine West, Aeropostale, Jamie’s Italian, Tim Hortons, Cold Stone Creamery, Inglot, and Rituals.
Apparel Group owes its amazing growth to the vision and guidance of its dynamic Founder and Chairwoman, Mrs. Sima Ganwani Ved, who has taken the company from strength to strength since its inception in the last two decades.
About F5
Launched in March 2021, home-grown concept F5 is a sustainable fashion brand, the brainchild of 15-year-old entrepreneur Sarisha Ved. F5 brand is the only Apparel Group home-grown brand that has a range of products such as mobile phone cases, reusable face masks, wallets, bags, and unisex athleisure clothing with Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Global Recycling Standards (GRS) certificates, with 100% of the products manufactured at SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit)- approved facilities.
