Varlo has spent years making tri suits for athletes who push their limits. The fabric science, the fit, the construction details, all of it has been built around one idea: high-quality performance apparel that holds up when it matters most.
Rowing is the natural extension of that work. The same type of endurance athlete, same demands on a suit, same need for fabric that breathes, holds shape, and disappears against the body.
The path here started with two rowers asking a direct question. Megan Roe, Vice President of University Barge Club, and Julia Roer, UBC Coxswain, race out of one of the oldest rowing clubs in America. Founded in 1854, UBC is a charter member of Philadelphia's Schuylkill Navy on historic Boathouse Row.
They came to us with a clear ask. The rowing unisuits on the market were poorly fitting, weren't breathable, and went see-through on the water. Could Varlo do better?
We'd been hearing the same thing from other rowers so we said yes.
What we built
If you wear our tri suits, you already know what our fabric does. We brought the same fabric science to Daybreak. It breathes and wicks under load, holds its shape stroke after stroke, and stays fully opaque wet or dry.
We integrated Italian-made leg grippers, the same quality that anchors our tri and cycling kits, to keep the suit locked through the rowing stroke. Rowers drive the legs hard and recover long, and fabric migration kills focus. The leg grippers solve that.
We chose nylon thread for the stitching instead of polyester. It gives a silky feel against the skin that you notice on long pieces, the kind of detail that doesn't make the spec sheet but you feel from the first stroke onward.
The result is the pinnacle of rowing unisuit comfort and performance. The same engineering that's carried our pros to triathlon podiums, now built for the water.
A Philadelphia design
Varlo is a Philadelphia-founded brand. Megan and Julia row from one of the most historic stretches of rowing water in America. We wanted the design to honor both.
The front carries a bold PHILLY graphic in honor of America's 250th anniversary. The back is wrapped in iconic Philadelphia imagery. We named the suit Daybreak, for rowers already on the water before the rest of the city is awake.
For the Varlo community
Daybreak is for rowers and for the triathletes in our community who cross-train on the water, run with crew friends, or have someone on a team who deserves a better suit. The fabric, the construction, the obsession over detail, all of it is the same Varlo you already trust.
Pre-order
Daybreak is a limited pre-order capsule. The window closes June 21, with shipping in August.