BETC’s wicked creativity has already given runners’ concept store, Distance, Outlaw Runners, in which a group of runners ran through the streets of Paris at full speed with the sole intention of getting fined, putting the speed cameras to the test for one night, and Rob it to Get It, in which people were invited to steal one item from the Parisian running store because if they avoided getting caught by elite sprinter, Mickael Zeze, they could keep it.
Now, with Paris Fashion Week 2025 shows grabbing attention, BETC and Distance have teamed up with Strava to present The CatRace, the fashion show that’s too fast to see.
Bored with catwalks? Not this one.
BETC decided to put sport back at the heart of sportswear by launching The CatRace, the first fashion show where the models don’t walk the catwalk…they run. Rather than presenting the looks on supermodels strutting their clothes in style, the running-specialised concept store and the sports app unveiled outfits in real-life (street) conditions – on exhausted athletes having just finished an energetic race. And on the catwalk, models were replaced by top athletes.
“Fashion Week was the perfect time to confront Distance’s values with the world of fashion, whose vision of sportswear is often very far removed from sport itself,” stated Guillaume Pontier, co-founder of Distance.
An audience of fashion aficionados and select guests attended the high-energy Fashion Week show that lasted less than a minute, with the different looks passing by at unexpected pace, leaving the audience no time to get bored.
“For us, it was obvious to build a bridge between the creative professions of fashion and the world of sports, particularly during this culturally significant period in France and internationally,” noted
Grégory Vermersch, Strava EMEA lead.
The outfits, created by fashion stylist, Stephy Galvani, were inspired by the world of running. Nylon, tulle, polyester, laces, bags, straps… the materials and accessories reinterpret sports elements to rethink sportswear with a haute couture vision.
“Putting sportswear into action during a fashion show seemed obvious. That’s how it’s meant to be experienced, Stephy Galvani noted.
The event, as well as the campaign, was produced by Soldats, with Guillaume Allantaz photographing and directing.
“We wanted to put sports back into sportswear with Distance, while still merging fashion and sports. And there is no better partner than Strava to bring this mission to life and reinforce this brand promise,” stated Damien Clanet, associate director at BETC.
The show, which was obviously too fast to fully enjoy on site, is available now on @distanceathletics Instagram, with a slow-motion replay to have time to discover Distance’s various outfits. The lookbook will be available on Distance’s social media platforms.
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Credits:
Brands: Distance & Strava
Brand Team: Guillaume Pontier, Lionel Jagorel For Distance Gregory Vermersch, Angèle Paty For Strava
Creative Agency: BETC Paris
Account Team: Damien Clanet, Mathieu Laugier
President & Chief Creative Officier: Stephane Xiberras
Art Directors: Jeremy Treccani, Natan Ritaly
Copywriters: Baptiste Szuwarski, Corentin Salignat
Production Company: Soldats
Director: Guillaume Allantaz
Cinematographer: Stephan Mühlau
Executive Producer: Pierre Cazenave-Kaufman
Producer: Camille Bigot
Line Producers: Laurianne Metais, Lucie Calvez
Stylist: Stéphy Galvani
Set Design: Michael Horchman
Set Designer Assistants: Nicolas Thellier, Alice Conjaud, Marian Loaiza-Ramos, Narek Galstyan, Emilie Streit, Eline Rouze
Post-Production & Editing 1to1
Editors: Guillaume Allantaz, Grégoire Giral
Colour Grading: Grégoire Giral
