A Moment With Kydra's Co-Founder, Jimmy Poh
Augustman Logo
Style
Culture
Gear
Food & Drink
Travel
Wellness
AM Select
E-Magazine
Most Trending
A Moment With Kydra’s Co-Founder, Jimmy Poh
Most Recent
A Moment With Kydra’s Co-Founder, Jimmy Poh
Most Trending
Laying Rubber: The Nike SB Dunk Gulf Is Perfect For Motorsports Fans
Most Recent
Catch The Onitsuka Tiger FW21 Presentation at Milan Fashion Week
  • Fashion
  • Watches
  • Grooming
Most Trending
These Are The Most-Followed Instagram Accounts In The World
Most Recent
The Lowdown On Zack Snyder’s Justice League And Where To Watch It On 18 March
  • Design
  • Events
  • Art
  • Music
  • Film & TV
Most Trending
Overflowing With Cool: Xiaomi Reveals A Smartphone With A Waterfall Display
Most Recent
The Helicopter Celebrates A 100 Years, Here’s How It Helped Changed The World
  • Tech
  • Motoring
Most Trending
The Best Vintages Of Brunello di Montalcino To Add To Your Cellar
Most Recent
Could This Be The World’s Oldest Mass Production Brewery? Egypt Thinks So
  • Dining
  • Drinks
Most Trending
Consider These Ecotourism Destinations For Your Next Post-Pandemic Adventure
Most Recent
These Are Asia’s Most Stunning Mangrove Forests
  • Travel Guides
  • Hotels & Resorts
Most Trending
Nourishing Superfoods To Add To Your Diet This 2021
Most Recent
Amp Up Your Home Gym With These Designer Fitness Equipment
  • Fitness
  • Health
Most Trending
Uncover Mindful Living with AUGUSTMAN x LIFESTYLEASIA
Most Recent
Social Entrepreneur Josh Tetrick of Eat Just Talks Sustainability And The Future of Food
  • Men of the Year
  • MVMT
  • August Mentors
  • A-Listers
  • Hit List
  • sg
    • MY
    • SG
  • Search
A Moment With Kydra’s Co-Founder, Jimmy Poh
Sort & Filter
Close Filter
Sort By
Date
Relevance
Filter By Category
All Categories
All
Style
Culture
Gear
Food & Drink
Travel
Wellness
AM Select
Apply
Filter By Location
singapore
All Countries
Wellness
Amp Up Your Home Gym With These Designer Fitness Equipment
Wellness
Nourishing Superfoods To Add To Your Diet This 2021
Wellness
Going Low-Carb? Try These Delectable Keto Recipes
Augustman Logo
sg
A Moment With Kydra’s Co-Founder, Jimmy Poh
Back
All  Style
  • Fashion
  • Watches
  • Grooming
Back
All  Culture
  • Design
  • Events
  • Art
  • Music
  • Film & TV
Back
All  Gear
  • Tech
  • Motoring
Back
All  Food & Drink
  • Dining
  • Drinks
Back
All  Travel
  • Travel Guides
  • Hotels & Resorts
Back
All  Wellness
  • Fitness
  • Health
Back
All  AM Select
  • Men of the Year
  • MVMT
  • August Mentors
  • A-Listers
  • Hit List
E-Magazine
  • Malaysia
  • Singapore
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
Sort & Filter
Close Filter
Sort By
Date
Relevance
Filter By Category
All Categories
All
Style
Culture
Gear
Food & Drink
Travel
Wellness
AM Select
Apply
Filter By Location
singapore
All Countries
Wellness

A Moment With Kydra’s Co-Founder, Jimmy Poh

Syed Zulfadhli
15 Aug 2019
Article Hero Image
Kydra's co-founder, Jimmy Poh. Photo: Cher Him
Trending Now
Catch The Onitsuka Tiger FW21 Presentation at Milan Fashion Week
StyleRead More
The Helicopter Celebrates A 100 Years, Here’s How It Helped Changed The World
GearRead More
The Lowdown On Zack Snyder’s Justice League And Where To Watch It On 18 March
CultureRead More
These Are Asia’s Most Stunning Mangrove Forests
TravelRead More
Want in on the latest wellness tips and trends? We have it all. Sign up to receive it all.

Jimmy poh’s athletic form made him the perfect model for the Kydra T-shirt he had on when we met. During our chat, the brand’s co-founder explained how the name was derived – a portmanteau of ‘Kai’, meaning victory, from his Chinese name, and Hydra, the Greek mythological beast that sprouted two new heads whenever one was cut off. It is a name that speaks of resilience and triumph over setbacks; it was evident that the 28-year-old entrepreneur had a mindset that set him up for success.

True enough, Kydra quickly captured the hearts of savvy sporty millennials right from its launch two years ago. Social media helped its course but it was the quality of the products that sealed the deal.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kydra (@kydraofficial)

Is it true that Kydra raked $100,000 in revenue within the year it was launched?

Yes. Back then, it felt like a huge sum for me and Dingyao, Kydra’s other co-founder. Then we realised we could be making more. I have to emphasise, though, that this isn’t the absolute aim of Kydra.

What is the aim of Kydra then?

It is to fill the gap between active wear and functionality for everyone.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BiDoePvnGWr/

Why is that important?

Both Dingyao and I work out regularly at the gym. I also love playing tennis, having played competitively in secondary school, polytechnic and university. What we’ve found is that the active wear in the market has plenty of room for improvement. For instance, Dingyao’s phone slipped out of his pocket in the gym, which caused it to shatter. We realised that there was hardly any active wear that allowed us to keep our valuables close and safe during sports.

We talked to sporty friends and found they had the same issues with their active wear. They shared their wish lists and I realised that many people from all walks of life have problem-solving minds, but not everyone goes forth to actually fix the things  they complain about. This prompted us to design the Kydra Flex Shorts, which has earned its spot in being one our bestsellers.

Back to the shorts. Would it not be uncomfortable  to have your keys and phone jingling in your pocket when you engage in vigorous activities?

I have in fact played a full five sets of competitive tennis wearing a prototype of the Kydra Flex Shorts, with my phone, wallet and keys in the zippered pockets. And it didn’t hinder my performance at all. That was when I realised that this design had a chance of doing well.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kydra (@kydraofficial)

It looks like it did really well. You helped it along by launching a collection with an influencer recently too, didn’t you? How did it go? 

Truth be told, we wanted to experiment with influencer marketing. We’re lucky it paid off.

Do you seek advice when it comes to design?

We generally listen to people with an active lifestyle, starting with our team, to identify what the needs are. We discuss ideas and make prototypes from them, then we actively test-drive every prototype while we go about our activities and take notes for improvement. At the moment, Kydra isn’t a hard-core sportswear brand where you can expect compression tights and such. It’s made for everyday people who want to look decent on and off his or her workout while benefitting from functional design.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kydra (@kydraofficial)

What can we expect next? 

We will be focusing on updating our basic pieces, like weaving high-tech materials into our sleek designs. Of course, we’ll keep functionality and comfort our core values so we don’t lose sight on what Kydra is about. This will be our signature collection and we’re aiming to launch it in August. Apart from that, we will explore producing sports-centric designs by next year.

 

Available at Design Orchard and Uppercut Boxing.
More information at www.kydra.co

fitness
Activewear
kydra
Gym Gear
Singaporean Labels
Syed Zulfadhli
Syed Zulfadhli knows a thing or two... thousand about skincare and grooming.
Talk to Me About:

Up Next For You

Free Workout Apps That Will Help You Smash Your 2021 Weight-Loss Goals
Richard Augustin
Wellness
Razer Has Created A Futuristic Face Mask Equipped With Built-In Microphones And Lighting Effects
AFP Relaxnews
Wellness
Optimise your liver's health with Swisse's Ultiboost Liver Detox
Jamie Tan
Wellness
Dealing With Mental Health With Fitness And Mental Toughness
Syed Zulfadhli
Wellness
Want in on the latest wellness tips and trends? We have it all. Sign up to receive it all.
×
Where are you?
Tell us so we can display what you want to see.
  • Malaysia
  • Singapore
Malaysia Singapore
Advertise About Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions
© 2021 Copyright Augustman