An Australian activewear brand brought undone by a viral gym scandal is shutting up shop, with founder Connor Wright revealing Suave is drowning in debt after months of brutal backlash.
Wright announced the closure in an emotional video posted to Suave’s TikTok account, saying the business had been struggling financially for months and the fallout from the controversy only made an already bad situation worse.
“Ultimately, we have decided that we’re going to be closing down Suave,” he told followers.
The founder said the backlash – which was sparked by a controversial video posted by wife and business partner Chloe Wright – extended well beyond angry comments online, claiming customers turned on the brand, people linked to the business were harassed, and both he and his wife Chloe received threats.
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He also revealed he had lost his FIFO job after people contacted his employer, cutting off the income he had been using to keep the activewear label afloat.
Connor Wright is the owner of SUAVE, an online activewear brand. Picture: TikTok/SUAVE
The decision brings a dramatic end to a turbulent year for Suave, which Wright said had previously generated up to $60,000 a month in sales.
“Continuing to pour any money into Suave just doesn’t make sense to me, and I’d rather take everything I’ve learnt from this business and move into something else,’ he said.
“We’re simply just trying to escape the debt that we’re in. There is no funding any future for Suave.”
Wright was adamant the scandal alone did not kill the business, saying Suave had already been under pressure due to poor strategy, limited resources and a lack of time.
“A lot of people seem to think that Suave is just a big elaborate team, but it’s not. It’s just me, and Chloe helps out. I haven’t been able to afford to hire anyone,” he said.
The brand has been in operation since 2023. Picture: Instagram/
Wright added that major life events had also pulled focus away from the brand.
“Honestly, Suave took a back seat to our lives. There wasn’t enough focus going into it,” he said.
He also conceded he made a major business mistake by relying too heavily on TikTok to drive awareness and sales, rather than investing more broadly in events, in-person promotion and other social platforms.
“I ended up putting way too many eggs into one basket,” he said.
Suave’s business model also added to the financial pressure.
Instead of producing white-label activewear, Wright said he chose to create custom-designed products from scratch, a decision that led to higher manufacturing costs and larger minimum orders.
“By the end of it, we were left with f**k all, to be honest. My goal in the market was to create genuinely custom products. It wasn’t to create mass-produced s**t,” he said.
Aussie activewear brand owners, Connor and Chloe Wright, have copped criticism over a video some claim was mocking a gym-goer. Picture: Instagram/mrschloewrightt
The brand’s problems exploded into public view in May after Chloe Wright filmed a stranger using a rowing machine at a gym, with the footage shot from a restaurant overlooking the venue.
She later posted the clip to Instagram with the caption: “Turns out me and Emily have been doing the rower wrong all these years,” followed by a laughing emoji.
The video quickly sparked outrage, particularly after fitness identity Joey Swoll, who is known for calling out poor behaviour in gyms, condemned the post.
“A grown woman doesn’t know better than to film strangers in the gym to post online and make fun of them,” he said.
Both Connor and Chloe apologised in the aftermath.
As Suave prepares to close for good, Wright said he and Chloe plan to remain online and share whatever comes next.