Inside Castore with Thomas Beahon

The brand’s co-founder shares a little of what makes them tick.

With an unrelenting focus on the details that really make a difference in performance, Castore is changing the sportswear game. Thomas Beahon, the brand’s co-founder, started the label with his brother (both athletes themselves) after noticing a gap in the market for top-quality clothing, and together they live and breathe their “better never stops” philosophy.

• What made you make the leap from sports to sportswear?

Sports were a central part of my childhood growing up and have always been in my family - my mum and dad both love sport, as did both of my grandparents so it felt very natural to me when I became a professional footballer and was in a sporting environment full time. Similarly, when I stopped playing football, I knew I wanted to do something that allowed me to stay closely connected to sport because it really is my true passion in life.

• Would you say an athletic mindset helped/has helped you in business?

100% yes. There are so many similarities between the worlds of elite sport and business. Self-discipline, determination, perseverance, drive, teamwork, leadership – all of these characteristics are ingrained in you when you play sport and are so important in business. Probably the most important one though is the ability to deal with setbacks without losing confidence, this is something not spoken about often but vital to success in any walk of life.

• What does sports or exercise mean to you now?

It is such an important part of my routine, whenever I feel stressed or tired (which feels fairly often!) I always try and do some form of exercise and it never fails to improve my mindset and outlook. Whenever I arrive at Corinthia London, the first thing I do is head straight to the gym, it’s the perfect way to start my stay at the hotel!

• What sets Castore apart from other performance brands?

Product quality. Castore only uses the world’s highest quality fabrics in our products, mostly sourced from family-owned mills in Italy. We work incredibly closely with these partners to create bespoke fabrics that are lighter, more flexible and more breathable than anything else in the world and our customers can immediately feel the difference when they are wearing Castore.

• How do you hope people wearing Castore will feel when they’re using your products?

We want to inspire all athletes to be the very best that they can be, whatever their level is. Of course we want our products to feel as comfortable as they possibly can be so athletes don’t need to think about anything other than their training but beyond that, we hope that as a brand Castore represents competitiveness, ambition and a desire to always improve. Our brand ethos of Better Never Stops represents this perfectly.

• Why was it important to you to launch a women’s range?

When my brother and I co-founded Castore back in 2016, we used our life savings and only had enough money between us to do a menswear line! We have always wanted to launch womenswear and it’s a special moment for us to be able to do that now – it feels like a reward for all of our hard work so far. We’ve had so many women asking us when we’re launching and we are incredibly excited to get their feedback on the first range.

• How does the Castore ethos align with ESPA Life at Corinthia?

Corinthia has a special place in my heart because when we founded Castore and we were still too small to have an office, I would do all of my meetings in the hotel and tell clients our office was being refurbished! The customer service, commitment to excellence in all areas and relentless desire to go above and beyond and always find a way to be better are perfectly aligned with Castore’s own values.

• What’s your favourite part of ESPA Life at Corinthia?

I am a regular in the spa, I probably spend more time there than in the gym! My favourite part has to be the sauna, I love going there to unwind and decompress, the sunken design is really special. I’d go as far as saying the Corinthia spa is one of my favourite places in London.

• What are your favourite ways to squeeze in exercise when travelling?

I always find going straight to the gym as soon as I arrive at a new hotel is the best way to ensure I get my workouts done. If I leave it too long and head to the restaurant or bar, I’m in real trouble!

• What can we expect to see next from Castore?

When my brother and I founded the company, our ambition was to become the number one premium sportswear brand in the world and that very much remains our focus today. We are both incredibly driven and very ambitious and love the challenges that come with trying to reach a major goal. Better Never Stops!