Introducing the [BE SEEN] Running Collection

Running doesn't stop when summer ends.

As the days become shorter and the evenings darker, many runners simply change when — and sometimes where — they train. Early morning runs begin before sunrise, evening sessions finish after dark, and the same roads and routes that feel very different during the summer months suddenly become part of low-light training.

By 2019, our performance tops and accessories had become increasingly popular within the running community. Rather than developing an entirely new range, we started thinking about how we could take products runners were already wearing and adapt them for the darker months of the year.

The result was the ABSOLUTE360® [BE SEEN] Collection, introduced for Autumn/Winter 2019.

Woman running at night in an ABSOLUTE360® [BE SEEN] Neon Yellow long sleeve running top

From Performance Wear to Year-Round Running

The starting point for [BE SEEN] was simple: running is a year-round sport.

Our existing short and long sleeve performance tops were already designed around the demands of training, using lightweight, breathable, infrared-responsive performance fabric to help manage moisture and support thermoregulation.

Alongside them, accessories such as our Neck Warmer, Performance Headbands and Active Beanie had become useful additions for runners training through changing weather conditions.

We didn't want to change what already worked.

Instead, we wanted to add another consideration for runners heading outdoors during autumn and winter: visibility.

That meant taking familiar ABSOLUTE360® products and combining two very different approaches — a highly visible fluorescent colour and strategically positioned retro-reflective details.

Why Neon Yellow?

For the [BE SEEN] Collection, we made the decision to use Neon Yellow across the entire range.

There would be no alternative colourways.

The purpose of the collection was visibility, so we wanted the colour itself to immediately distinguish [BE SEEN] from our existing performance range.

But colour was only part of the solution.

Fluorescent colours and reflective materials work in different ways and under different lighting conditions. For runners training when natural light is fading — or after darkness has fallen — we also wanted to incorporate reflective elements into the garments and accessories.

That presented another set of decisions.

Choosing the Right Reflective Material

Adding reflectivity wasn't simply a matter of applying something silver to a garment.

Reflective vinyls vary considerably in their construction and performance. The microscopic glass-bead content within the material plays an important role in its ability to return incoming light towards its source.

For [BE SEEN], we chose a premium, high-density retro-reflective vinyl.

It was a small component compared with the garment itself, but we approached its selection in exactly the same way we approach the fabrics and materials used throughout the ABSOLUTE360® range: performance and quality came first.

We then had to decide how much reflective material to use — and, equally importantly, where to put it.

Designing [BE SEEN]

The phrase that started everything was:

Be seen, be safe.

From that simple idea came the name [BE SEEN] and a dedicated graphic identity for the collection.

Original [BE SEEN] graphic created for the ABSOLUTE360® running collection

The original [BE SEEN] graphic created for the collection.

Rather than treating that identity purely as branding, we incorporated it into the functional design of the products themselves. The [BE SEEN] graphic could become part of the reflective treatment, giving the collection a recognisable visual identity while serving a practical purpose.

On the Men's and Women's Running Tops and Running T-Shirts, reflective ABSOLUTE360® branding was positioned on the front, while a much larger vertical [BE SEEN] graphic ran down the centre of the back.

The positioning of that rear graphic received particular attention.

A Reflective Print Designed Around the Runner

We wanted the main rear reflective element to follow the natural line of the human spine.

That gave us a strong central position on the back of the runner, but there was another practical consideration: hair.

Long hair partially covering the reflective [BE SEEN] back print on a Neon Yellow women's running top

A small reflective logo positioned high between the shoulders could easily become obscured by longer hair. We therefore deliberately extended the [BE SEEN] graphic much further down the back.

Even if the upper section was covered, a significant proportion of the reflective print would remain exposed.

Rear view of two runners wearing Neon Yellow [BE SEEN] tops showing the long reflective back print

The extended [BE SEEN] back print was designed to remain exposed even when the upper section was covered by longer hair.

It's a relatively small design detail, but one that illustrates what [BE SEEN] was intended to be. We weren't interested in adding reflective accents simply so that we could describe a product as reflective. The size, position and quality of the reflective elements all had to be considered around how the products would actually be worn.

Building the [BE SEEN] Running Collection

The same approach was then applied across a selection of our existing running clothing and accessories.

The original Autumn/Winter 2019 [BE SEEN] Collection included:

Each started with an existing ABSOLUTE360® product, reworked in Neon Yellow and finished with premium retro-reflective vinyl.

The treatment varied according to the product. The Neck Warmer carried the distinctive vertical [BE SEEN] graphic, while the headbands incorporated reflective ABSOLUTE360® and [BE SEEN] details. The [BE SEEN] Beanie took our existing Active Beanie as its starting point, adding the Neon Yellow colourway and reflective detailing to the familiar design.

Together, they created a coordinated collection that could be worn individually or combined according to the conditions and the runner's preference.

More Than Simply Making Something Brighter

[BE SEEN] was never intended to replace the performance characteristics of the products on which it was based.

The running tops remained lightweight, breathable performance garments made using our infrared-responsive fabric. The Neck Warmer, Headbands and Beanie retained the functionality that had made their original versions useful for running and outdoor training.

The difference was the addition of visibility as another element of the design.

That distinction was important to us.

Rather than starting with traditional high-visibility clothing and trying to turn it into running apparel, we started with performance products runners were already using and asked how we could make them more suitable for low-light conditions.

The [BE SEEN] Collection was our answer.

Be Seen. Be Safe.

When we introduced [BE SEEN] for Autumn/Winter 2019, it represented a natural evolution of the ABSOLUTE360® range.

Our growing connection with the running community was influencing how we thought about our products. Runners were training throughout the year, and our range needed to reflect the different conditions in which those miles were being completed.

Neon Yellow provided the unmistakable visual identity. Premium retro-reflective elements added another dimension when illuminated in low-light conditions. And the products underneath remained the performance clothing and accessories from which the idea had started.

Be seen, be safe had begun as a simple thought.

It became [BE SEEN].

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