Giannis Antetokounmpo with his family investment fund has become majority owner of Flexpower.

FLEXPOWER

One very un-chic thing that many fashion editors and bloggers will have in common during fashion month is foot pain. While some will bring extra flats, others will take a preventative Advil.Giannis Antetokounmpo, an NBA player, has a superior idea. Professional sportsmen have been using Flexpower, a well-kept pain reduction trick, for the past 20 years.Flexpower topical lotions are allegedly used by thousands of elite athletes in the NBA, NFL, US Women’s Soccer, US Olympics, and other sports to relieve muscular soreness, speed up recovery from strenuous exercises, and warm up before games (it gets warm like Ben Gay without the scent).It is a standard in athletic bags, and with funding from Antetokounmpo and his family’s company, Ante Inc., it might soon become a standard in high-end purses as well.

“I believe in this product so much,” Antetokounmpo told Forbes, “and it’s important to my family that we make a real commitment to helping Flexpower grow.”

Flexpower not only works for pain, but it’s Soothe product is packed with botanicals including arnica, so it also helps clear bruises from everything from Botox to a bumped knee. It also works for bug bites and sunburn. I’ve tried it on my sore hands from too much typing and it works for that, too.

Flexpower’s two-decade journey began with former U.C. Berkeley basketball player Rasheen Smith.

“As an athlete, I could not find a daily solution for pain that delivered both a healthy and scent-free experience,” Smith said. “There was a growing concern among professional athletes about the harmful side effects from the daily use of oral pain medication, and the topical products were only marginally effective and contained heavy, medicinal odors. I was motivated to develop a better, more enjoyable product that people could use regularly.”

Players were also able to detect injuries and covertly target the sore regions of their rivals thanks to the potent scent.Since Ben Gay’s introduction in 1898, no other product has significantly changed the landscape of topical pain relief. Biofreeze and Icy Hot smell strongly. Another choice is Voltaren, however some people cannot use it since it contains an NSAID that may cause negative effects. Another is aspercreme, though opinions on how effective it is are divided.Smith created a botanical concoction devoid of artificial additives and without any aroma. His fellow basketball players took to it right once, and word of it quickly spread to other sportsmen worldwide.One of them is Antetokounmpo, who has warmed up with Flexpower before every practice since using it in 2016.Earlier this year, Flexpower received a direct message on Instagram from his basketball-playing brother Alex. The social media manager for the brand identified him and informed Heather Vandenberghe, who had joined as co-founder and CEO in 2019 to take the business into the realm of consumer retail. She held senior positions at Tommy Hilfiger and Westfield in addition to her ten years as the head of marketing for a little business called Louis Vuitton, so she was well-suited for the job. (She also developed Elle’s Law following the death of her daughter in a horrific vehicle accident.)Upon returning her call, Alex informed her that the Antetokounmpo brothers were all enthusiastic about FlexPower and desired to make an investment.

“Can you imagine? I’m sitting here in my tiny little home office, and I said, that’s great, let’s do a next call,” Vandenberghe said. “So we do a next call with their finance team and go through our business model. They’re excited. And the next call is with Giannis, and Giannis is so enthusiastic. He calls it hot sauce.” His mom also loves it for back pain relief from too much Peloton.

That excitement quickly turned into an investment and part ownership. The Antetokounmpo family now has two seats on Flexpower’s board: one representing the family and one for Giannis (the company declined to disclose further details about the deal).

Giannis Antetokounmpo is het new face and part owner of Flexpower.

FLEXPOWER

Additionally, the company’s ideal spokesmodel—who also happens to be one of the top NBA players—arrived.After hearing Vandenberghe on the podcast Second Life, Anne Keating, a friend of the former Bloomingdale’s senior vice president of public relations, gave him another victory earlier this year. Keating requested to test Flexpower, which Vandenberghe provided her. It relieved her neck and lower back problems, so she forwarded some to another friend, Tony Spring, a 33-year Bloomingdales veteran who is currently the company’s chairman and CEO (he is also Macy’s CEO-elect).To cut a long tale short, Flexpower products will be offered in-store in early 2024 and online at Bloomingdales throughout the holiday season.Vandenberghe joined the organisation shortly before the pandemic started. Given the closed stores and uncertain future of retail, she and her team determined it would be best to concentrate on their product. They introduced a white-cast-free, reef-safe sunscreen that was created by Smith and a group of scientists because they wanted something genuinely sheer for themselves and their family. The goal was achieved. In addition to the pain relief creams, they also introduced bath salts and a lip conditioner (I’m very infatuated with these).Flexpower is prepared to advance with a wide range of products and partners Antetokounmpo and Bloomingdale’s.Additionally, the brand has gained traction with smaller, upscale boutiques like McMullen in Oakland.

“Wellness and self-care is always a priority at McMullen, so being able to expand into this category and partner with another Oakland native is very special for us,” owner Sherri McMullen said. “I personally use Flexpower products and love that it’s all-natural, scent-free and locally-made. Rasheen Smith and his team are true innovators in the wellness and beauty space.”

“Everything’s been so organic with people falling in love with this product, and the idea that it’s botanical, and we’re making it a sustainable manner,” Vandenberghe said. “Who knows what we’re going to do next? I actually know, but I can’t say.”

One thing’s for sure: if, like McMullen, you’re heading to fashion shows in London or Paris, Flexpower is your new best friend.