RW meets SAFEJAWZ, who are making mouthguards with film giants Marvel
WHEN EWAN Jones and George Dyer were justbroke Manchester Uni students trying to flog some sports equipment to kickstart their business endeavours, they never dreamed of one day signing with the world’s hightest-grossing film franchise, Marvel Cinematic Universe. But after figuring out that mouthguards were their most popular item, they co-founded what is now SAFEJAWZ in 2014 and set out on the path to profit. It proved to be a long and winding journey but now, with the aim of making mouthguards fun, fashionable and protective, they are turning over millions and providing millions of athletes, including rugby players at all levels, with snazzy gumshields. “The whole reason we came to being is that mouthguards for a long time were just dull, uninspiring, boring, clunky and uncomfortable,” says CEO Jones, 35. “SAFEJAWZ exists to show that just because something is functional, it doesn’t mean it can’t be fashionable as well, or can’t be desirable. We’ve always done that with our fang and moustache designs but Marvel is the chance to take that to the next level.”
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know Marvel is the banner under which the films based on Marvel Comic characters sit.
The likes of Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America and all the Avengers are a big draw and are now taking over the rugby scene. The early signs suggest that the Incredible Hulk gumshield, which along with the rest of the Marvel range retails at £16.99 in adult and junior sizes, is set to be a smash hit with the rugby crowd.
Dyer, also 35, adds: “I think one of the reasons you become an athlete in any kind of contact sport is because you want that mental and physical edge that you’ve seen growing up in all those superhero movies. Launching the Marvel range, that was a childhood entrepreneurial dream for me.”
This year the company is forecast to hit £5million in sales and to turn over double that within two to three years. In 2023, they hit the massive milestone of one million units sold and with Marvel on board, things are looking rosy. But it hasn’t always been that way.
Jones was the rugby player between the two, a wing who once trialled with Cardiff, and they started by selling at sevens tournaments. They founded The Mouthguard Shop where they learnt what worked and what didn’t by selling other brands. When they wanted to do their own thing, Jones sold his car to fund their website, which led to him using Dyer’s skateboard to transport a filing cabinet to the spare room of their student flat. It’s not always been glitzy.
Asked when he realised it could b
