GlobeNewswire

Atlanta, Georgia, Sept. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RocketSports-1, the activewear brand founded by designer Jon Dabney, announced that its women’s activewear is now available in 37 Walmart stores across 18 states and nationwide through Walmart.com. The expanded retail availability marks a significant milestone for the brand following more than a decade of development.

Jon Dabney with his Walmart Golden Ticket (top left); flyer highlighting RocketSports-1’s Walmart locations (top right); RocketSports-1 in-store apparel display (bottom left); pink and blue RocketSports-1 sets modeled (bottom right)

 

For an emerging independent brand, it was the kind of opportunity entrepreneurs spend years hoping for. It also created an immediate problem: Dabney suddenly needed significantly more money to fulfill the expanded order.

 

“How am I going to pull this off?” he remembers thinking.

 

After 12 years of building RocketSports-1, however, walking away wasn’t an option.

 

“I kept telling myself, ‘What if I quit right before everything changes?’”

 

Today, RocketSports-1’s women’s activewear is available in 37 Walmart stores across 18 states and nationwide through Walmart.com, marking a significant inflection point for a company that began as an idea during Dabney’s Executive MBA studies at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business.

 

From an Idea to the Walmart Shelf

 

A Morehouse College graduate from Southwest Atlanta, Dabney began exploring the business after recognizing how much he was spending on his children’s sportswear. An entrepreneurship class project eventually led him to women’s activewear.

 

Rather than assuming what women wanted, Dabney conducted focus groups and surveys. Three frustrations surfaced repeatedly: rolling waistbands, see-through fabrics and leggings that stretched out and lost their shape.

 

Those insights became the foundation for RocketSports-1. The leggings pair a soft, smooth feel with stretch and support that hugs the body without restricting movement, while bold colors and distinctive details carry from workouts to errands, travel and everyday wear.

 

“The moment you put them on, you feel the softness against your skin, the stretch and support, and the way they move with your body without feeling restrictive,” Dabney said. “You can look in the mirror and feel comfortable in your own skin, confident in how you look and energized by what you’re wearing. That’s what ‘Comfort. Fit. Confidence.’ is all about.”

 

At Walmart, the leggings retail for $36, allowing consumers to compare them with activewear selling for significantly more.

 

“My goal was never to make something cheap,” Dabney said. “The goal was to create quality that could compete with more expensive activewear while still being accessible.”

 

Reaching Walmart shelves, however, required another education entirely.

 

The Opportunity and the Risk

 

Dabney earned a Golden Ticket during Walmart Open Call 2025, but the opportunity came with the demands of supplying the world’s largest retailer: manufacturing, testing, compliance, packaging, logistics, purchase orders and quality control.

 

Without a large team or corporation absorbing the risk, Dabney invested personal capital, took out loans and solved problems as they arose while maintaining a career and raising a family.

 

“People see the Walmart shelf today,” Dabney said. “They didn’t necessarily see the years when there was no Walmart shelf, when I was making calls, sending emails, following up, making mistakes and correcting them.”

 

“Success can look sudden from the outside. This one wasn’t.”

 

Dabney credits Morehouse, UGA’s Terry College, the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs and its Retail Readiness Academy, the National Business League and the National Black Chamber of Commerce with helping sustain his journey. He points to Charles H. DeBow III, President/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, as a mentor who encouraged RocketSports-1’s national and global potential.

 

Dabney has supported entrepreneurial communities himself. Most recently, he was featured at Southern California’s 4th Annual Black Business Day Expo, where RocketSports-1 served as a gift partner for its “State of Fashion, Style & Beauty” raffle.

 

The appearance brought RocketSports-1 to the West Coast at a pivotal time. After years pursuing a major retailer, Dabney’s challenge is now different: proving consumers want the product to remain there.

 

What Happens Next

 

He says the early response has been encouraging, with people purchasing RocketSports-1, visiting stores, sharing its story and contacting him about seeing the brand on Walmart shelves.

 

Strong performance could potentially lead to more stores, larger orders and additional products. Dabney is careful not to assume any of those outcomes are guaranteed.

 

That makes consumer response now especially consequential.

 

For creators, athletes, fitness professionals and consumers discovering RocketSports-1, Dabney’s invitation is straightforward.

 

“If the story resonates with you, give the product a try. Wear it. Experience it. And if you believe in what we’re building, share the story. Every customer who discovers RocketSports-1 right now is helping determine what comes next.”

 

For Dabney, that chapter will ultimately be determined not by the 12 years it took to reach Walmart, but by what happens now.

 

RocketSports-1 is currently available at select Walmart stores and online through Walmart.com. Consumers can also follow RocketSports-1 on Instagram, while creators, athletes, retailers and potential collaborators interested in supporting or working with RocketSports-1 can connect with Dabney and the brand directly.

Press Inquiries

Gianluca Gibbons
business [at] sydneypalmer.co
https://www.sydneypalmer.co/