Podiumwear vs. Jakroo vs. Borah: How to Choose a Custom Nordic Ski Uniform Supplier

An honest comparison from a supplier who knows the nordic community well enough to tell you the truth.

If your nordic program is looking for custom uniforms, you've probably come across the same three names: Podiumwear, Jakroo, and Borah. All three make real custom product. All three serve the nordic market. And all three will give you a uniform with your colors and your logo on it.

So how do you choose?

This post will walk through each supplier honestly, including where each one is strong, where the differences actually matter, and what questions you should ask before you commit. We're one of the three suppliers on this list, so take that into account. We've tried to be fair, and we'd rather lose a sale to the right fit than win one to the wrong one.

A quick note on who this is for

This comparison is written for nordic ski program directors, head coaches, and club managers who are responsible for outfitting their team and want to make a confident, informed decision. It's not written for someone who needs a single uniform by next week. It's written for someone building a kit program that will serve their athletes for multiple seasons.

Borah Teamwear

Borah is a well-established name in the custom endurance apparel space and has strong recognition in the nordic community. Their product quality is solid and their experience in the market is real.

Borah's most prominent differentiator has historically been domestic manufacturing. For programs that prioritize buying American, that has been a meaningful factor.

A few things worth knowing as you evaluate them:

Borah was acquired by a larger company that manufactures a broad range of products outside the nordic and endurance space. They are no longer independently owned. For some programs that doesn't matter. For others, knowing whether your supplier's leadership is deeply invested in the nordic community is part of the decision.

On the manufacturing question: made in the USA sounds tariff-proof, but it isn't. Almost all performance fabric used in the United States, including the fabric Borah uses, comes from overseas. Tariffs on imported materials still affect production costs for domestic manufacturers. The "made in USA" designation tells you where the sewing happens, not where the supply chain begins.

Jakroo

Jakroo has built a strong online presence and does a good job with their always-open storefront model. Athletes can order individually at any time, which removes the coordination burden from the program director.

That convenience comes with trade-offs worth understanding.

When athletes order individually through an always-open storefront, each order ships separately. A single uniform ordered on its own carries full shipping costs for that one item. Over a season, across a full roster ordering at different times, those shipping costs add up in ways that aren't obvious when you first look at the per-item price.

Jakroo manufactures in China. That's not a moral judgment. It's a supply chain fact that has real implications in the current trade environment. The de minimis loophole, which previously allowed small parcels from China to enter the US duty-free, has been closed. Tariff exposure for China-manufactured goods remains significant and unpredictable. Programs that locked in pricing with a China-based supplier in January may be looking at a different cost picture by fall.

Podiumwear

Podiumwear was founded in 2003, specifically in the nordic ski community. Our founder, Reid Lutter, has 30 years in the sport, founded the National Nordic Foundation, and has spent his career in direct relationship with the clubs, coaches, and athletes who make up this community. Nordic skiing isn't a market segment for us. It's where we come from.

We are family-owned and independent. That means the people making decisions about your order are the same people who care whether you come back next season.

For 22 years we manufactured in the United States. In early 2025 we moved production to Egypt, and we want to be straightforward about why.

Egypt has one of the oldest and most respected textile traditions in the world. The factory we work with doesn't just sew our product; they also mill most of the fabric we use. That level of vertical integration gives us quality control and product flexibility that domestic cut-and-sew operations couldn't match. It's why we've been able to introduce more technically advanced products, including our Gold warm-up pant, puffy vest, and puffy jacket, at prices that are competitive with less technical alternatives.

Egypt is also among the most trade-friendly manufacturing regions for North American and European buyers. Our products are not subject to the tariff exposure affecting China-manufactured goods. We have not raised prices in response to the current trade environment, and we don't anticipate doing so.

On storefronts: we open and close team storefronts around a set ordering window so your whole team orders together, ships together, and avoids the per-item shipping costs of always-open models. If someone misses the window, we can reopen the store to accommodate them. And there's no minimum on reorders, so adding a single athlete mid-season is never a problem.

Our design process includes a dedicated human artist assigned to your program, free revisions, and a 3D proof before anything goes to production. You see exactly what you're getting before we make it.

Side by side: what actually differs

Questions to ask any supplier before you order

Regardless of who you choose, these questions will give you a clear picture of what you're actually signing up for:

1. Where is the product manufactured, and what is your tariff exposure going into next season?
2. How does your storefront model affect per-item shipping costs?
3. What does the design process look like, and how many revisions are included?
4. Will I see a proof before production starts?
5. What happens if I need to add an athlete after the main order closes?
6. Who do I call if something goes wrong, and will they know my account?
7. Who owns the company, and who is making decisions about my order?

The answers tell you a lot about whether you're working with a partner or just placing a transaction.

The bottom line

All three suppliers will get you a custom nordic uniform. The differences come down to who you want to work with, what matters to your program, and what you want your cost and risk picture to look like over multiple seasons.

If domestic manufacturing is a non-negotiable value for your program, Borah is worth a close look, with the understanding that their supply chain is not fully domestic and their ownership has changed.

If individual athlete convenience and an always-open ordering window is the top priority, Jakroo's model solves that, with the understanding of the per-item shipping costs and current tariff exposure.

If you want a supplier with deep roots in the nordic community, a stable and transparent supply chain, a design process built around getting it right, and a team that picks up the phone: that's what we've built Podiumwear to be.

Want to see what working with Podiumwear actually looks like?

Start your design or tell us about your program and we'll walk you through the process.

Not ready yet? See how our design process works — No pressure, just a clear picture from start to finish.

Starting with Nordic ski uniforms in 2003, Podiumwear now offers fully custom athletic uniforms for over 15 endurance and varsity sports. We answer the phone, and we know your order.