Everstate: running gear from Serbia and a story of constant progress

Sometimes the first sign that something has worked comes from the track. Sometimes from the gym.

The first person outside the team whom Everstate saw wearing their shirt wasn't running. She was training at the gym.

“Maybe we were hoping it would be on the track, but our shirts found another purpose too,” the team recalls with a smile.

That small, unexpected scene holds a lot of what defines the Everstate story: plans change, things take longer than you expect, and progress sometimes shows up where you aren't looking for it. But it does show up.

Everstate is a local running gear brand that develops and makes its products in Serbia. Its path runs through a modest supply of materials, months of waiting, prototypes that fail the test and a market where runners already know the big global brands. This isn't a story about a brand that has reached the finish line. It's a story about how you get moving when conditions aren't perfect — and why it's worth carrying on.

01Running as a conversation with yourself

Everstate didn't start as a business plan for selling shorts and shirts. At the heart of the idea was a community of people who want to make progress in different areas of life. Running became one of the ways to feel that progress: a conversation with yourself, step by step, and a chance to push a limit you thought was final.

With that idea came a practical question familiar to anyone who has gone looking for running gear: how do you find functional pieces at a price people here can afford? The team believed that runners in Serbia deserve gear that looks good, works in training and doesn't have to cost as if it were bought in London or Los Angeles.

They didn't want to just complain about the choice. They decided to try to make what they were missing.

02Everstate: a state of constant progress

The brand's name describes the idea behind it: “everstate” is a state of constant progress. Not one big leap, a medal or a new personal best, but the habit of repeating small steps — for days, months and years.

When there are no records or results that others can see, progress can still exist. Sometimes it's the decision to show up for training. Sometimes it's being a better athlete, friend or partner. For Everstate, healthy ambition is quiet and personal; it doesn't have to turn into pressure or come at someone else's expense.

The team often links the pressure to always be better with outside expectations, especially those that come from social media. Healthy ambition, as they describe it, brings personal satisfaction and insight into progress that isn't immediately measurable — without harming others along the way.

As a personal example of progress, they point to a change in lifestyle: clearer and more focused thinking, accepting their own flaws while wanting to work on them, and giving back to the community so that it grows along with them.

To a runner who feels stuck, the team says:

“If you showed up today to do your workout, you haven't stood still. You've beaten yourself and taken one more step towards your goal.”

03How running gear is made in Serbia

Everstate describes product development in one word: hard. High-quality production of high-performance running apparel isn't widely available on the local market, and the choice of materials is limited. Some materials simply can't be sourced when they're needed; others take months to arrive.

That's why every piece goes through several steps: the team works out the design and the cut, finds the right material, makes samples and fixes whatever doesn't work. Then runners and hybrid athletes test the sample. Only when it gets the green light does the product go into production.

The windbreaker and the first pair of shorts needed an especially large amount of refining. The team wanted every detail to be there for a reason, so they checked how the pieces work in different conditions. The windbreaker was tested on track runs, on hikes and by the sea, where the wind can be stronger than in the city. The shorts and the shirt had to work just as well in a running session as in the gym.

The clothing also carries short messages such as “It Starts With YOU.” They're reminders of the same idea that started the brand: nobody can take the first step for you.

04Zenith: a light collection for long kilometres

Zenith is Everstate's summer collection, made up of the Zenith Sprint, Zenith Flux and Zenith Stride. It was designed as light, comfortable gear with a retro shape and a recognisable design.

The Zenith Flux holds a special place as the brand's first women's product. Its three pockets are made for the small things you need on a longer run: a gel, a phone, keys, or sachets of electrolytes and magnesium. The idea is simple — the bag can stay at home, and the essentials are at hand as the kilometres add up.

05The prototype that didn't pass the test

Successful products are easy to show. It's harder to talk about an idea that never made it to production. Everstate wanted to make a cap with a striking message that would also shield part of the face from strong sun. The first prototype didn't meet expectations, so mass production has been put on hold for now.

Other ideas are on pause too, because the conditions for making them in Serbia aren't available yet. The team talks about it openly. Constant progress doesn't mean every attempt succeeds. Sometimes it means recognising what needs fixing, keeping the idea and carrying on when it becomes possible.

Feedback from runners is part of that process. People who wear Everstate gear say what they would improve, add, remove or change on the existing models, and what they would like to see in the future. That way, each new collection can carry the experience of those who used the previous one in training.

06What “Made in Serbia” means for Everstate

For Everstate, “Made in Serbia” means the product is made in Serbia from start to finish. They see that closeness as an advantage for quality control: they can meet the manufacturer without travelling to China. At the same time, they face real limits — a small choice of materials, production capacity that isn't available, and customers who may not yet trust local gear.

The team doesn't claim that a local brand can already match the global names in everything. Cotton, fitness and lifestyle products have different development conditions from demanding high-performance running apparel. That second category takes more time, more money and specialised suppliers.

That's exactly why it matters that they can follow the product up close and are involved in every part of how it's made. As they put it: “What we don't want for ourselves, we don't want for others either.” Knowing that a product was made from scratch in Serbia, and that they took part in every stage of creating it, is a great satisfaction for them.

07Community before sales

One decision that may not have been the fastest or the most profitable was to invest money in the community, events and gifts. Out of that decision came the Everstate Community Run — a gathering that gives people the chance to run together, meet like-minded people and have a good time.

According to the team, many people are looking not only for training but also for a community that will support them as they work towards their goal. That's why Everstate's ideal customer isn't defined by pace, experience or distance. It's anyone who wants to break out of a rut and take the next step.

For now, they measure success by the number of people who share that idea. Sales matter, but for them they come after the community. When someone puts on their shirt before a workout, they want it to remind them of discipline, pushing limits and the feeling of belonging to a group that can move a mountain together.

08The hardest kilometre is still going on

In every race there's a stretch where you ask yourself why you started. When we asked Everstate what the hardest moment in building the brand had been, the answer was short: it's still going on.

It will last until they build a large community of people who are happy with both the brand and the gear made for them. Right now, their biggest challenge is developing a good product — a process that takes a lot of time, money and work.

Their plan for the next three years is ambitious: they want Everstate to be present at bigger races, to become a recognisable local brand that can challenge the big players, and to reach beyond Serbia. They want to build a community that believes in their brand and happily chooses Everstate over Nike or Adidas. They dream of a running vest and running shoes; other ideas they see as within reach in the coming period.

09It all starts with you

It's easy to admire brands that have already gone global. It's harder to believe that quality running gear can be made here — with materials you have to wait for and prototypes that go back for more work.

Everstate doesn't offer a ready answer to every challenge of local production. It offers an example of what the first step can look like: setting off without perfect conditions, learning from products that didn't work and building a community while the brand grows.

That story is close to every runner — whether they train in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Banja Luka or Sarajevo. The first workout, the first race and the first pair of shorts ever sewn share the same rule: they may not be perfect, but without them there is no next step.

The message they want every runner to carry with them is already on their gear:

It Starts With YOU.

You can see the current range and more about the brand on Everstate's official website.

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