Jaanuu’s New Distribution Move Signals a Bigger Shift in Medical Apparel

Jaanuu announced a distribution partnership with S&S Activewear in January 2025, according to Textile World. The deal puts Jaanuu's core men's and women's scrub styles — both knit and woven — into S&S Activewear's eight US distribution centers, opening access to the decorator and promotional channel that S&S has served for 30+ years.

The strategic read

This is a wholesale-distribution play. Jaanuu, like every direct-to-consumer scrub brand, hits a ceiling on how many customers it can reach by going direct. S&S Activewear opens a different channel: bulk orders from hospital systems, embroidery shops, and group accounts. It's a smart move for volume — and a real test of brand premium.

Why we're not following the same path

We've watched this playbook before. When a premium DTC brand moves into wholesale, two things happen: distribution surges in year one, and brand premium erodes by year three. The reason is simple — once your scrubs sit on a uniform-supplier rack next to $25 commodity scrubs, the comparison gets made on price alone.

For now, we're staying direct. Margins are higher, the customer relationship is ours, and we don't have to lower our spec to match the lowest-priced product in a wholesale catalog. That might change at some scale. Today it doesn't make sense.

What this signals about the category

Jaanuu's move suggests the DTC scrub market is maturing — brands now have to choose between premium positioning and distribution scale. FIGS chose premium-first and got an IPO. Jaanuu is hedging. Watch the margin profile of both over the next 18 months; that'll tell you which call was right.

Source: Textile World citing S&S Activewear | textileworld.com