On a recent overcast Wednesday, Diego Chará kicked a soccer ball around Providence Park while wearing a vest and shorts weighted with precisely placed steel ball bearings. The Portland Timbers captain has been training in the eye-catching gear for 18 months. On Thursday, Omorpho, the company that makes the vest and shorts, said it signed the popular Chará as its newest endorser. Omorpho’s new partnership is the latest seal of approval for a Portland company that is hitting its stride, and perhaps a sign of the emergence of a new generation of local sportswear companies — albeit one that, as Omorpho shows, is deeply susceptible to steep tariff increases proposed by the Trump administration. Chará, who’s in his 14th season with the Timbers, is one of 13 people to play more than 400 Major League Soccer games, making him a symbol of conditioning and longevity, Omorpho’s biggest two selling points. He started training in Omorpho’s shorts and vests before he became a paid endorser and credits the products with improving his bone density and keeping him injury free. “That’s great for me in this moment of my career,” Chará said. “The other thing is keeping strength and power on the field.” Omorpho is based on a simple concept: Practicing in weighted gear can help athletes conjure bursts of energy and intensity during games. “We knew we had an insight,” said CEO and co-founder Stefan Olander. “You wear a little bit of weight, and you get great benefits.” Since it was founded in 2017, Omorpho has been known as a company for serious athletes. Chará’s one example. The company also has deals with players and teams in other sports, including tennis, baseball, football, hockey and volleyball. “Diego is such an unbelievable ambassador,” Olander said. “What we love about it is he started with how the product benefited him, before we even had an official relationship.” Omorpho doesn’t disclose sales, but Olander said the company, which now has 15 employees, is cash-flow positive and its revenue has doubled annually. The company has raised $16 million from investors. A few months ago, Omorpho caught a tailwind that sparked what Olander called a period of “exponential growth.” In November, the Wall Street Journal published an article about the health benefits of weighted vests, not just for elite athletes, but for what Olander calls “longevity seekers,” who wear them for everyday activities like walking and working at a standing desk. “We sold out every single vest we had,” Olander said, about the article’s publication. “We’re actually two months back ordered on our women’s product.” Industry watchers hope Omorpho’s growth spurt is the start of an entrepreneurial boom in the footwear and apparel industry. For years, Oregon’s been home to a few sportswear giants, including Nike, Adidas America and Columbia Sportswear. In recent years, alums of those companies have started dozens of brands, including Wildfang, Avoli, Bala and Pacmodo. “There’s more to come,” said Hood River’s Melanie Strong, a venture investor with Next Ventures and like Olander a former Nike vice president. Strong said the industry giants continue to attract highly skilled workers to Oregon. Many eventually leave and start companies. “Talent is emerging from the companies already based here,” she said. An ecosystem has emerged to support those companies — financial firms like Next Ventures, but also corners of academia, including the new Phil and Penny Knight-backed science campus at the University of Oregon, which is working on research that can be commercialized. The biggest concern for industry watchers is what tariffs mean for footwear and apparel companies, most of which make products in Asia. The concerns are heightened for small businesses that don’t have the financial resources of larger companies. Omorpho’s products are made in China, meaning they are now subject to a roughly 145% tax. “That’s not a sustainable path,” Olander said. “It’s going to be bumpy for everyone, as well as for us.” Olander was in Asia last week for prescheduled meetings with the factories that make Omorpho’s products. He’s hoping to move his production to another country and thinks he’s nimble enough to move quickly. “The good thing is we have partners that have operations in other countries, which allows us to pretty quickly change up,” he said. “We can move like a little speed boat, not a big tanker.” Jim Chi is the president of Oregon Sports Angels, another local firm that invests in sportswear companies. He previously worked in supply chain and sourcing for numerous companies, including Nike and Home Depot. Chi didn’t know details about Omorpho’s operations, but he said any small business trying to move out of China will be competing with larger brands that can place bigger factory orders, calling it one of the “difficult” tariff problems that need to be solved. Olander is optimistic, describing his overseas partners as “solutions minded.” Back at Providence Park, before donning a weighted vest and shorts, Chará said he’s hopeful more athletes start to train with Omorpho’s products. “They have a lot of potential to help the young players improve their game,” he said. “Omorpho is a company who’s going up.” – Matthew Kish covers business, including the sportswear and banking industries. Reach him at 503-221-4386, mkish@oregonian.com or @matthewkish. Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe today to OregonLive.com.