After making an unsuccessful attempt to return to her previous level of rowing, Giles soon channelled her energies in a different direction. Her company was founded in 2000, and it has prospered, enjoying growth figures of 25 per cent in recent years, with its turnover rising in excess of £1 million ($1.5 million/€1.2 million) this year.

Crewroom supports many charities and counts many charities among its clients. It supplies the official race shirt to one of London's most popular events, the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon. Kate herself is a keen runner and cyclist.

The company has also just been announced as the technical sponsor for the Royal Parks Ultra (a 50 kilometre event in central London this October) and has also announced its sponsorship support for the 2013 London Duathlon – billed as the world's largest duathlon – which will be held in Richmond Park on Sunday, September 15.

In 2011 Crewroom signed a three-year deal as kit sponsors to the London Youth Games.

All the Crewroom kit is designed and road-tested in the UK, drawing upon a pool of British talent from the London School of Fashion to performance athletes, many of whom have represented Britain at international level.

Crewroom supplies shirts to the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon

Giles has followed through her fundamental emphasis on sustainability – that is, potentially sustaining athletes' careers – with more conventional, technical developments.

Crewroom shirts are created using bamboo charcoal technology and incorporate recycled polyester – each shirt uses around 10 recycled plastic bottles. Of the 50,000 products sold last year by Crewroom, around 40 per cent used this technology.

The technological advances for production were achieved in 2007 in order to meet the sustainability requirements of the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon. Bamboo charcoal is a fast growing and sustainable resource which grows naturally in a managed environment. When the bamboo is cut it is carbonised into charcoal particles and blended with polyester to form the company's unique brand.

The polyester is formed by shattering used plastic bottles into tiny particles, which are washed and then melted together. From this, recycled fibres are created which are ready to be drawn into yarn.

The bamboo charcoal yarn and the recycled polyester yarn are then woven together to create a two-layer fabric, with the internal bamboo charcoal layer offering a soft feel, with the more durable polyester element on the outside. The design allows for temperature regulation and airflow through the fabric.

The basic Crewroom approach is to ensure the kit it produces is of sufficient quality that the will be "re-cycled", that is, re-worn, by the appreciative owner for years after.

"We try as far as possible to be sustainable," Giles said. "The Parks approach was to produce an environmentally fresh start to this race. In the past people had been recycling by putting their shirts in bins and then having them sent to Africa.

"Our shirts themselves are sustainable, and we make them very, very well so they continue to be worn after ten years. We make sure everything is well made. We like to produce shirts that people will want to wear again after their races. All the fabrics are eco-friendly."

Crewroom shirts are created using bamboo charcoal technology and recycled polyester, with each shirt using 10 recycled plastic bottles


Different colour use offers different designs each year – the idea is that they are recognisable, so when runners meet each other they will wave in acknowledgement and say "hello". "It's just like with Volkswagen owners who say hello to each other on the road," says Giles.

The company recently secured a collaboration with new customer Greenpeace. As one of the world's leading environmental charities, Greenpeace only does business with companies that take environmental issues extremely seriously, and Crewroom ticks that box.

"We had to go through a lot of checks on our factories," Giles said. "Greenpeace don't get just anyone to produce shirts for them. I think our supplying of the Royal Parks race with race shirts helped establish our green credentials as far as they were concerned."

Fabric production and garment manufacturing take place within a tight circle of trade – all within a 200 mile radius in southern China. The kit is then shipped in bulk by sea to further minimise the carbon footprint. Crewroom works directly with the manufacturers and is proud to have built-up close working relationships with them.

Each year, Kate buys 40,000 metres of material and makes frequent trips to China to liaise with the manufacturers. When she travels over there, the 6ft 3in former rower finds that she attracts considerable attention.

"When I am walking in the street I notice people staring at me, and sometimes whistling," she says. "They call me 'very high lady'.

"But it's actually being a woman in that position, rather than being a tall woman, which seems most unusual to people. They are more used to having meetings with Western men.

"I believe in trying to talk to people in the right way. That makes a big difference. I have learnt a bit of Chinese, but when I visit everyone seems to be able to speak English. So for me it is more a case of learning about Chinese history, and their customs."

Among the athletes who feature on the Crewroom website are British former rowers Toby Garbett, the double Olympian and two-times world champion, and Baz Moffat, who won medals at World Cups and a bronze in the women's eight at the 2007 World Championships.

Double Olympian and former world champion rower Toby Garbett is among the athletes who wear Crewroom kit

In the lead-up to the London 2012 Games, Crewroom's deal involved them collaborating with the official Team GB kit designer Stella McCartney. "Each bit of clothing was styled in a different way," Giles said. "It was a case of working through the design and just being patient. It was not always easy, but the process was fun a lot of the time."

Earlier this year, the brand spread itself a little further as it won a deal to supply kit to one of the world's leading obstacle races – the Spartan Race, based in Cambridge and run by former Royal Marine Commando Richard Lee and his partner Selica Sevigny.

Crewroom will work in conjunction with series sponsors Reebok to supply all the merchandising and racing apparel, including 100,000 finishers' race shirts.

"We're delighted that Spartan Race have chosen Crewroom as their partner for all their forthcoming UK and Canadian events," said Giles. "I'm sure 2013 is going to be a great year for us."

It is certainly looking that way.

Mike Rowbottom, one of Britain's most talented sportswriters, covered the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics as chief feature writer for insidethegames, having covered the previous five summer Games, and four winter Games, for The Independent. He has worked for the Daily Mail, The Times, The Observer, The Sunday Correspondent and The Guardian. To follow him on Twitter click here.