Exclusive: 'If we're going to do it half-assed, let's not do it at all' Co-founder reveals how a Batman chair changed Secretlab forever

Date:
Sat, 15 Aug 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Description:
We discuss Secretlabs expansive collab product line with co-founder and head of partnerships, Alaric Choo.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Founded in 2014 by competitive Starcraft 2 players Ian Ang and Alaric Choo, Secretlab has steadily grown
from one of Singapores countless plucky start-ups to one of the most recognizable gaming chair brands in the world.

The award-winning Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 is its flagship product (named one of the best gaming chairs on the market in our review ). The brand also manufactures a successful line of desks and this year branched into the productivity-focused task chair market with its new Atlas model . Special edition gear has steadily become a key part of the offering as well. Shoppers can scoop up officially licensed products tied to some of the biggest games like Overwatch and Cyberpunk 2077 , massive multimedia franchises including Pokmon and Warhammer, popular esports teams, or even luxury car brands
McLaren and Lamborghini.

But it all began with a certain caped crusader. The Batman blueprint Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) Image 1 of 3 View Original Image 2 of 3 View Original Image 3 of 3 View Original I chose Batman at the start, Choo, who also heads the companys partnerships, explains as I relax on a sofa in his corner office at the
brands HQ. A pile of material samples amassed over years of research and development sits on the glass coffee table in front of me: strips of bright orange fabric designed to look like Dragon Ball hero Gokus iconic robes, a moulded plate inspired by the front of a supercar, a detailed print of the Marauder's Map from Harry Potter , and countless other items. You may like Secretlab's already perfected the gaming chair and now it's going for the home office market with its new Atlas model I think the Secretlab Atlas is a brilliant office chair precisely because its a terrible gaming chair Best gaming chair: top seats that we've tested, and expert buying advice

We were much smaller back then, so we didn't have many options, but Batman
was such a huge IP, and I just felt like it made sense for us, he continues. This was nine years ago and, although other gaming furniture brands have embraced similar collaborations in the years since, Choo says a crossover gaming chair was a novel idea at the time.

DC was kind of like, 'we have a lot of license categories. We have
everything. We have figures, we have statues, we have cups, we have shirts
and bags, but we've never done a chair." Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

In such uncharted territory, Choo reckons that it took a whole year to work out how to approach the products design. It sounds obvious now: a Batman
chair is black, right? But do you go with the iconic Batman, where it's a yellow logo and retro? We were coming off the armor and whatnot the [ Dark Knight] movie was out at the time, so we went that direction. (Image credit: Future) We were thinking about what Batman would sit in; what chair would he have in his bat cave? reveals Choo. The final design is sleek and
understated, adorned with a subtle bat emblem and a carbon-fiber-like
pattern. It looks like something that could exist in the world of comics, and this approach immediately resonated not just with franchise owner Warner
Bros. but also with consumers.

Warner Bros. entered Secretlab in the 2021 Licensing International Excellence Awards, where it won Best Licensed Product in the home dcor category, and the chair remains one of the companys most popular designs. It even caught the attention of Batman artist Jim Lee, who snuck the Secretlab logo onto the heros personal seat in Batman comic book issue #159 . What to read next The Secretlab Atlas is a capable Herman Miller competitor with one big flaw Most comfortable gaming chairs 12 hybrid gaming & office chairs that rival the new Secretlab Atlas

It was crazy. [A picture of the panel] was just sent to us randomly, laughs Choo. I bought three copies: I kept one for myself. I sent one to the guy that's in charge of Warner Bros. in Singapore, and then the third one I
showed my mom. Becoming the experts (Image credit: Future) The success of the Batman chair gave Secretlab plenty of reason to pursue future collaborations, and informed how it approaches each one to this day. We don't want to just
put logos on things and call it a day. We want to go in depth. We want to
know the lore, begins Choo.

Whether it's poring over comic book panels, diving into video games, or watching all the movies or cartoons in a particular series, the team isnt afraid to go deep into the source material of any intellectual property they are working with. If we weren't originally fans of the IP before, we become experts, he adds.

Choo does admit there are occasions when this isnt possible though, like the build-up to a new release where details are kept under wraps: Sometimes we're designing stuff with very little information. We don't like to do that, but sometimes we have to do it.

Walking around the companys global headquarters, its easy to see that employees are encouraged not to shy away from the properties they love. Desks are covered in figurines and other collectibles based on a wide range of games, comic books, manga, movies, and more. Even Choos own space is adorned with nerdy memorabilia. Image 1 of 5 (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) Image 1 of 5 View Original Image 2 of 5 View Original Image 3 of 5 View Original Image 4 of 5 View Original Image 5 of 5 View Original All the IP
that we work with, even currently, a lot of it is stuff that we are very,
very passionate about. I'm a Pokmon fan, so I don't just want to put whatever on a chair. I want to go deep into it with them; I want to collaborate at a high level. I want to come up with, like, assembly manuals that have custom art and that kind of thing, he continues, gesturing to a colorful Genshin Impact print.

Secretlab currently has three separate Pokmon chair designs inspired by Pikachu, Gengar, and Eevee. You might assume that choosing which characters
to base designs on is a simple popularity contest. Still, Choo argues that
the team is actually more concerned with coming up with ideas that are unique and fit Secretlabs premium brand image.

Sometimes a popular Pokmon doesn't have a good color scheme, for example, and it would be off brand for us. We also need to think about Pokmon's guidelines as well; it's one of those things where there are so many rules, he explains. If it's all color, then it's too loud as well. Only a kid would want it. How do I make it tasteful in a way where an older fan can have it in their house, and it will be a good fit? Consistent quality (Image credit: Future)
Secretlab collaborations are characterized by a careful attention to detail, with intricate design elements that often incorporate new materials and manufacturing techniques.

I think we've always gone all out on all of our collabs, says Choo. We have certain manufacturing methods that have become more viable to use. One of the things that we talk about a lot is the embroidery. It's something that I
think companies don't like to use because it's very expensive. It's very time-consuming. We have certain panels that can take seven, eight hours to
do.

We've always gone all out on all of our collabs Alaric Choo, co-founder and technical & partnerships director at Secretlab Secretlabs crossovers with luxury car brands stand out as perhaps the most materially complex in its portfolio. The most premium Automobili Lamborghini editions, for example, are decked out in the same Dinamica microsuede material found on high-end car dashboards and lightweight carbon fiber plating.

Lamborghini is one of the greatest luxury names, so we were thinking about
how we can elevate the partnership, Choo explains as I examine a sturdy black panel from the table. When we look at Lamborghinis, there is a lot of carbon fiber usage. The weave that they use and how they put it together carbon fiber is a pain in the ass to work with. It's like you're layering different sheets, and it bubbles very easily. (Image credit: Future) When we did it, we looked at the shape of the carbon fiber on Lamborghini cars, and we were
like, We think that this is it. We had to come up with a mounting method and learn to use carbon fiber. Obviously, we used it sometimes in certain prototypes, but we hadnt actually mass-produced it, so it was a first for us.

Creating new manufacturing processes and tools can be expensive, but Choo
isnt worried that the added cost could hurt profits. It may not always directly translate financially, but we don't think about things in so much of the short term, he says. In the overall term, it pays off that when we do something, we do it properly. I think that's the main point for us: if we're going to do it half-assed, let's not do it at all.

He thinks that consumers appreciate the overall consistency and have come to expect a lot of effort from the brand: Holding yourself to a very high standard pays off over time.

A privately held company, Secretlab can afford to invest in developing this kind of relationship with consumers in a way that some of its biggest competitors perhaps cant. With the companys value estimated to be nearing the billion-dollar mark back in 2021 , Choos long-term thinking is obviously paying off. Today's best Secretlab deals Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 469 View
See all prices Secretlab Atlas 519 View See all prices We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Follow TechRadar on Google
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