A couple examples to get you going:

Catherine Lepage for Oiselle

Limited Edition Tees in Celebration of Title IX

We are celebrating the 40th anniversary of Title IX with limited edition t-shirts by talented women designers. Catherine is our second featured guest designed on the Title IX project.

Catherine Lepage is from Quebec City, lives in Montreal, loves to create images, studied graphic design in Quebec and then illustration in Strasbourg - France, worked for several years as an art director in a big firm, and now works at home for fabulous clients.

Catherine's design is entitled 'go girl'. Catherine explains that the little girl is a symbol of the possibilities Title IX gave girls. "In the 50's - 60's, girls were expected to play with dolls, wear dresses, have perfect hair. A perfect little girl was quiet and clean. So the design shows a vintage perfect little girl, and the sports icons overprinted on her are the new possibilities that title 9 offers her."

Check out Catherine's Work
Catherine's Website: www.catherinelepage.com
Buy her limited edition tee for oiselle here: go girl tee

'Go Girl' by Catherine Lepage for Oiselle

'Podium' by Catherine Lepage for Oiselle

>> Shop 'Go Girl' limited edition tee <<

>> Shop 'Podium' limited edition tee <<

Amanda Parrish a runner on the Oiselle team. She lives and trains in Connecticut. She is an English teacher and also coaches track at her school. She loves to travel and she explores her destinations while running.

Get to know Amanda by checking out her Oiselle Profile. She also blogs at Bid Me Run.

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Toward Forgiveness

By Amanda Parrish

The kids on the track team that I coach like to say that I tell the same stories over and over again: my favorite is the one about how I used to be the worst girl on my high school cross country team.

Growing up, I took ballet lessons and occasionally played outfield for a losing softball team. I was overweight and teased about it. I tried out for the volleyball team, and despite the fact that I spent the week before tryouts practicing serving a soccer ball, or the fact that I am only 5’2 now and likely didn’t reach above 5’0 then, was shocked when I did not make the team. 

After a few solid hours of wracking sobs, I came downstairs and told my mom I’d like to join the cross country team. She and my dad have both told me several times how proud they were of me in this moment. Only recently did I figure out why their pride sort of confused me. I did not decide to do cross country because I considered myself too tough to let a bad day get me down, as I think they must have assumed, but because the skinniest girls I knew were on the cross country team. 

No waif now (often told that I “don’t look like a runner” by someone I’ve outkicked at a local 5k), I looked less like a runner, or an athlete of any kind, then: twenty pounds heavier and mostly free of muscle, I had to walk on all the runs we did the first week of practice (the longest my group was assigned, if I remember correctly, was two miles). I finished last in the mile time trial, at 8:12 and finished my first 4k in over 25 minutes after walking a significant portion of the middle mile. 

I tell myself that I tell this story to my athletes because when they express admiration for my 12-season college running career, the mileage I still put in, my marathon PR or my willingness to hammer a long run with the varsity boys, I want them to see that running, particularly distance running at the high school level, requires a lot more tenacity than talent. 

There is another, more complicated reason I tell this story, though: I have been running away from that overweight, frizzy-haired girl who used to put ice cream and sprinkles on top of Enntemen’s Pound Cake when no one was home for almost 16 years. 

When, as a graduate student, I first started coaching high school students, I made myself a promise that I would stop some of the bad habits I’d developed over the years: no more standing in front of the mirror punching myself in the stomach when putting my finger down my throat failed to induce vomiting, no more ordering laxatives online to avoid the shame of purchasing them in person, no more finagling Celebrex prescriptions from my physical therapist so I could keep running 70 miles a week…I had the sense (which I still feel was correct) that somehow this behavior, and this treatment of myself would wear off on the girls I was charged with guiding. 

I’ve always run for and coached teams with a no-cuts policy. It is, of course, this no-cuts policy that allowed me to become a runner. If I’m being completely honest, this policy can sometimes be frustrating: there are kids on the team who don’t really want to be there (“doing a sport will look good for colleges!) and there are kids on the team for whom a splinter is a welcome excuse for a cross training day. In more abstract terms, the fact that we don’t make cuts does have the effect of lowering the esteem of the track team, at least in the eyes of some other athletes. 

Yesterday, one of the other coaches was talking about how many of the “girls who can’t run” have quit. Everyone present (all adults) expressed relief—after all, 90 kids is a lot to keep track of, and ones who don’t want to be there tend to require more attention. I thought about my 14-year-old self, just cut from the volleyball team, mostly friendless, walking during races, probably exaggerating the pain of my shin-splints to avoid the humiliation of chugging along behind everyone during interval sessions. How would I treat her if she were on my team? How did she deserve to be treated? How do I deserve to treat myself? 

I often tell my students and my colleagues that I simply love running. I do. Running makes me feel energetic, capable, free, proud, like I’ve stolen a vacation before anyone else is even out of bed. Most of the time running lets me feel like I deserve to fuel my body. Racing gives me a much-needed competitive outlet, and most often, both training and racing, even on bad days, remind me that I’m tough, that I’m the kind of person who is willing to put it all on the line. I love running for where it has allowed me to travel, the people it has allowed me to meet, and the person it has allowed me to become. There is something, though, that I have not quite yet been able to do, even in the healthy adult role model mindset that coaching genuinely has fostered. I have not been able to forgive that fourteen year old girl. 

Yesterday, I thought about why I love coaching. It gets me outside when I’d otherwise be correcting yet another set of essays. It lets me get to know my students in a new way. I have company for tempo runs and fartleks and everyone knows that long runs go by much faster with company (especially when that company is rattling off a long series of hilarious one-liners). Maybe coaching is starting to move me toward forgiveness. 

This Saturday Oiselle Headquarters showed love for the run at the 'Love em or Leave em' 5k at Green Lake. Kristin, team Oiselle manager and Sally made up team Icarus 2.0. While I had the honor of trying my best to chase down Oiselle team superstar, Jen Bigham's, blonde ponytail to complete team Big Mac Attack (BIGham, MACkay...). Both Icarus 2.0 and Big Mac Attack won our respective combined age group for women!

I love the team names haha. Especially "Our Buns are .... BOOM Baby" So many silly team names. And this shows you how the scoring was done, basically they add your ages up to get your division, then add your time up. So we were 58 and ran 34:51. Which would actually be pretty dang sweet. New life goal?

Kristin had to skip out before awards, so we carried her loot for her. What a fun race!

Did you run a Valentine's Dash?

Regina Volpi Baerwalde for Oiselle

Limited Edition Tees in Celebration of Title IX

We are celebrating the 40th anniversary of Title IX with limited edition t-shirts by different women designers. Regina is our first featured guest designed on the Title IX project.

Regina Volpi Baerwalde is originally from Atlanta, Georgia but now resides in Seattle where she works as a designer and illustrator for clients of all shapes and sizes. When not designing, she can be found, running, playing soccer, reading, cooking and constantly doodling.

Regina's design is entitled 'heart sports' and comes in two color ways: pink and gray. The heart is made up of all kinds of sports equipment, everything you could dream up. It's a celebration of the love of sports.

She also designed the Wilma R tee, a combination of Wilma's inspirational quotes in hand-drawn font.

Check Out Regina's Work

Regina's Website: www.reginavolpibaerwalde.com
Buy her limited edition tee for oiselle here: heart sports tee, wilma r tee

Heart Sports by Regina Volpi Baerwalde 

Wilma R by Regina Volpi Baerwalde

Ya'll know Mondays are tough, but that's why you get amped up for them. Tuesday, now that's a sneaky day. Keep your heart inspired and your feet moving strong, beautiful women! Happy Tuesday!

A good capri is a staple of any girls running wardrobe. And the world is filled with workout capris. So when we created the Lesley Knicker we knew it had to be made specifically for running and offer something unique, high quality and purposeful. Yes, of course you can get your down dog or hundred on in the Lesley Knickers, but every detail was made first and foremost for getting your miles in.

We have gotten great feedback on the Lesley Knickers over the years. But one thing that the majority of you wished for was "more compression". When you pulled on the Lesley Knickers you wanted to feel that supportive hug of the fabric (without losing any of the stretch). So after a couple of seasons tracking down the perfect fabric blend, we have updated the Lesley Knicker! It's more compressive. It's more breathable. It's ready for more miles.

The details we obsessed over are the reason we love the Lesley Knicker:

High compression with super stretch = happy legs mile after mile. Flatlock stitching throughout means ZERO chaffing. Even happier legs.

Breathable mesh panels behind knees and at hip add breathability. The Lesley Knickers fabric is perfected blended to pull sweat away from the body and release it. Wicking with high breathability is crucial to a running capri. We wear these knickers daily in Seattle (fall, winter, spring... even summer). Oiselle office tested and office approved.

In my opinion, there can never be enough zip storage in running apparel. The last thing you want to think about is your key bouncing out during the run. And no one likes carrying their sports gel in their running bra. Seriously. Zip it! The perfect back pocket for a key, Gatorade money or a sports gel for the long run.

We hope you love the NEW Lesley Knicker as much as we do - and as always we'd love to hear from you! [email protected]

So next week is big! That’s when we’ll launch the first two designs of our Power of 9 collection – a collaborative project with Title Nine in celebration of the 40^th Anniversary of the Title IX Enactment which really kick started women’s sports in a big way across the country. As I watch my daughters, ages 9 and 13, compete, run, play soccer, and make sports an every day part of their lives, I am floored by the amount of change that has taken place in forty years – and how lucky we all are to not even question that this is the norm.

As for the celebratory tee collection, a bit of background first…

Before I started Oiselle, I worked as a brand strategist for my own company Waywords. And before that, I did the same type of work for a boutique design firm here in Seattle, now owned by Fitch. My work was all about translating business strategies into design ideas (whether it was a company name, logo, set of messages, or website). The work was fun because businesses desperately need creativity…and creativity needs a lot of help getting up the corporate ladder. And it was my experience working with brands like Nike, Reebok, and Nordstrom that gave me the confidence to start Oiselle. (My primary observation, once working with these companies, was that there was no secret sauce – and that when it came to women runners, I knew as much, if not more, than they did. Or at least that’s what entrepreneurial ego told me! Sucker.)

So when I started Oiselle, I always knew that good design would be central to who we are and what we do. Part of apparel design is fabric and silhouettes, and where you put that handy zippered pocket. But for me, another very important part is the texture that graphics can bring to a garment to give it meaning, a personality, or even a message. That’s what’s behind our success in graphic tees – and was also the kernel of the idea for the Power of 9 collection.

The Title IX Anniversary seemed like the ideal occasion to seek collaboration with Title Nine, one of my all time favorite companies. A company that I had been following since its first catalog in the early 90’s, and whose founder Missy Park, I admire a ton. Teaming up with Missy – as well as a select group of top-notch women designers – at first seemed like a fanciful, unlikely dream. But thanks to Missy’s interest – and our agreement on the significance of the anniversary – we agreed the time was right. That was almost a year ago!

Next week, you will see the first two designs (out of a total of seven, that will be unveiled between now and May). No peeking yet! But just keep an eye on the blog later this week. I will introduce you to the first two designers, and tell you more about them. Their work, both for this project, and others – is incredible. (I will just drop one little hint about the first design…it would be PERFECT for a Valentine’s gift, for anyone who LOVES sports.) Viva women in sports! Viva the power of 9!

THE HISTORY

When did you start running?
I basically started jogging about 4 weeks into my freshman year at college when I stepped on the scale to see I was ½ way to the dreaded “Freshman 15” a mere month into the school year.  My trajectory was not looking good.

First race? 
Run to the Farside in San Francisco

When did you run your first marathon? And if we may ask, why?  
I ended up loving jogging and decided to try and turn it more into a “run”.  Running became such a great outlet for me at school that it quickly became an integral part of every day.  I decided since my mom was a marathoner, that I should try one too, and chose the Big Sur Marathon (April, 1989) because it was close to where I was in school (Santa Clara University).  Little did I know until I drove the course the day before the race, that it is known to be one of the hillier marathons you can run.  I cried on the shuttle bus to the start line of the race because I was soooo scared.  But my mom came down from Seattle to root me on and although the course was indeed hilly, it was so spectacular;  I was hooked after that.

THE OLYMPIC TRIALS PREPARATION

Did you run any 'check-in' races as you prepared?
3-4 weeks prior to a marathon I try to do a hard ½ marathon.  Those results help me adjust or solidify my marathon goals but doing it 3-4 weeks out still gives me plenty of time to recover.  The older I get, the longer the recovery is.

Twitter Question from Lauren Bogenberger (@bogenber26): “How do you mentally prepare and sort through the pressure and nerves?” 
Well, I’ve had it both ways where my mental preparation has gone well, but I’ve also been defeated by myself as well.  My most successful races though I try to come up with a super short phrase (“Give 100%”,“Believe”, “Dig Deep”, “No regrets”) that I write on my hand, and I think of the people who are rooting for me back home and draw strength from them.  And I also remember a quote from Shalane Flannagan years ago who obviously REALLY has pressure on her, and she said “pressure is a privilege” -- there is something to that as well.

THE RACE

Twitter Question from Frency Moore (@runningfrency) “Will you be wearing rundies at the trials?!”
Ooooh, I don’t have those yet, but I will be happily sporting some awesome shopoiselle.uspression shorts and a sassy striped tank.  I can’t wait.

What is your race day routine?
I am a total creature of habit.  I will do a shake-out run of 5 minutes 3 ¼ hours before the start.  I then have a large cup of black coffee, and an English muffin with peanut butter and a banana.  I’ll warm-up with ~ 1 ½ miles 30 minutes before the gun goes off.  And I (unfortunately) won’t sleep a wink the night before.

Do you have good luck charms/traditions?
Nope!

What are your race day goals? 
My A Goal is to finish the race.  I didn’t in 2008 and I want to (and will) this time!  My B Goal is to feel good and enjoy the experience – ideally I will start somewhat conservatively and then negative split, but that is sometimes easier said than done.  And obviously, a PR would be great!  U-turns and sharp corners are not my forte though so we’ll see how bad they are in Houston.  I’ll take a hill to a u-turn any day.

Who’s your support team on the course? 
The Oiselle crew (Sally, Sarah and Sarah), my husband, 2 kids, mom and step-parents.  I’m excited.
                                              __________________________

I can't wait to cheer her on! Susan will be hard to miss - she'll be racing in my favorite Spring 12 piece: The Simplicity Tank.

If you'd like to read more about the contenders check out the official Olympic Trials Marathon 2012 Houston website.

2011: “It’s one louder, isn’t it?”

(YouTube: Spinal Tap Clip)

2011 was another year at full volume. I’d say we were getting the hang of it (the start-up life), except that each year has been completely different. But what I always tell myself is that it beats working in a cubicle or counting the minutes ‘til quitting time (both of which I’ve done). In that respect, and others as well (like revenue and growth), 2011 was a rocking success. Although not entirely sad to be leaving it behind, 2011 had more highs than lows. So without further adieu, Oiselle’s Top 13 of 2011:

One

Our Elite and Ambassador Teams took off. 2011 saw a crazy amount of growth in our elite and ambassador teams, where we went from a handful of athletes, to more than fifty amazing women pursuing incredible goals, from the 800m to 100k ultras, all around the country. When I need a lift, I read their inspiring quotes (“You can’t fake your dreams.” True that Marci Klimek).  And if you haven’t read Oiselle athlete Erin Ward’s blog posts about running the 2011 NYC Marathon, and rooming with the winner, do so immediately. I firmly believe this woman is the next David Sedaris. (Lastly, a special thanks to new staff member Kristin Metcalf, @kemetcalf, for being the organizational force behind our teams.)

There are too many team accomplishments to list; just a few: Jen “Blue Ribbon” Bigham, @jenbigham, of New York (left) who won 12 of her 17 road races (including a 5K PR of 16:40 and a Half PR of 1:18:05); and Marci Klimek (right) of Oregon won the Portland Marathon in 2:46. Two Oiselle athletes, Becki Michael, @beckimichael9, and Susan Empey will compete in this month’s Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston.

Two

We added depth to our investor bench. In early 2011, I was on a mission to find the right financing path for Oiselle, from self-funding (which was pretty much tapped out from the early days) to a full blown, multi-million dollar Venture Capital infusion. I feel incredibly lucky to have found the Angel Investor route, and the backers we have today. Our small group of athletically-minded friends who “get it” – and share our vision for thoughtfully aggressive growth (vs. getting big at the expense of everything else, including people, product and culture).

Among Oiselle’s investors are a sub-4 minute miler, NCAA Stand Out, and multi-time Boston finisher…not to mention killer Halloween costumers. (Top: Team Lesko, @boblesko and @drlesko, Bottom Right: Team Lesko in disguise. Bottom Left: Mason Reay, @runhydrated, suits up for the office run.)

Three

Reconnecting with running’s inside story. 2011 was about getting back in touch with my inner super fan. Not just of the elite athletes who inspire us, but also of running culture itself…its players (hello @laurenfleshman), places (2011 USATF Nationals at Hayward Field, incredible!) and ambitions for change (the TFAA is redefining how elite track and field athletes make a living). I feel so fortunate to be a bit player in what I think is one of the most amazing sports in the world.

Star sighting! Yes, I interrupted Shalane Flanagan’s (@shalaneflanagan) lunch at a Portland restaurant so I could beg her for a fan photo. Can’t wait to watch her vie for the Olympic Team at the marathon trials later this month!

Four

 Oiselle.com growth and Social “Mania.” Oiselle.com, Facebook, Pinterest, Blogs, and my fave, Twitter, rose to the top as powerful ways to connect with YOU and create interesting, funny, enlightening friendships with runners all over the world. The ride has become about more than just the quest for better apparel…it’s now a multi-layered story that involves so many people who I consider part of our journey.

Five

Rundies. The frenzy that surrounded our launch of day-of-the-week underwear for runners was a simple reminder that crazy ideas work. And that we want to continue to have fun, not take ourselves too seriously, and always cross pollinate the new with the old, the expected with the unexpected, and the real world with the runner world. We already have several surprises planned for 2012. So stay tuned for more apparel-inspired frivolity!

Six

Finally…an out-of-house warehouse. Okay, this might only inspire us inside people, but it’s big. It means beginning this month, we will warehouse and distribute all of our apparel from a centralized facility that specializes in picking and packing. Believe me, this is a good thing for our customers too, who will find faster turnaround times and fewer errors.

Seven

Power of 9. I’ve long admired the company Title Nine  (@titlenine). So it was a huge honor to get to work closely with Founder Missy Park on the creation of a special collection of graphic tees that celebrate the 40^th Anniversary of the Title IX Enactment. The law brought radical new levels of equality to women’s sports across the country, and kick started collegiate sports for women as we know them today. (The first styles of the collection debut in February…keep an eye on titlenine.com and shopoiselle.us to snag one of these limited edition designs.)

Eight

Second year of 100% growth. Bam. Crazy things happen when you keep doing what you love – and move fast. Without a doubt, this growth is directly attributable to our expanding team. 2011 was the year of building an amazing staff. Every day, I love coming to the office and working side by side with smart, interesting, fun, talented people who Oiselle is blessed to call its own.

Super model, social media maven, Oiselle partner, uber talented runner…Sarah Mac (@threestarfish) really does have wings.

Nine

Oiselle is now sold in 265 doors across US. We are incredibly grateful to be working with some of the best running stores in the country – as we remain committed to this channel…where runners get the best service and products to fuel their love of the sport. Many of our running store partners have been with us since the beginning, sharing our vision for new levels of style and quality.

Left: Gail and Ty of Super Jock ‘n’ Jill. Right: Dave Sobolik and team at FitRight Northwest (@FitRightNW).

Ten

Partnering with other start-ups. Nuun (@ministryofnuun), Picky Bars (@pickybars), Handful Bras (@handfulbra), Running Evolution (@runningevolution), Banana Blossom (@bananablossom), Kind Bars (@kindbars)…we love working with fellow start-ups and small companies as we all have similar missions to create something new and different – and have succeeded based on an authentic love of what we’re doing.

Food and drink for runners (and the occasional dog).  

Eleven

Solidifying the “Oiselle Core.” Being five years old also, thankfully, means that we know the styles you love best. As we move forward, my goal is to constantly innovate while also maintaining popular favorites, including the Roga Short, Lesley Knicker, all of our running tees, Hoodies, lightweight Jackets, arm warmers, and Rundies of course!

 

Pack leaders: Roga Shorts, Start Line Tee and Lesley Knickers

Twelve

Updating my personal running journey. I’ve been a runner almost forever. For 20+ years it came easy: run almost every day, train with impunity, race well. 2011 was the year my body said “enough!” and forced me to rethink how I approach my sport. Although I went into it kicking and screaming, I am grateful for that message, as I’m now discovering the power of cross training and strengthening my body in ways I never did before (because I didn’t have to). This coming year, I plan to only run 4 days per week (as opposed to my usual 6) plus two days of cross training, to keep me fit and competing as long as I can lace my shoes.

Thirteen

Lucky 13…Running friends are forever. No explanation necessary, really. I would never have the courage to do what we do if it weren’t for the love, humor, companionship, silliness, passion, and kindness of my running friends. Love you guys. Let’s do this. Let’s turn up the volume to 12!

My Sarahs…Lesko and MacKay, as we game up for the Fremont 5K.

Beautiful runner women, getting ready to roll out on the Sunday Long Run.

No sleet, nor snow, nor dark of night will keep us from our rounds…ER, Larisa (@zagrunner23) and Liz (@The_Woz_) on the snow covered Burke-Gilman Trail.

New Years weekend is here and resolutions are in the air. Runners don't make resolutions. We set goals. And this past week we asked you all to send in your 2011 triumphs and 2012 goals and I read all 300+ entries! I read them at work, I read them on my phone in bed, I read them at stoplights and waiting for coffee. And I felt like my own battery was charging as I read your awe-inspiring successes (even in the face of hopeless odds), your comebacks and HUGE goals for 2012.

As you begin making your goals for 2012 and looking back at your accomplishments in 2011, check out what your fellow runners are up to (here on Facebook). Encourage each other, and feel free to share your story. I can't wait to see what you all do this year - I'm so inspired by you all.

(just a smattering of goals + triumphs below)

We just welcomed 6 new runners to the Oiselle team! I love putting up the new profiles online because they are so inspiring. They answer questions like why do you run? Do you have a quote that inspires your running? What's your favorite post-race treat? Here's a few answers (quotes) below to inspire your running.

Do you have a quote that inspires your running?

I am strong enough, I am fast enough, and I am ready for this.

(Hannah Sydnor-Greenberg's profile)

Here's a real collective: Jen Bigham's racing photo, Susan Empey's favorite quote from Livestrong.