Meet rabbit, the Brand Made For Runners, By Running Store Owners
View this post on Instagram
A brand born out of frustration with the current state of running apparel.
After being in the running industry for 20 years and owning her own running store for 13 years and feeling dejected by the uninspiring apparel on the market, rabbit co-founder Monica Devreese was in search of better running apparel. A difficult goal that two women made easy.
During her time in the running industry, Monica met her co-founder Jill Deering and soon found out they one common opinion. While being lifelong runners they both tried all the running apparel out there, but neither ever found anything they loved.
"Some things were too complicated, others too fussy, and plenty were downright ugly." the brand's page exclaims.
Not only did they not find any apparel that was visually appealing to them, they also found that the running apparel at the time didn't consider the specific activity of running and the legitimate needs and demands of a runner.
"With athletic apparel everywhere you look, it’s hard to believe that no one had perfected the running short, but that’s exactly how it felt to us."
View this post on Instagram
From a crazy idea during a run club to a reality.
Deering was a member of the women’s running team Devreese lead through her local running store at the time they met. During a group run she asked “would it be crazy to start a running clothing brand?” Devreese told Outsider Magazine. Devreese answered with a confident no.
The two started to think about what exactly it was that they wanted from running clothes. They asked dozens of runners to sit down for interviews to find exactly they wanted from their running clothes. They chalked up all of the pros and cons of every garment they could get their hands on.
View this post on Instagram
Production. Why not local?
After perfecting the design and frabrics, Devreese and Deering asked themselves how they could make clothes in a way that they felt good about it. The only answer was to manufacture everything in their home state in California.
The brand made sure that ethical and sustainable manufacturing was at the forefront of their brand's mission. By manufacturing their product just 100 miles south of Santa Barbara, the brand has access to advanced manufacturing facilities while allowing the owners to keep a close eye on all aspects of production and the working conditions.
December 2015.
rabbit created a campaign on Kickstarter in December of 2015. The campaign raised more than $45,000. The apparel was a hit.
The brand then made a pledge to the public by partnering with the Clean Sport Collective, a community of athletes, brands, events, clubs and fans that work together to support clean sport. In addition to providing support for the Collective, rabbit requires that all athletes associated with the company—everyone from our PROs to RADrabbits—signs the Clean Sport pledge to train and compete clean.
View this post on InstagramLook good, run good; it’s basically science. #runinrabbit #borntorunfree ? @posesawkwardly
April 2019.
Today, rabbit produces and the team kits for professional Hoka One One athletes and their new consumer-facing apparel.
After learning about the rabbit story, we brought in spring collection at Fleet Feet Old Town. The collection consists of tanks, t-shirts, and shirts. Devreese will be flying to Chicago to host a night with the Fleet Feet Running Club. You can sign up for the night of fun here.
Connect With Us
see the latest from Fleet Feet Chicago