GETTIN’ OUR CREATIVE ON!

Remember us? We realize it’s been a good long while (a.k.a., waaaay too long) since we’ve blogged. But it’s not because we’re lazy. On the contrary, we’ve been busier than ever, busting out some super cool creative projects along with our regular line up of tri/bike/run gear. 

As a boutique apparel brand, we always have an eye on the latest color, design and fashion trends and new ways to get our creative on. The driving force behind SOAS is owner/designer Steph, and there’s nothing she loves better than getting lost in the studio, crafting custom designs and special projects. Sure, she also spends time on the sewing floor, in sales meetings, sourcing raw materials and crunching numbers–all critical to running a successful clothing business–but by far her favorite duties involve design work. Hand Steph a colored pencil set and a sketchpad and she’ll be your friend for life! Fortunately for Steph, we manufacture many of our SOAS items in-house, and because production is literally at our fingertips we have the freedom and flexibility to, well, play! Here’s a look at the projects we’ve worked on recently...

Project Penny

SOAS Racing teammates Julia Polloreno, Jené Shaw and Holly Bennett tackled the inaugural Challenge Penticton (an iron-distance triathlon) in Canada in August–and wrote about it in a series of columns titled Project Penny. 



We couldn’t let the girls go on this international adventure without being properly accessorized, so we created a range of items to accompany their Vintage Race Tri Kits. The Project Penny accoutrements included personalized oversized tees, scarves and flip-flops. 

Booth Business 
Next up was Interbike, the be-all and end-all event in the bike industry. Not only did we build our own booth from the ground up, we created custom displays–like our chalkboard-style signage and Navy Nantucket and Vintage Race themed boards–to draw buyers in and sell our wares. Our hook worked–or maybe it was the wine we served at happy hour. Either way, Interbike 2013 was our most successful trade show to date!

Kona Co-Branding Collaboration

We were honored by the opportunity to create custom co-
branded gear to outfit the Triathlete Magazine crew on the ground in Kona during October’s Ironman World Championship. We opted for color-bright beachy racer-back tanks, cool-as-can-be trucker hats, jute tote bags and even dashing dolman-style tees for the guys (our first ever venture into menswear).
If you’re a fan of the festive colors and styles, we have a limited number available on sale now.

Linsey’s Lucky 13

To know pro triathlete Linsey Corbin is to love her–so we were thrilled to help with Linsey Corbin's Lucky 13 project (13 days of products and preparation for the 2013 Ironman World Championship, wherein she and hubby Chris created a 13-day video series highlighting Linsey’s sponsors, training, ever-positive attitude and sense of humor). Steph took on the visual branding for the project and decorated Linsey’s signature finish line cowboy hat to match. Here’s a video showing the hat’s creation:

Hell On Wheels

Rather than hoofing it around the island during race week in Kona, we rolled in style on custom cruiser bikes.

(OK, we admit–they were actually off-the-Wal-Mart-rack models made by Huffy, but we upped their cool factor immeasurably with the addition of SOAS stickers!)

Now that you’ve learned a little more about our capabilities, we’re curious to know what kind of special projects you’d like to see from SOAS? (Because you never know when Steph is going to get that creative itch!) And what about lifestyle products–is there anything you jones for from your favorite tri/bike/run brand that would cross over to everyday wear? As our company continues to grow, we certainly plan to broaden our apparel offerings–and your feedback is invaluable as we continually carve out our unique approach to fashion-meets-function!

- the SOAS crew