Is This the Beginning of a Women-Led Running Brand Boom?
Clocking some new launches by women for women
Over the last two years, I’ve been loud about the need for more women-founded running brands. What feels like once a week, a new brand appears on my feed, launched by a man extoling his “vision” for performance running wear. Some of these brands feel fresh (I’m looking at you, Alex Zono), but more feel like a rinse-and-repeat of the same sterile look.
Given that women are driving much of the growth in the sport1, I’ve been curious to see if it would lead to more brands being founded by them. Researching a story for RUNHER in 2025, I found that ~20% of boutique running brands are women-led and owned (see my list here). There are, of course, a host of systemic reasons why women – and especially women of color – have been lagging behind men when it comes to entrepreneurship in the sport.
But recently, I’ve noticed a shift. In the past few weeks, a host of new women-led running brands have popped up in my feed, and rather than just adding them to my running list, I wanted to surface these newcomers and explore who they’re serving and how. As you’ll see, there’s no meaningful racial diversity in this cohort. Only a few of these new brands are actively investing in plus-sized offerings. There are still a lot of blind spots in the market when it comes to serving women who are not young, white, or thin.
In years past, women founders told me they felt compelled to solve a functional problem for women runners rather than launching a brand based purely on an aesthetic or vibe. While many of the brands listed below tout the problems they’re solving for women, the majority of these newer releases lean more into stylistic expression than functional innovation. And I’m saying that’s a good thing! If dudes can launch brands based off vibes, so can we.
Aesene: Launched in September 2025 by sisters Lucy and Megan Davis, Aesene was born from their “lived experience in sport and the strength of sisterhood.'" Lucy is a British Hyrox athlete with 872K Instagram followers, 370K YouTube followers and deals with brands like Puma, Cadence, Whoop, and more. Aesene’s most differentiated product is their sheer mesh, pocketed long sleeve. I’m also a sucker for a good oversized graphic tee, like this one from their clever “My Heart is Racing” Collection. I fear their striped tight shorts and zippered crop tops veer a little too much into Bandit territory for me, but the degree to which everyone is ripping everyone else off in running (and using all the same vendors) is a topic for another time!
Sash Active: Speaking of Bandit-coded, Sash debuted on Instagram this week, announcing a line of “high-performance sportswear for women who move – at every pace and for every race” coming in August. Based out of Australia, the brand comes from Ashleigh Wiseman, a runner and chiropractor, and Sissi Bergman, a runner and podcaster. In both styling and content, they lean hard into the run girlie race-day vibes, which I am always here for. Note the tie-dye-inspired graphic sets: a theme emerging among these new women-led brands is a healthy embrace of both color and pattern.
Based on fabric cards they posted on Instagram (sorry not sorry, I zoom in!), they are working with Slyletica, an Australian product creator and brand operating firm, founded in 2015 by Simon and Yetta Rawadi on the design and development of Sash.
Uncontainable Active: Out of New Zealand, Uncontainable Active is the brainchild of 400m hurdler Maria Sartin. If some new brands are a bit too copy-paste for my liking, the same cannot be said for Uncontainable Active, which is leading with pink animal print for race day and sponsoring women competing at the World Decathlon Championship.
BOLT Run Co: Equally eye-catching, BOLT launched earlier this year out of Georgia (the state) by runner and photographer, Georgie Latremouille, leading with ‘90s neon race day sets. I love that she took a big swing with this one-shoulder bra style, which is giving 2000s Maggie Vessey in the best way.
Sonny Eyewear: Launched by British athlete/creator Lucy O’Rourke (a Hoka ambassador with 251K followers), Sonny crafts Y2K-style running sunglasses “made for sunshine, born for motion” in colorways like butter yellow and tortoise brown. District Vision for the girlies, if you will. Priced accessibly at 105 GBP/140 USD, the first drop sold out in a day. I’m here for the girlie pop goodwill in their launch video. There’s a restock coming August 13th.
Sarah Marie Running Co: Sarah Marie Running Co goes back to 2016, but I’m including the brand here as she began offering performance styles in fall 2025. Developed with feedback from her community, the Summer Collection features a pocket tank, flowy and tight shorts in soft blues.
EMIE Active: Founded by Brittany Jones, a Massachusetts-based runner, EMIE (Every Mile Is Empowering) is built for the “average” female runner. For a small brand they do an admirable job of shooting their product on a range of body types (offering sizes XS-XXL) and are taking some style swings with pieces like this cropped Cool Down Sweatshirt. I appreciate a few unexpected touches, like the use of a printed tight under a flowy short. To my eye, EMIE’s crop tank and hydration vest mirror MileOff’s (the lime green and lavender colorways don’t help), which may be more of a function of using the same factories/mills more than an intentional copy-and-paste.
Chica: Maggie Klein, founder of Plodders Run Club, launched Chica in spring 2026 with the goal of designing running wear for real women, tackling issues like chafing head-on. Notably, Klein has been vocal and transparent about her commitment to adding more sizes to the range. By fall 2026, Chica will include styles in sizes up to 3X – a rare offering in the running market.
I spoke to Maggie for a RUNHER story on extended sizing, and she admits that the decision is an expensive one (incurring costs for technical design support, more samples, new fit models, product minimums), but worth it to build a business that is committed to supporting every runner.
Stellr – So you know how everyone’s rocking star clips from Amazon for race day? As I was finishing up this piece, Stellr popped-up on my feed offering “oversized, asymmetric” star clips “designed as a reminder that running should celebrate individuality, not conformity.”
I’m not totally sure what the differentiator is here, other than the opportunity to NOT buy star clips on Amazon, but many a buzzy running brand has started from humbler origins (read socks).
From the founder, launch post, ”so while i can’t promise these clips will make you faster, i do hope they make you feel a little more like you. and if they’re not for you, i hope you find whatever is. because running was never meant to make us all the same.”
Stellr and a few other brands in this cohort emphasize self-expression and the idea that having fun and training hard are not mutually exclusive. It’s an important nuance and one many brands continue to miss. While we’ve seen Asics and On lean into mental health messaging and the idea of “soft wins”, winning with women doesn’t have to mean moving away from serious performance. Plenty of women love to compete and love sequins, too.
Things That Caught My Eye ore Ire….
Puresport x Amy Hunt: I’ve often side-eyed Puresport’s marketing because they love to “market the marketing,” crowing over every campaign they launch as if no brand has ever sold electrolytes before.
