When it comes time for the summer Olympic games in Paris, the Canadian women’s beach volleyball team will be a standout for its one-shoulder bikini tops.
The uniforms, designed by Canadian active swimwear company Left on Friday, were unveiled Tuesday on the company’s website and social channels.
Designing a look for athletes who need extra power when delivering a killer volleyball shot may not seem all that unique. But when the swimwear company’s cofounders, Laura Low Ah Kee and Shannon Savage, went to the International Olympic Committee to OK the suit, officials said they had never been asked to approve a one-shoulder uniform.
The women had to go back to the IOC when they needed to adjust the silhouette to accommodate a left-handed player, just to make sure there wouldn’t be any complications. This is the third year that Left on Friday, based in Vancouver, has partnered with the Canadian women’s beach volleyball team to design and outfit players with uniforms, bikinis and accessories. “It has been a dream come true to support and work with Volleyball Canada to design uniforms that are not only meant to enhance and support elite athletes’ performance but also look good while doing it,” Low Ah Kee said.
The seeds for the partnership happened rather haphazardly, shortly after the two former Lululemon executives launched Left on Friday in 2018. One of the volleyball team’s players, Shanice Marcelle, had been wearing Left on Friday suits purchased on her own. She reached out to the swimwear makers about being one of her additional sponsors.
For the newly minted company, it was too early to think about sponsorships. But they built a relationship with Marcelle by supplying her with suits. Soon, other athletes on the Canadian women’s beach volleyball team were wearing Left on Friday products, which helped the company perfect the fit for some of its styles. “We’ve always been involved in product testing and working with athletes to make sure we can solve problems they may have with the product,” Low Ah Kee said.
So, a few years ago, when Lululemon gave up sponsorship of the beach volleyball team, it was only natural that Left on Friday would step in to design their outfits. The company outfits approximately 40 athletes who wear various sizes and have different measurements. Left on Friday swimsuits have a cup size that goes up to a DD+.
Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson test out their uniforms on the beach. Photo by Coliena Rentmeester.
For the upcoming Olympic games, Left on Friday also created team uniforms with short-sleeve cropped sun tops to wear over swim tops for extra coverage. Uniforms come in three colorways: maroon, white and neon red. “When approaching the uniforms, we had two key priorities,” said Savage, who oversees design and products. “It was important that we deliver on the promise of comfort, which would in turn allow the athletes to focus entirely on their performance. Secondly, we want them to stand out in their big moment.”
Left on Friday, whose name comes from the idea of leaving on Fridays for a weekend of adventure, employed its signature Italian-made technical fabric made of nylon, polyester and 18 percent Lycra to enable the uniforms to deliver more compression, flexibility and support.
Since its beginning, swimwear has been the backbone of Left on Friday’s product offerings. Initially, swimsuits were made in a small factory in northern California. But as Left on Friday has grown, more of its main product is manufactured at a factory in Taiwan. Currently, swimwear makes up 90 percent of the company’s revenues, which are in the eight-figure range.
But that could change as Left on Friday explores other lifestyle categories with more clothing options. In recent years, the company has introduced leggings, cupro and linen button-down shirts, pants and linen dresses as well as activewear including fleece sweatshirts, sweatpants, jerseys and shorts made from cotton fabric milled in Los Angeles.
Since its inception, the Canadian company has relied on e-commerce to fuel its growth, with the United States making up 80 percent of sales and the rest in Canada. There have been a few pop-up stores in Toronto and Vancouver. But that will change.
The swimwear company is taking a big step soon to open its first permanent store, which will be in the United States. The team has been scouting location around Los Angeles, concentrating on the trendy seaside neighborhood of Venice. “We hope to have something by this summer,” Low Ah Kee said. “I’ve been checking out the streets every day.”