Felix Trailblazes On & Off the Track; Founds Saysh, Women Centered Lifestyle Brand
At the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Allyson Felix cemented her place in history, becoming the most decorated Olympic athlete in the history of track and field.
In Japan, she secured a bronze medal in the 400 meters and a gold in the 400 meter relay to add to her extensive medal tally from previous Olympics. This brings her total to 11 Olympic medals, with 7 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze.
So, who better than Felix to design a shoe for female runners everywhere?
In June 2021, Felix announced the launch of her clothing brand, Saysh.
The first shoe by the brand is the Saysh One. The shoe was designed with the female figure in mind. It is sculpted to fit the shape and form of women's feet.
Source: Saysh
The shoe features a snug lacing system and a single heel piece. It comes in three colors reminiscent of ocean tones: black, blue, and white. The result is a shoe that is effortlessly elegant and comfortable.
The shoes are not only elegant, but there is also a powerful story behind them.
Felix’s journey to creating her own shoe brand began when she told the largest show brand in the world that she would not simply “know [her] place and just run.”
Most elite runners are signed to one of two running shoe giants, New Balance or Nike. Felix, being a track and field superstar, was no different. She was signed to Nike for the duration of her professional athletic career. While at Nike, she was one of their most widely marketed athletes.
However, when Felix became pregnant in 2019, Nike offered her a contract with a significant salary cut. The new contract was reportedly a 70% less than her typical contracts. The phenom of women’s careers being negatively impacted in response to their pregnancy is something seen across nearly all sectors of profession, and is especially impactful in the sports industry.
"I've been asking for change and speaking up, and it just got to a point where I needed to create that myself."
- Allyson Felix
Felix decided she would not accept this, and left Nike.
In 2019, she signed a deal with Athleta. Athleta is a female-oriented athletic brand that integrates performance and technical features owned by the Gap company. This contract made Felix the first-ever sponsored athlete for Athleta.
In addition to leaving Nike, Felix redirected her experiences into creating her own brand of running shoes for athletes like her called Saysh. Felix serves as the president of Saysh president, and her brother serves as the Chief Executive Officer.
Saysh is explicitly designed to be an alternative to the male-oriented sneaker companies that drive the sports world.
This is a message that is made clear throughout the photography and artistry of the brand: “The Saysh Collective is for women who recognize the effort it takes to be effortless.”
In addition to being a “ifestyle sneaker designed for and by women.” Saysh is a brand that goes beyond aesthetics and is fit for performance. Felix ran her 400-meter sprint at the Tokyo Olympc finals in her own brand. Her performance in the Saysh 0.07 spikes earned her a 10th Olympic medal. So, the brand is certainly up to an Olympic level of performance.
Saysh Product Designer Natalie writes,
“We arrived at a design that appropriately bridges the worlds of the professional and the casual – a sneaker to accompany us wherever, whenever. Underpinning that, the Saysh One offers the support we need, while maintaining an elegant silhouette with a sculptural heel piece that both fits her foot and is fitting of her lifestyle.”
The shoes are currently sold out. However, eager customers can enter their emails to be notified of when the shoes will be back in stock. Athleta will also carry the shoes in fall of 2021.
