Fitness has garnered plenty of traction over the past few years with various workouts, eat clean trends, and start-ups hogging the limelight on social media platforms. Athletic wear is not an exception to this rage. International brands such as Lululemon may be familiar to many, however this popular Canadian brand also comes with a hefty price tag. While many Malaysians may be hesitant to splurge on expensive or boring sportswear (especially with fitness being one of the most commonly failed resolutions), there is now an alternative option for Malaysians – Summersault.
What is Summersault?
Summersault is a fitness fashion label founded in 2015. Their mission is to inspire fitness, through fun and fashionable wear, at accessible prices. Fitness enthusiasts who are fashion and wallet conscious will love Summersault’s products. They carry products such as race costumes, standout leggings, statement tees and Brazilian-inspired sports bra. They don’t limit their sports categories but they mainly cater to runners, yoga practitioners and dancers.
The Summersault Inspiration
Summersault is the brainchild of Lily Sim, whose day job involves business development for an accounting firm. “I was always an avid netball and handball player in high school. I didn’t have a problem wearing normal T-shirts to work out then. Not until early 2012, I caught the running bug while working in Melbourne. That has led me to complete in my very first full marathon in the same year itself. Not only did I bring home my very first full marathon finisher medal, I brought home some blisters as well.” Lily tells TallyPress.
While Lily was keen to take her hobby more seriously while minimising injury, she soon realised that she had to choose between price and quality (and design) when it comes to sportswear in Malaysia. Not wanting to settle with free race T-shirts and a limited collection of sports attire, she sought to make fashionable sportswear at accessible prices a mission.
She now has recruited the help of her partner and and like-minded friends to assist with Summersault’s operations. Everyone is working on this part-time, and Lily expressed that it has been incredibly challenging but the passion keeps them going.
The Summersault-ing Belief
Lily enjoys working out and she does like to wear clothes that are not only comfortable, but attractive and fun. She believes the problem is that in Malaysia, a majority of such sports apparel range are priced for the high end. There is a huge under-served market which deserves more accessible, attractive and fun sportswear!
To prove that Summersault believes in being fun and creative, they also do themed collections. For instance, they did a special Star Wars themed T-shirt recently to catch on with the excitement of the movie release. This was a hit and they practically sold everything within 48 hours!
Summersault is a ground-up brand. The team comprises of active and sporty people who enjoy working out and therefore they are able to empathise with what their consumers’ needs. They keep that in mind when it comes to both design and functionality of their products.
Current products in the market simply out-price a large segment of the market. However, that shouldn’t mean that you should be exercising in sloppy tees and pants if you don’t want to pay a large amount for a Nike or a Lululemon.
Summersault believes in “enclothed cognition” – The clothes you wear directly affect how you think and what you do. Fashionable sportswear makes you feel like wearing it more often, and by doing so, you might feel like going to the gym more often. Therefore, they want to inspire fitness by making ‘athleisure‘ accessible to Malaysians.
Summersault-ing into the Future
Summersault is one of the 8 startups shortlisted to join the RAVE Accelerator Program in 2015 (source: http://www.thesundaily.my/news/1647218) and they have been given the opportunity to work with race organisers such as the Marathon Company (Ice-Watch Light Up The Night run) and the All Women’s Action Society (White Ribbon Run) on marketing campaigns to build a fit society.
Summersault aims to be a recognisable brand within this space. They want to be on top of people’s minds when they think about independent sportswear brands. They are currently putting significant effort into product development. There are so many variations that they are exploring in order to give customers the right mix in color, design, construction, material to meet customer’s needs.
Their next collaboration will be with the Marathon Company for their Onesie run in 29 March 2016. Summersault will be launching their sports onesie collection. It is a breathable version of a onesie which provides runners with more costume options when they join fun runs.
I’m a great believer in perseverance and putting in my 100% in what I set my heart to do. Life is always filled with challenges but if you set your eyes on the goal and just keep working on it, you’ll get there somehow. It’s also important to have the discipline and resoluteness to carry on when things don’t go too smoothly, but also the flexibility to change strategies according to the situation.
— Lily Sim, founder of Summersault
Click on the links below to stay updated with Summersault!
Facebook: Summersault Malaysia
Website: www.summersaultmy.com
