Marley and Ellen sit down with Ashley Rankin, founder of Shredly, to discuss how her brand is redefining women's mountain bike and activewear apparel through inclusive sizing, vibrant designs, and a commitment to sustainability. 

We explore Shredly's mission, the challenges of entrepreneurship, and the impact of creating a welcoming community for all women in cycling. 

Note! While Marley is sponsored by Shredly, this episode is not! Shredly aligns with our mission of creating and fostering an inclusive bike community—and that is super cool. 

Highlights:

(02:28) Ashley's journey from high-end couture to high-function cycling fashion

(05:21) Why Ashley founded Shredly

(09:17) Challenges and triumphs when building a business

(12:49) Sustainability and size inclusivity 

(21:12) When Marley met Shredly

(24:05) Empowerment through representation

(31:34) Building a community and a movement

Hey friends, Ellen here.

2

Just a note ahead of this

episode with Shredly.

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A lot of you know that Marley is sponsored

by Shredly, but this episode is not.

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We were just excited to talk

to Ashley about how she and her

5

brand are changing the industry,

one piece of clothing at a time.

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None of this is intended to be

an endorsement or a commercial.

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She's just super cool and has a great

reason to have created her brand, and

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we wanted to bring that to the world.

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Enjoy.

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Welcome to All Bodies On Bikes, the

podcast where all bodies are good bodies.

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All bikes are good bikes,

and all rides are celebrated.

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All bodies on bikes is a movement

to create and foster a radically

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inclusive bike community.

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So join your host.

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I'm Ellen.

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And I'm Marley.

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As we explore the complexities of the

biking world, help us break down barriers

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and create the world that we want to see.

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And don't forget that all

bodies really mean to all

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bodies, not just larger bodies.

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But bodies of all sizes, ages, races,

abilities, genders, sexualities and

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beyond, come along for the ride.

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Ellen: How are you, Marley?

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Marley: I am really good.

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How are you, Ellen?

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Ellen: I'm good.

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I am digging this hat look

that you've got going on.

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Marley: Thank you.

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It's mainly, it is, it's a corduroy hat.

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It's just, it's very well timed

because it's actually our guest today.

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So it's for people listening on the radio.

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It's a Shredly hat and we are

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Ellen: is a podcast.

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Marley: it's a podcast,

but there's visual elements

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Ellen: you said the radio.

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Marley: Oh, okay.

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Ellen: Like, You're showing our age.

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Marley: whatever.

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If it's coming through

speakers to me, it's the radio.

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Ellen: radio.

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Okay.

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Marley: Yeah.

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Well, anyway, if you're listening

to it, you can't see my hat.

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If you're watching us on YouTube, you

can see my hat and you'll see that it

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says Shredly, which I think a lot of

folks know that I am sponsored by them,

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they are my apparel sponsor, and I love

wearing them and talking about them.

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But today we have the founder and

the CEO with us on the podcast today,

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which I am super excited about.

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So I figured it was appropriate

to wear my Shredly hat.

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Ellen: absolutely.

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Plus it looks super fly.

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Marley: Thank you!

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Everything that I wear from them

makes me look super fly and we'll

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get into this, but literally I

never felt cute on a bicycle until

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I started wearing Shredly clothes.

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Ellen: Oh, I love that that's

like momentous for you.

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Marley: Yeah, and Ashley and I can,

we can talk about how we met and like,

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how this all started, but I'm actually

more interested in like the company

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story, but it is an interesting story.

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Before we get too far down this

rabbit hole, let me read her

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bio and then we'll bring her in.

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Although Ashley grew up in the

mountains of Colorado, she used

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to dream of living in a big city

as a high end fashion designer.

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After a design internship in Florence,

Italy, she realized two things.

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She simultaneously never

wanted to leave Italy.

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And she belonged in the mountains.

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Not only did Ashley end up back in the

mountains, but she found herself dreaming

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of beautiful bike shorts instead of

evening wear, which led to the founding

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of Shredly, meaning Ashley now believes

she, she was always meant to do.

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Shredly is a women's mountain bike

and active wear apparel company

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that's redefining the way we think

about gear, blending functionality,

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comfort, and bold expressive style.

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Born out of Ashley Rankin's passion

for the outdoors and her frustration

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with the lack of options for women in

cycling apparel, Shredly has become

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a leader in creating inclusive, high

performance gear that empowers women

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of all shapes, sizes, and styles

to hit the trails with confidence.

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From their vibrant patterns to

their commitment to sustainability

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and inclusivity, Shredly is

proving that adventure can, and

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should, look as good as it feels.

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Welcome to the show, Ashley!

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Ashley: Hi, thanks so much for having me.

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I'm so excited to be here.

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Marley: Yeah I'm excited to dig into

this because I think a lot of us have

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heard of Shredly or, we've seen it and

people wearing it or they've seen it

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on my Instagram, but I'm excited to

hear about how this all came about and

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some of the nuts and bolts behind it.

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So thanks for joining us.

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Ashley: Yeah, thanks.

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I'm excited to get into it

too, especially with you.

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Ellen: have one clarifying question.

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Did you stay in Italy?

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Ashley: I did not.

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I did not.

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So I'm from Colorado and I

went back to Colorado after.

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After Italy.

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Ellen: Oh, right.

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Ashley: but I've been back to

Italy since, actually twice,

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so it's one of my favorite.

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I could keep going there all the time.

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I want to see so many places in the world,

but I'm never bummed to go back to Italy.

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Ellen: Yes.

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That's my feelings on Italy, too.

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Marley: yeah, I've actually

never been to Italy.

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I've been all around and like Italy

is on my bucket list of places to go.

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Ashley: it's just, it really is magical.

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There's like those places

that you see in the movies.

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And they create this certain

feel, and you're like, Oh,

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it'd be so dreamy to go there.

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And sometimes you go to those places, and

you're like, Yeah, that was in the movies.

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You go there, and you feel like you

imagine you would in the movies.

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Ellen: And it's

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Ashley: I want to go with you, Marley.

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Ellen: difficult to find bad pasta.

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That was, like, I was so scared

that I was going to do it wrong,

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and I don't think you can.

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Ashley: Oh, no.

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And that and even table wine,

which is like not branded.

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It's a very different experience to

drink wine there than it is here.

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Table wine is great.

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The whole, everything in Italy is better.

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Marley: Oh, I believe it.

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Well, we're not here to talk

about Italy, unfortunately.

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Although

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Ashley: need to have a separate one for

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Marley: I think this ties

really into our conversation.

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So you were doing a design intern, a

design internship, is that correct?

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In Florence.

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How did you go from wanting to do

like evening wear and I imagine like

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couture to designing mountain bike

apparel and really transforming the

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women's cycling apparel industry?

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Ashley: Oh, well, thank

you for saying that.

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Yeah, it's really funny because

I had no interest in outerwear.

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I wanted to be a designer

since I was little.

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I knew I always wanted

to be a fashion designer.

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And I grew up in Colorado, and I lived in

a rural part of Colorado, and I could not

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wait to Leave the, I loved the mountains,

but I couldn't wait to be in the city.

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And I wanted to live in a

city and an apartment, take

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an elevator to my apartment.

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I had this idea of what I really

wanted and it was to design

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evening wear and high end couture.

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And I used to, I didn't really

make clothes from scratch, but I

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would take clothes that I owned

and I would embellish them.

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So I would take denim and buy

this cool fringe, like with beads

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and put it around the bottom.

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So I was always into these

beautiful embellishments.

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And I even went all the

way through college.

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I got a degree in apparel

design and production, and I

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was not interested in outerwear.

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But I grew up mountain biking

and skiing and doing all of these

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things that just was not the side

of design that I wanted to go into.

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And it wasn't until I actually came

back from Italy and went back to

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the mountains because I just, I had

this moment in Italy where I knew I

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wanted to stay, and I'd fallen so in

love with the culture and the life.

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But I was in Switzerland, and I was

on a mountain, and I could see really

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far, and I just felt like home.

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And then I missed home,

and I was really homesick.

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And so I knew, okay.

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There are parts of me that are

just ingrained of me that I

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had to leave to understand how

much a part of me they were.

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And one of that was like being in

nature and having clean air to breathe.

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And, even the parks in Italy

are beautiful, but it's not

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the same as being outside.

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And so I did feel like very torn.

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And I went back to Colorado and.

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knew that living in the mountains would

not really give me the path to the design

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life that I had dreamed and imagined.

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And even then I was like, I'm really

just not interested in going to outdoor.

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It doesn't really satisfy it for me,

but I started riding a ton and would

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start to see these visions of the kinds

of shorts and apparel that I wanted

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to be riding in that didn't exist.

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And then I'd see other really

cool things in like homeware.

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Like I'd see a really beautiful

pillow or a really cool.

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Shower curtain and be like, why can't we

have cute shorts that have that pattern?

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And so it really just came from

like being a user of the product

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that didn't exist and then having my

design world and my, passions collide.

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And then I started to see

things that I wanted and I

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couldn't stop thinking about it.

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So it really just came to me

and then was pulled from me.

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And I had never started a business.

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I wasn't an entrepreneur.

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I didn't even want to be an entrepreneur.

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I just wanted to make cute

shorts for me and my friends.

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And we started talking about

what those cute shorts would be.

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My one friend who was a

professional rider at the time

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really wanted the comfort aspect.

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And my other friend had her own ideas

about the fabric that she wanted.

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And then I had the ideas

about the style that I wanted.

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And we Put everything together to

design what was our perfect short.

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And I asked them if they wanted to start

this business with me and they both

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had their own career paths and they

were like, no, but you should do it.

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And so I had a full time job

and one thing led to another.

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And then I realized well, I

am going to start a brand, but

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I don't know how to do that.

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So mine was always very product based.

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Okay, well, I only need a

brand name because I have to

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put something on the shorts.

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But how do I get these shorts made?

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And it was really just one little

thing after another of how I bring

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these shorts into the world that

led to the creation of Shredly.

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Marley: What year was that?

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Ashley: So we had this brainstorming thing

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And it wasn't until 2012 that I

actually launched our first Kickstarter.

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Cause I was just doing

all of this on the side.

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I had a full time job through it all.

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So I would work on it at nights

and in the week on the weekends.

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And it took me a while, to get things.

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To get things going.

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Marley: To be fair, you still

work on this nights and weekends.

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I get a lot of late night emails from you.

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Ashley: I do.

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I do.

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One thing to know about being an

entrepreneur is that you think you might

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have like more control over your schedule,

which you do, but you work all the time.

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There's no, there's never off hours.

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Marley: Yeah.

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I was looking around on Reddit before

this because it's helpful to know what

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the world is talking about Shredly.

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And everybody sings your praises.

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I obviously sing your praises, but

for the quality, for how they fit,

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how do you balance all three of those?

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Fit what am I talking about?

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Help me out, Ellen.

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Performance and design.

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Ellen: and design.

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Marley: There we go.

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Silence.

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Ashley: So we started in Colorado our

manufacturing was all in the States for

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the first ten years and Being a user of

the product and coming from wanting to

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design high end apparel and also when

I started this I was working in luxury

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real estate So I had just learned to

do things with a very high standard.

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And I think all of those things

shaped what I thought was really

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important about the business.

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And in my original business plan,

if you look back, and I think we

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even had a graphic on our website,

it was this Venn diagram of.

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Style, comfort, and performance.

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And they all, combined to make Shredly.

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And so I just knew from the beginning,

like those were the key things.

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And I really started

with a value based model.

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So we didn't start with a retail price

point that we had to meet and then

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build the product backwards from there.

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We started with what is the

ideal product that we need?

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And it came to shape.

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The product built itself and quality was

just inherent in it because it was one

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of our core values, like the performance

piece of it, the comfort piece of it.

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Like you can't really source cheap

fabric that's not comfortable.

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So it's just because of the principles

that we knew, that were core to Shredly.

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It meant that quality

products were part of that.

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So balancing it all is actually not

that hard because something doesn't look

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beautiful to me if it's not quality.

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And so I think just part of the aesthetic

really sets the standard for the product.

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And so it doesn't, there

are certain times where.

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The feel of a fabric

doesn't feel quite right.

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It doesn't feel like a quality fabric.

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And so I think that it's just throughout

the design process, it's knowing what

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Shredly is and then sourcing things that

kind of meet that standard and so it

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all, if one thing is off, you don't feel

like you're ticking all three boxes.

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Exactly.

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Marley: And I love that staying true

to your values really helps make

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sure that your quality standards

are met, which is super, super cool.

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Ellen: It's a bit of keeping the

customer in mind at the core of

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it to you didn't want to wear

shorts that felt bad or looked bad.

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That was the whole point.

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Ashley: And one of the things that

I was talking about, one of my

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friends point of view from the fabric

was it's like the fabric so loud

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and crunchy, can we find something

that's softer and more comfortable?

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And that's a huge, that

was the comfort piece.

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And that's what product at this

time, which I know you might touch

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on this, Marley, if we go back

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like, especially for women, it was.

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drastically different than it is today.

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It was like 15, 20 years

behind street style.

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Like you look at pictures of what

we're wearing 10 years ago, and it

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looks like it was 20, 25 years ago.

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And things were just in a very

different place than they are now.

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And we definitely had a piece of kind of

shaping that at a time when the market

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was really hungry for something like

that, something new and different and very

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focused on the women's side of things.

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Marley: Very cool.

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One of the things that Shredly is

also known for that I imagine is

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challenging to balance is sustainability.

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I was looking at your website and I

think I read something like 97 percent of

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Products are made with recycled materials.

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How do you incorporate sustainability?

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And I imagine like that is not an

easy thing to do, especially with

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manufacturing and you've got a

large number of skews and it's a lot

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Ashley: Yeah, it is a lot.

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So we are proud that 93 percent

of, all of our goods right now are

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made from recycled materials, and

there's a couple of different ways

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that you can approach sustainability,

which I learned so much about.

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So having centralized

production is one of them.

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So like when we had

everything made in the States.

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And our, so our factory, our warehouse,

everything was in the states.

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You didn't have to transport

it all over the place.

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And there's some great savings

there in terms of sustainability.

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As you diversify your supply chain,

then it's decentralizing and.

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All of your raw materials, right?

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So you can tackle it a

couple different ways.

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And it is it's hard.

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It's really hard because it's not

as easy as saying, okay, we're going

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to source all sustainable materials

because you have to think about it

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throughout your entire supply chain.

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So what we do is whenever

we have a choice.

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Some things we don't have a choice at our

size, which is a little bit frustrating,

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but whenever we have a choice, so is

there a fabric that you can source

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that's more sustainable than another,

then we'll always make that choice.

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And so it is, it's a really hard thing to

balance because it affects your margins.

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It affects the retail price point

that people are willing to pay and

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sustainability is really important

to people, but if is the consumer

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willing to pay more for it, not always.

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And so when you're already

offering a premium product, it is.

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Something that is always a challenge,

but it's always top of mind.

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So we really just stay true to

our guiding light is what is our

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goal and how do we get there?

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And we're not perfect by any means.

315

We'd like to get to a hundred

percent recycled material but

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that's not the only thing.

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Then it's your supply chain and it's

where things are moving and coming

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from all of your packaging materials.

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And so there's a lot of different elements

to it, and I'm glad that we started

320

with that because I think if you don't

start there and it's not core to your

321

business, it's always a very hard thing to

justify when it comes to the bottom line

322

because it's a shift from where you are.

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So we actually, before it became the

cool thing to do in the industry, we

324

switched over to recycled material.

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And so that was about five years ago.

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So we had already made this big shift.

327

And decided to move away

from non recycled materials.

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So that has definitely made it a

lot easier because we were doing

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that sooner than a lot of other

brands and, the supply chain 1st

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of all knows everybody wants this.

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So it's becoming more readily

available, but it is also a profit

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channel across the supply chain.

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There's just a lot of

different things to weigh.

334

And as a small business, you don't

always have efficiencies of scale.

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So you have to do the best

you can and always look for

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opportunities to keep improving.

337

Ellen: yeah, I think another one of

the places that you've been leading

338

the industry is with size inclusion.

339

And why was that something that you

wanted to bring into play as well?

340

Ashley: I feel like there's this been

this paradigm shift in just the last

341

couple of years where that conversation

is more forefront for a lot of brands.

342

We didn't do it from a

inclusivity point of view.

343

We did it because we had customers

that we were not meeting their needs.

344

So I, the word inclusion means a lot

and we use it often to convey a point.

345

We try to not tout that inclusion

is our goal because I think that for

346

the people we are not meeting, that

does not feel inclusive to them.

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And there's always going to be people

that are falling outside of that.

348

And so our goal is to just be an

authentic brand that caters to women.

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That's our customer.

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Women come in all shapes and sizes.

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And so if there's a demand

for our product, we should be

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striving to meet that demand.

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And by just doing that, you

are not being exclusive.

354

So for me, inclusion is just not

intentionally being exclusive.

355

Some brands goal is to just hit a

certain target and they cannot get

356

approval for expanding their SKU count.

357

One of the beautiful things

about being a small brand.

358

There's tons of challenges

is that I'm in charge.

359

I get to make that decision.

360

Is there always a

profitability case for it?

361

No, but we find those

values in other ways.

362

For instance, we might not sell as

many sizes on the fringe, which means

363

like outside of your bell curve.

364

If you're watching right

now, I'm making a bell curve.

365

So we sell the most of the median

sizes, like most brands do.

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Marley: And let's get specific real quick.

367

Shredly makes everything from

a size 0 to a 24, correct?

368

Ashley: double zero to

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Marley: Double 0 to a 24.

370

Both on the small end of things

and on the bigger end of things.

371

Just so folks know when we're

talking about sizes, that's

372

what we're talking about.

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Ellen: And I'll chime in too, if you're

not a retail person, SKU, which you've

374

maybe heard a couple times already,

is S K U, and it's basically how

375

many different items you are selling.

376

Ashley: Yes, both good distinctions.

377

Good job.

378

So normally you sell

the most of your median.

379

So your middle sizes, like

four, six, eight, 10, that's

380

what we sell the most of.

381

And then your fringe sizes, which

are the smaller sizes and the larger

382

sizes you don't sell as much of.

383

But what I've told Marley before is that

we find that people come to our brand.

384

That are medium size because we

sell the fringe sizes and they feel

385

that's really important and they

want to support a brand that offers.

386

Sizes for women of all shapes and sizes.

387

And so really, again, if we go back to

our core values, when we first started,

388

I'm on the, I'm on the smaller side.

389

I'm on the fringe and we didn't make

my size because we couldn't make, we

390

couldn't launch with that many sizes.

391

The first year we launched was zero to 12.

392

I knew that's not where we would stop.

393

That's just where we needed to start.

394

And then we added.

395

Double zero.

396

And we went to 16, I think,

and then 18 and then 24.

397

And who really led that for

us were the vocal customers.

398

Some of them angry, some

of them kind, like I know.

399

And if you haven't worked in the industry.

400

You don't know some of the things

behind the scenes that, that steer this.

401

Like for example, the first factories that

we worked with have a long cutting table.

402

They lay your fabric out on

the table and then they cut all

403

of the sizes from that length.

404

If they have to lay your fabric

out more than one time, it costs

405

you double the cutting fees.

406

And so literally you can only

fit so many sizes in that width

407

and then they stack your fabric.

408

And so it all comes down to a puzzle

piece of how they fit things together.

409

So when some companies say that's

not cost effective, they're not wrong

410

because this does change your production.

411

It changes the number of bins you need at

the warehouse and they charge you per bin.

412

So Ellen, when you said skew, if you add

another size in two colors, That's two

413

different SKUs because it's a bin per SKU.

414

So per size, per color, per style.

415

So you can imagine that

if you're paying, yes.

416

And if you only have one unit that

you're storing in that bin, there comes

417

a point in time when you're paying

more to store that item than you are

418

making in your margin selling that item.

419

So there are all these things to

consider and you have to weigh.

420

You have to weigh, is it purely

like a monetary decision or for

421

us, it's a value based decision.

422

And so that goes back to just know, I

knew when I started Shredly that I wanted

423

to start a brand of multi use apparel

for women, which meant they could use it

424

for mountain biking, but all the other

things that most mountain bikers do, and

425

I knew that for it to be a true, like

women's brand that it needed to cater

426

to women of all shapes and sizes, and.

427

Then, so these decisions were easy for me.

428

It was just a matter of finding factories

that would work with us and figuring

429

out how we can work within the system

that we cannot change short of having

430

our own warehouse, short of having

our own cutting room, how do we work

431

within the realm of what's possible?

432

And it's always possible.

433

It just comes at a cost.

434

Or a reality, some of those for us is

just a reality and we don't view it as

435

a cost that we're trying to get rid of.

436

We're just trying to work around it.

437

Ellen: Yeah, Marley, I saw your face

light the heck up when we started talking

438

about size inclusivity and how Shardley's

like attack attacking it, if you will.

439

So I wanted to just give

you a chance to chime in

440

Marley: Yeah, well,

441

Ellen: to you.

442

Marley: I think my Shredley

origin story is really fun.

443

So I went to.

444

If folks have been following me for

a long time, you know that I have not

445

been a mountain biker for a long time.

446

It's really just been in the past

couple years that I've started

447

getting into mountain biking.

448

And in 20, was it, I think it was 2022,

I was invited to RoamFest in Knoxville.

449

RoamFest is a Women, trans, femme,

it's a femme mountain bike festival.

450

And they had one in Knoxville, Tennessee

that year, and I was on a panel I think

451

they showed our film or something,

but Shredly was there as an exhibitor.

452

And I remember walking by and Ashley

called me over and was like, Hi,

453

I'm really excited to meet you.

454

You got to try on our clothes.

455

And I was like, I don't think

you're going to have anything that

456

fits me, because that had been my

experience with so many other brands.

457

I think I was around a size

20 at the time, maybe a 22 a

458

little bigger than I am now.

459

And I was like, very skeptical,

and she was like, No, come back

460

after whatever you're doing, and

I want you to try some stuff on.

461

Because if you've seen Shredly at events,

they have this beautiful trailer that

462

has a fitting room inside of it with

tons of different styles and sizes.

463

And so I was like, Okay.

464

And so I went back and I tried stuff

on and I don't think I cried, but I

465

think I wanted to cry because it fit.

466

And I had never had

that experience before.

467

And at the time I was, I had a

different apparel sponsor, but the

468

conversation started between me and

Ashley and it has never stopped.

469

And since last year, 2023 I've

been sponsored by Shreddly

470

as my apparel partner.

471

And we've done some really cool

stuff, which I think we'll get into.

472

But maybe we should

just talk about it now.

473

We released the Marley capsule

collection last year based all

474

around this manatee which we can

tell that story if we want to.

475

And we're doing it again this

year, which is super exciting.

476

Ashley: Yeah.

477

And it's super cool for me too,

because, well, I have to talk about

478

the story that Marley just told.

479

So when she came into the trailer,

not only did she get to try on a pair

480

of shorts that fit, but she got to

pick between different inseam lengths.

481

She got to pick between different colors.

482

And I vividly remember her being like,

wait, there's more that I can pick from.

483

Like I have choices.

484

And I think that's one of

the biggest things that we

485

hear from women of all sizes.

486

Like I have choices I can pick from

inseams and colors and waistband styles.

487

And that just.

488

That did not exist, which kind of blew

my mind when I first started researching

489

what are the options out there?

490

It I was like, what

are, what am I missing?

491

Like, why are there not more options?

492

Why are there not all of these things

that we take so much pride in doing?

493

Ellen: Thought of when you mentioned

how far behind the industry was like 10

494

years ago is like you could get black

and white or you could get black the

495

Ashley: or black,

496

Ellen: yeah and it's like

497

Ashley: say black?

498

Oh,

499

Ellen: there wasn't the selection

if you wanted the quality or if

500

you were just getting into it.

501

There wasn't that good mix of stuff.

502

I can only imagine that's exacerbated for

if you are not one of those average sizes.

503

Marley: I think one of the other

things that I love about Shreddly

504

in the size inclusion realm is it's

not just in the products, but in

505

your marketing, in your ambassadors,

in your photography on the website.

506

And when I do consulting for companies on

size inclusion I, that's basically what

507

I'm educating them to do or preaching

at them to do is Hey, You have to show

508

real bodies wearing this stuff because

if we don't see ourselves represented

509

in your marketing or on your website,

we're not going to buy your stuff.

510

And it's funny talking about Reddit

earlier, I just pulled out this

511

quote that somebody had put in.

512

Somebody wrote, Oh my God, looking

through more of the website and

513

they show plus size with cellulite.

514

I could cry.

515

That's so empowering.

516

And a little crying face emoji.

517

And I'm like, that's probably my picture.

518

Just thinking about that.

519

So

520

Ellen: so empowering, Marley.

521

You're not even trying.

522

Look at you go.

523

Marley: just standing there,

cute, with my cellulite.

524

Ellen: Yes.

525

We just got off a call

with Emily Chapel, right?

526

And that was part of it is just

seeing yourself represented

527

in a normal situation.

528

It's not that you've been selected to

be the token fat person on this website.

529

You are just in it.

530

And you're part of.

531

This scene, you're part of Shredly.

532

You are not the person that they said, Oh,

cool, could we get you in three different

533

poses so that we can be inclusive?

534

It is, we've designed it for you,

with you, in this exact instance,

535

to make it something that you

are so proud and eager to wear.

536

There's, there is empowerment.

537

I think there's, within fashion even,

it's fashion, Wanting to look good almost

538

gets like this bad rap of you are too

539

Marley: Your vein.

540

Ellen: you're vain, or it's too

girly like, whatever, it's been,

541

like, associated with a vapid sort

of mindset, but no like, how you feel

542

about how you look impacts your day.

543

And this can have such a big

impact to the cycling world and

544

people feeling comfortable, which

is one of the barriers of people

545

getting out and getting on a bike.

546

If you feel like you aren't going

to be yourself in these clothes,

547

you are not going to show up as

your authentic self at that ride.

548

Ashley: It's so true.

549

You totally nailed it.

550

And it's hard to explain to

people that don't get it.

551

And I don't know that men have the

same like rush when you put something

552

on that just makes you feel cool.

553

And like the pattern excites

you and the colors excites you.

554

Sometimes you squeal like there are a

lot of squeals that come from the trailer

555

because there's just this emotional

side to apparel that not everybody has.

556

And some women could care less.

557

And there's nothing wrong with that,

but it's not just about vanity.

558

It is like very confidence inspiring.

559

And I remember we got we have had

a number of people share this with

560

us, but I remember early on, I

got an email from a woman who was

561

in like her fifties or sixties.

562

And she said, I'm a new mountain biker.

563

Like I'm really intimidated, but I can't

tell you how much confidence I have

564

just in my living room wearing this

apparel because it makes me feel good.

565

And that's.

566

what it's all about.

567

And so you can't really explain

that till you've experienced it.

568

But just knowing that we're

giving that confidence to people

569

is really inspiring for us.

570

And it's so nice when people take the

time to share those stories with us

571

because it's honestly something that

I Like I knew how excited I got when I

572

saw a pattern that made me really happy.

573

And Oh my gosh, I want those

to be a pair of shorts.

574

And then they turn into a pair of shorts.

575

So I'm like, Oh my gosh,

look at how great they are.

576

But to hear it coming from other people,

I could not have tried to create that

577

part of the culture of our community.

578

If I had tried, it just

authentically came with the brand.

579

And I've realized now how powerful that

is for other people besides just me.

580

Marley: Yeah.

581

I can attest to it.

582

That black jumpsuit, I put

that on and I feel like I am

583

like the queen of the world.

584

I've worn it for like probably

five different keynote speeches.

585

I've worn it mountain biking.

586

I've worn it all over the place.

587

Ellen: Didn't you wear that to the

event when you were here in KC?

588

Wasn't that the same one?

589

Marley: I believe so.

590

Yeah.

591

Ellen: You did.

592

You felt like a mil You put

it on and you were just like,

593

This is like a second skin.

594

You were so comfortable in

595

Marley: Yeah, exactly.

596

So I'm curious about any critical

feedback you've received as a brand

597

over the years and how that has forced

you to improve things or change things.

598

What has that side of things been like?

599

Ashley: Yeah, it's we actually did

very early on and it was devastating

600

at first because I don't think anybody

knows the blood, sweat and tears that

601

go on behind the scenes and how hard

it is to start a business and then

602

to have somebody so casually feel

like they can just shit all over it.

603

And then, and so it took me

some time to mature into being

604

open to that and using that.

605

So now I view it completely differently

than I did in the beginning.

606

In the beginning, it was like, Oh my

gosh, if they knew how hard I was working.

607

And then to just be so shut

down by things that aren't true.

608

Like I remember our first marketing

campaign, I had seen this super

609

cool, high top tennis shoe ad,

and it was like high fashion.

610

And there were women that were just

wearing black briefs and it was all

611

from behind and they weren't wearing

tops and everything was in black and

612

white, except for the tennis shoes.

613

And I thought that it was so cool.

614

And it was the type of edgy.

615

Marketing that I wanted to do for the

brand so different from everything else,

616

like all the sameness in the market.

617

And so we mimicked that because we also

got our samples in the dead of winter.

618

Like we could not go

mountain biking anywhere.

619

And I gathered my friends, like

whoever were available to come

620

do this photo shoot with us.

621

And we did the same thing.

622

So the shorts were in color, but

everything else was in black and white.

623

And for the most part, everybody

thought that it was like fun and edgy,

624

but there was this woman from Alaska.

625

Who said that we were objectifying women

and it was just like so soul crushing

626

because I found that to be empowering

let's just this is all about the shorts

627

We're making this campaign all about the

shorts and i've learned so much since

628

then but it was really disheartening that

She viewed me as like the enemy And that

629

I wasn't for women and that I was not,

respecting women by using this campaign.

630

So, that was the very first one

that was really hard, but I had

631

to learn very quickly that your

biggest critics can help you.

632

A lot, because they help you be better.

633

They make your product better.

634

They make you aware of gaps in the

market that you're not hitting.

635

And it is why we listen so much to

our customers that, or even I would

636

say probably not our customers,

but the people we want to be our

637

customers that are our critics.

638

My goal is to win them over.

639

Like, how do we use what they're saying?

640

For good to steer the direction

of our product so that, if we can

641

win this person over, we are doing

a really good job at our job.

642

And so I, it was really hard at

1st, but now it's like my team.

643

We all joke.

644

We have multiple personalities.

645

There's a customer care

personality and you like.

646

Put on this one persona when

there's somebody that's not happy

647

and you can separate yourself

from taking it personally.

648

And so as a designer, when I hear

critical feedback, I go into design

649

mode of okay, that's a problem that now

I'm going to solve instead of taking it

650

really personally and dwelling on it.

651

And so I've gotten better at

using that to our advantage.

652

Ellen: I feel

653

Marley: That's so hard.

654

Ellen: two categories is this a

problem, or is this an opinion

655

Ashley: you're so right,

because some of it's just noise.

656

In some people, there is no ever solving

it or making it happy, and so you do

657

have to be able to decipher between

that, and that's a good distinction.

658

Ellen: Yeah.

659

Okay.

660

Ashley: time people.

661

We have a handful of really key

contractors that we work with,

662

but in terms of just full time

in house, we're three people, so

663

that includes me and two other.

664

other people who are like my stars.

665

I'm really lucky to have an

amazing small scrappy team.

666

Marley: I love that.

667

I love that.

668

And this is going to sound so

cheesy when I say it, Shredly

669

is more than an apparel brand.

670

It really has become a movement

within the mountain biking community.

671

You host multiple retreats throughout the

years and really build up this community.

672

How do you see your role, Shredley's role

in the women's mountain biking community?

673

Ashley: Yeah, that's a great

question that again, if I go back

674

to when I first started Shudley,

I would have never guessed.

675

Like it was all about the product.

676

But once I started to realize how

important our community was not only for

677

us and the brand but for the people in

that community like it is People have

678

found a place to belong in Shredly and

that is like very emotional for me and

679

so thinking about I think there's just

so When it comes to retail when it comes

680

to consumerism I think that people really

want to believe in the brands that they

681

support and So for us, we really want

to lean into that community piece of it.

682

Yes, we are making products, but

there's so much more than that.

683

And then all the things that we do with

the products are so communal based.

684

Like cycling is such a community sport.

685

You can do it individually,

which is great, but it really it

686

just creates its own community.

687

So really leaning into that.

688

I think creating community outside of

cycling, well, number one, our goal.

689

Is to be the number one

women's cycling brand.

690

So to grow outside of mountain bike

and kind of do what we've done for

691

mountain bike in these other disciplines,

692

Marley: Which as a gravel

girly, I am very excited about.

693

Ashley: which Marley has been we have

a product that's launching this spring.

694

That was, it's because of Marley.

695

She's helping us launch that product.

696

So that will be exciting.

697

But really just looking, okay,

what's the opportunity and

698

great in the cycling world.

699

And then outside of cycling, how can

we bring others into our community?

700

We have tons of women who love our

shorts that don't even ride, and I

701

don't want them to feel excluded, like

they're not part of our community.

702

So just creating this general

community around Shredly and then all

703

of these little sub communities is

how I envisioned the future of it.

704

And that includes things outside

of a product, which is experiences.

705

Like you talked about Marley.

706

We have.

707

Found that we host retreats that allow

all of these really amazing customers and

708

people who are actually new to shortly

to come and get together and have this

709

magical experience and focus on their

skills and just explore themselves as

710

either a mountain biker or someone, that

just wants to be part of the community.

711

And big picture, what does it look

like if you are a brand that really

712

focuses on community and then one of

the things that you offer is products?

713

is an exciting way for us to

look at how we want to position

714

ourselves in the future.

715

Marley: Oh man, it just, it makes

me like excited to think about how

716

like I've played a part in that.

717

I.

718

I think when we were at sea otter last

year when we released the first Marley

719

capsule collection, just people coming

up and saying, Oh my God, I'm so excited

720

that you guys are working together and

not to toot my own horn, but it's been

721

really cool to interact with folks who,

either didn't know about Shredley before

722

we started working together and I've

introduced them to the brand or people

723

who were longtime fans of Shredley

who were like, Oh, I love them even

724

more now because of our partnership.

725

And it's just, it's cool.

726

Ashley: Yeah, I totally agree.

727

And one of my favorite things about

working events with Marley, is she

728

just calls people out that are walking

by and doing what she did at first

729

oh, I bet they don't have my size.

730

She'll see someone look out of

the corner of their eye and be

731

like, I bet we have your size!

732

And she'll call them over.

733

And so Marley brings so

many people into the fold.

734

And what I loved about being at

Seattle with Marley was All the

735

people that came to fangirl on her,

736

Ellen: Okay.

737

Ashley: they were, it was amazing

because they were all bodies,

738

different sizes, different shapes.

739

And it was amazing to me that

people just they want to support

740

a brand that offers all sizes.

741

They want to support Marley

for her mission of just making

742

people feel like they belong.

743

And so we do, we have so much

synergy there and it's such a

744

magical partnership that I love

that people appreciate that they see

745

where a natural fit for each other.

746

Cause I totally agree.

747

Marley: Yeah.

748

It's, it sounds funny that I'm like

heckling people of we've got your size.

749

Like I'm a carnival caller, but it is like

as a fat woman, as a bigger bodied person,

750

I know that look in somebody's eyes when

you look and you see the booth and you're

751

like, Oh, that stuff is really cool,

but I'm sure they don't have my size.

752

And you can just, you can

read it on people's faces.

753

When we were at Sea Otter, we wrote on the

sign, like sizes, double zero through 24.

754

And try not to be pushy about

it, but really letting folks know

755

that Yes, we really do have your

size and it's, it will likely fit.

756

And I don't think we had anybody

come through that we didn't have

757

something that would work for

them, which was incredibly cool.

758

Ashley: And I don't know if I told

you Marley, but we have this amazing

759

email after from a woman who said I'm

not your average cyclist, my body's

760

built, not like your lean cyclist.

761

And I had so much fun at the Shedley booth

and you made me feel like I belonged.

762

You made me feel like I was.

763

Kind of an insider.

764

And I was really nervous to

even go to see Otter by myself.

765

Cause I felt like I was a poser and the

fact that we can make somebody feel like

766

they belong, like that's so powerful.

767

Not every brand can do that authentically.

768

So I'm super grateful that

we are able to do that for

769

Marley: Yeah it's such a cool thing.

770

Well, I can't, you say you're buzzing?

771

Ellen: So it's warm fuzzies.

772

Marley: we're buzzing.

773

We gotta get you in some

Shredly stuff, Ellen.

774

I think you would love it.

775

And they do make Littles and your

kiddo would look incredibly cute

776

in some dinosaur print stuff.

777

Ellen: Oh my god, I'm going.

778

I'll go right now.

779

Marley: Ta da!

780

Ellen: You guys finish this.

781

I'm going to do some e shopping.

782

Marley: Perfect.

783

Well, wrapping up we talked

about shorts a lot but Shredly

784

makes all sorts of stuff now.

785

So can you talk about that a

little bit and maybe where the

786

future of the brand is going?

787

Silence.

788

Ashley: and our shorts seamlessly

transition off the bike.

789

And so other products that

kind of help fill those gaps.

790

Has been really fun to design,

which actually allows me to focus

791

on some of my creativity originally,

that wasn't so outdoor focused.

792

So really being able to bring some

style into lifestyle products.

793

So you'll see more of that

from us, but also finding

794

ways to make cycling more fun.

795

So shorts is not a new thing.

796

You can't reinvent the wheel

of shorts all the time.

797

Yes, you can bring fresh new patterns and

colors, but what else can we do to make

798

cycling more fun.

799

And that's, those are the

products that we're focusing on.

800

Those are the products that

are selling really well.

801

So like our biker sham with the

scalloped edge very different

802

in the space, very unique.

803

And then our romper is an example.

804

Like how do we make cycling more fun?

805

Who doesn't want to

wear a romper on a bike?

806

And one thing that I can tease right

now that we're launching this spring is

807

Again, like using your critics to make

your products better Some people were

808

straight up angry when we launched the

romper like about how they were going

809

to pee And so we have figured out a way

that they can pee and they don't have

810

to take the top off So that's a hint

811

Ellen: To be fair,

revolutionary for rompers.

812

We have now transcended cycling.

813

Ashley: Exactly.

814

I know.

815

Totally.

816

I'm so super excited about that.

817

So really, and also always just keeping

top of mind, like, how can we use this

818

in many ways, solve the problems that

we have in cycling, make really great

819

product for cycling, but then how do

we get bonus points if you can use

820

it for more things than just cycling?

821

Like Marley, you were talking about

the jumpsuit, the black jumpsuit.

822

I'm wearing it right now.

823

We know tons of people wear it for date.

824

Yeah.

825

Like date nights.

826

So how, like how amazing if you

can make products for cycling that

827

people are wearing for date night.

828

That really excites me as a designer.

829

And so I feel like there's always that

challenge of like, how creative can I get

830

with this without losing any functionality

831

Marley: Yeah.

832

Well, my last question, and I

don't know if Ellen has any more,

833

but and I feel like Guy Raz.

834

Do you have a question?

835

Listen to how I built this on NPR.

836

Yeah.

837

I feel like Guy Raz as I asked

this, but for other folks who might,

838

see a need in their community and

Oh, I'm going to start a business.

839

Ashley did this incredible thing.

840

What would your advice be to them?

841

Ashley: Oh, my gosh.

842

I have so much advice for them.

843

First of all, I think, do

you ever watch shark tank?

844

Marley: Occasionally.

845

Ashley: Okay.

846

So if you watch that and you can

answer a lot of those questions,

847

like I can just imagine Mr.

848

Wonderful being like,

it's too easy to rip off.

849

Don't do it.

850

You really have to ask yourselves

those questions because I do see a

851

lot of people that so badly want to

start a business in a certain space.

852

But I think the product has to be pulled

from the market So if it's not solving

853

a problem in the market and if someone

else is already doing it Then I really

854

challenge those people like really be

super thoughtful if you were to start

855

a kickstarter campaign, do you think

it would be successful and we that was

856

like our first litmus test Was that,

857

we are asking the public to support

this product and if our project is not

858

successful, I think that means something.

859

So have a few litmus tests so that

you can test the space because

860

it is hard to start a business.

861

It is not easy.

862

You will not get a lot of sleep.

863

Money will always be hard to

figure out your financing.

864

And so your product has

to be really strong.

865

And then you have to have tons

of passion to, to get through

866

all of those ebbs and flows.

867

And so I, that is maybe a little

bit vague, but I cannot stress how

868

important I feel like that is to really,

you have to have the killer product.

869

Marley: I think that is perfect advice.

870

It all starts with the product.

871

Ellen: Yeah, well, and having a way

to know, it's like, when do you cut

872

and run or when do you keep going?

873

Yeah I don't have anything to add Marley.

874

Thank you for bringing me into this other

than Yes, these rompers are hella cute

875

and it's like I already wanted one But

then the one I'm looking at has little

876

embroidery on the back pocket first of all

has a back pocket Second of all has very

877

cute embroidery on the back pocket that I

am probably gonna have to go by and third

878

of all this website on the front page

The picture that you chose for a bike,

879

like behind the bike, go into this stuff.

880

It's a woman coming down a mountain biking

bridge and she is almost like at 180

881

degree angle and it's just a badass photo.

882

So I'm, if you go to Shredly's website

for nothing else than that photo,

883

it's well worth it because it feels

empowering and I don't mountain bike.

884

So it's, I think it's just a good way of

showing that you're here because there's.

885

Marley said, like it's more of a movement.

886

It's more about making sure people

feel good on what they're doing and

887

how, like when they want to do it.

888

Yay.

889

I'm very pleased to have been,

I didn't really look at much of

890

Shredly before we did this call.

891

So, sorry, don't tell Marley.

892

I didn't do my homework, but

893

Ashley: Look at that real life conversion.

894

Everyone is witnessing this.

895

Ellen: exactly, but it's it's fun

and it's flirty and it's, it looks

896

like something I want to wear.

897

Ashley: That's

898

Marley: And it's durable.

899

I have taken a couple of spills

and tumbles in my gear and it

900

is durable, which is great and

great customer support team.

901

Thank you so much, Ashley.

902

Thanks for our partnership and

thanks for coming on the podcast.

903

I can't believe we

haven't done this sooner.

904

Ashley: Oh my gosh.

905

I know.

906

Thank you so much for having me.

907

I have to give my team a shout out

because Alan, the things that you were

908

appreciating on the website, that's

Canberra, the customer care team

909

that you gave a shout out to Marley.

910

That's Megan.

911

So a shout out to them because they

definitely help make all the magic.

912

And thank you so much for having me.

913

I'm so honored to be here.

914

Ellen: Thank you.

915

Marley: Thank you.

916

Yay.