Fitness Fashion From A Cincy Local
Cincy native Erin Roddy has made it her personal mission to celebrate women by fusing fitness fashion with function and philanthropy with her new athletic line, MEAS Active. Roddy decided to leave her corporate job behind to craft her own line of high quality, luxury, urban apparel designs with real women in mind. We love the metallic jacket (a lot) and the zola leggings.
Do you ever wish your favorite sports bra could hold your phone and your keys? Or that your sweat gear could be cute enough to wear to brunch, but tough enough to withstand a 26-mile run? Or maybe you just want to know that you’re supporting a company with a really good cause. If any of this sounds familiar, you’re in luck. Cincy native Erin Roddy has made it her personal mission to celebrate women by fusing fitness fashion with function and philanthropy with her new athletic line, MEAS Active.
Roddy is a fashion designer, avid runner, and women’s advocate living in NYC. After years of working in corporate fashion and attempting to master the art of urban running, she noticed a gap in women’s fashionable, performance-led athletic wear. Roddy decided to leave the corporate world behind to craft her own line of high quality, luxury, urban apparel designs with real women in mind. And she doesn’t stand alone: The crowdfunded brand surpassed its Kickstarter goal of $30,000 in April and is ready for its first full run of production.
Roddy said it all started with a nonprofit trip to Cambodia and Thailand, where she traveled with an organization to help rescue young girls from sex trafficking. There, she heard an ancient Cambodian proverb, “Men are gold, women are white linen,” suggesting that when a woman is “dirtied” she cannot be cleaned and when a man is “dirtied” he can be shined like new. It’s then that she learned that in Khmer, the Cambodian language, gold translates to MEAS. After spending time with the victims there, connecting with them despite the language barrier, and feeling the strength in their smiles over a simple board game, she knew those young girls were not linen. They were MEAS.
Roddy believes in the idea of strength in numbers, and hopes to empower women and promote health and wellness through her fitness line. She’s confident that if women stick together, there’s no limit to what they can accomplish. For that reason, a portion of MEAS Active profits go to nonprofit organizations like Girl’s on the Run.
What to Expect
MEAS clothing is designed for the woman on the go. There are more than enough pockets for your keys, credit cards, etc. And, the pieces are cute enough to rock throughout the day before you transition into a post work run. Staying true to the name, many of the pieces incorporate gold accents which we’ve been complimented on numerous times while wearing. Similar price point to lululemon.
Photography by: Amy Spasoff
