Oiselle Review: The Running Brand For Women That Embraces The Journey
It’s one thing for a brand to use women’s empowerment as a marketing tactic. It’s another to actually empower women. Businesses with savvy advertising teams know that all too well, and often bank on the naiveté of their audiences as an excuse to talk the talk without walking the walk.
Boutique women’s running brand Oiselle doesn’t take shortcuts, though. Maybe doing so would have resulted in just as many sales without nearly as much effort. But Oiselle would rather earn the trust of the running community than scheme for it. The brand has committed to playing the long game, building up a steadfast audience over its 17 years in business by treating their clothing as a means to an end. Oiselle designs apparel for women who have more on their minds than their training plan. From that perspective, clothes become tools for performance—not just aesthetics.
Oiselle commits to empowering women who run.
Women who wear Oiselle learn to think about running differently as a result. They accomplish more on the big stage because they feel capable of doing more behind the scenes. And most importantly, they see running as an integral part of life instead of an escape from it. Oiselle allows women to bring their whole selves to each run.
As a busy runner who squeezes training sessions into every spare window of opportunity, I tested some of Oiselle’s fan favorites to see if they could streamline my schedule. A few key design details have had a noticeable impact on how wisely I can use my time. The sense of safety, comfort and ease that I get from wearing Oiselle apparel translates to faster paces and fewer interruptions. That’s all thanks to the purpose behind the product. Here’s how Oiselle helps women like me strengthen their relationship with running for the sake of enjoyment and performance.
Show Up To Stand Out
Talent isn’t everything. Even athletes with so-called “natural talent” can’t put their genetics to good use without applying themselves properly. Behind every personal record (PR) is a runner who chose to show up for the daily grind and trust in the process. As running coaches David and Megan Roche like to say, “overnight successes are actually years in the making.”
But the PR’s themselves get more attention than the work that went into them. It’s much easier to stand on a starting line than it is to show up for all the training leading up to that point—especially for female athletes. Safety concerns, physiological burdens and the demands of motherhood make it more difficult to clock quality mileage. Oiselle aims to reduce the barriers to entry for women who struggle to make the miles happen.
“Most runners tend to want to run to perform,” acknowledges Oiselle CEO Arielle Knutson. “But performance starts with the ability to move comfortably and sustainably.”
With that in mind, Oiselle puts the focus on facilitating movement first and foremost. The Oiselle design process starts with meeting the needs of female runners. Performance benefits come about as a side effect of fulfilling those unique needs.
The author, Lucie Hanes, on a run in the Oiselle Toolbelt Roga Shorts
To truly make movement more accessible for women, though, running apparel has to go beyond the basics. Sweat-wicking properties and lightweight fabrics might speak to runners in general, but they aren’t enough to support female runners specifically.
Knutson breaks down the concerns of female runners into four main categories: safety, storage, body and time. Women have good reason to worry about making it home from their runs. The news proves that even the most mundane neighborhood loop comes with potential consequences. Knutson also points out that “when you have breasts and hips, your body moves differently than if you don’t, and clothes feel different depending on how those elements of the female body present themselves on different people.”
And speaking of female physiology, we have different nutritional needs than our male counterparts. According to Dr. Stacy Sims, author of two books and over 70 peer-reviewed studies on the physiological needs of female athletes, “our core body temperature rises about twice as quickly when we start exercising,” which increases our risk of dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. Research on the prominence of low energy availability in female athletes suggests that women should pay extra attention to mid-run fueling, too. All that adds up to more essentials (see: quick calories) that have to go somewhere.
360-degree pockets on the Toolbelt Roga Shorts allow for easy access to mid-run fuel.
Every piece of Oiselle apparel addresses at least one of these categories, if not all four at once. The Firecracker line features reflective bird patterns for visibility in low light, while plentiful pockets provide handy storage for phones, gels, layers and anything else your run requires.
A wide variety of lengths, inseams and heights account for the different ways that female bodies convey their curves. Long sleeves with built-in watch windows accommodate sneak peaks at your metrics in cold weather, for the many women who struggle with poor circulation. Bras with adjustable, hook-able straps accommodate nursing mothers. High-waisted bottoms prop up the abdomen for moms-to-be. And subtle colors, patterns and fits make Oiselle clothing on the whole appropriate for runs, gym sessions to carpool duties to Zoom meetings when there’s no time for a wardrobe change.
Wide straps plus a phone pocket between the shoulder blades combine comfort with accessibility on … [+]
These are the kinds of details that make or break running apparel—and running in general—for women. The “shrink it and pink it” approach to female gear design has left us believing that we’re the problem because we can’t make do with the same things that work for men. But why should we? Women come to running with our own bodies, responsibilities and priorities. Oiselle puts running in the context of life as a woman.
Root For The Underbird
The busy lives and full plates of female runners means that it can be tough for even the most elite athletes to put all the pieces together. Oiselle took a step beyond thoughtful gear design to give women with top-tier potential the opportunity to actually apply it.
“Oiselle works with athletes who are up-and-comers, who have yet to be sponsored, because a support system can mean everything,” explains Knutson. “We launched the Underbird program leading up to the Olympic Team Trials Marathon to support five elite athletes who wanted to race for a spot on the team but might not have been able to get there logistically or perform their best on their own.”
These five runners received a stipend, gear and a platform to tell their stories leading up to the Trials. The storytelling component holds the most value for Oiselle. Knutson recognizes that “there’s validity to sponsoring the very top athletes who are winning: they’re influential and have high reach, which matters for brand exposure. But always winning isn’t always relatable. The everyday runner tends to relate more with stories that include the challenges that all athletes experience, but that those in the spotlight all the time don’t necessarily share. Life is not linear and it’s inspiring to hear about athletes who are achieving that level of excellence while being normal humans with setbacks and work and families and late-onsets to running.”
The Oiselle Underbirds told their stories en route to the Olympic Trials. None of their contracts contained clauses dependent on performance or podiums. One runner didn’t even make it to the start line due to injury. Oiselle’s response? The brand continued supporting her through the Boston Marathon for another chance at seeing her efforts through. Oiselle doesn’t hold its athletes to certain standards because Knutson and her team understand that nothing in running (or in life) is guaranteed. Supporting an ambitious athlete doesn’t ensure results. It does, however, give them the best chance at success.
“When we work with an athlete, it’s not just about the athlete but about the whole person,” emphasizes Knutson. “We’re working with them on the running level and the human level. It’s not just about winning or performance, it’s about the whole self. Ultimately, our athletes go on to perform well because they feel supported on all levels.”
Oiselle Gear Review
Just as race results don’t define athletes, clothes don’t define Oiselle. The intention behind them does. These are a few pieces of apparel that exemplify Oiselle’s intentions for female runners of all backgrounds and ambitions.