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World, Meet Saysh by Allyson Felix

By Bailey Ness

Saysh– a brand that represents hope, acceptance, and the power to create change– has entered the chat and it’s already going #viral!
@allysonfelix
Two years after her very public breakup with shoe giant Nike over the treatment of pregnant athletes, Allyson Felix, the most decorated woman track star of all time has officially released her own lifestyle brand, Saysh, and she is kicking things off with a sneaker and a strong message.
In 2019, Felix broke up with her then-sponsor Nike due to circumstances related to her childbirth, sharing in a powerful New York Times op-Ed that she faced a 70% pay cut in her sponsorship because of it. “During my pregnancy, I faced a gender injustice that I couldn’t run from. My employer did not support my maternity in a way that I could be proud of. I was told to know my place. That runners should just run, that it’s just business,” according to an open letter on Saysh’s website
Maybe Nike missed the memo that girl power is not something to mess with!
@bysaysh
Instead, of “just running,” Felix spoke out and built a brand to ensure other women athletes never have to train at 4:30 am while their 5 months pregnant to hide their pregnancy from their sponsor. So that they won’t have to fight someone so much bigger than them for a right that should be basic.
The tension between being a mother and being a professional athlete sparked the creation of Saysh - a brand that is “for that woman who has been overlooked, or feels like their voice hasn’t been heard.” A brand that creates products for women, by women (just like us over here at Halfdays)!
@bysaysh
From design to testing, and manufacturing, the Saysh One Sneaker was designed for women from the sole up. Felix wanted the sneaker’s design to be comfort-oriented, more athletic-inspired than a true performance style, but still elegant in look.
“It was inspired by the line of a wrap dress, which creates feminine shapes through a flowing design. The drapes of a wrap dress are also reminiscent of lines that denote a running track,” says Felix
Saysh aims to bridge the professional and casual worlds and create a sneaker to accompany women whenever and wherever.
@bysaysh
A female-founded brand designing products specifically for women? Sounds like team spirit to us! We’re big cheerleaders of other brands designing with women in mind. Whether you’re competing at the world’s largest stage or not, women deserve better than *unisex* clothing.
If the launch of Allyson Felix’s community-centered lifestyle brand has already taught us one this, it’s that we exist to undermine inequality with female athleticism and creativity.
There’s no question, Allyson Felix knows her place and it’s dang-where she pleases. Now she’ll head to Tokyo (her fifth Olympic Games) looking to further capitalize on the momentum she’s built leading up to the postponed Summer Games of 2020 while continuously encouraging women to keep going and keep speaking out.

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