Links on Friday Reveals Search for the Canadian Olympic beach volleyball team

When it comes time for the Summer Olympics in Paris, Canada’s women’s beach volleyball team will stand out for their one-shoulder bikini tops.

The uniforms, designed by Canadian active swimwear company Left on Friday, were unveiled Tuesday on the company’s website and social channels.

Designing a look for athletes who need extra power when delivering a great volleyball shot may not seem so unique. But when the swimwear company’s co-founders, Laura Low Ah Kee and Shannon Savage, went to the International Olympic Committee to approve the suit, officials said they were never asked to approve a one-shoulder uniform.

The women had to go back to the IOC when they had to adjust the silhouette for a left-handed player to ensure there were no complications. This is the third year that Vancouver-based Left on Friday has partnered with the Canadian women’s beach volleyball team to design and outfit players with uniforms, bikinis and accessories. “It is a dream come true to support Volleyball Canada and work together to design uniforms that are not only intended to enhance and support the performance of elite athletes, but also look good while doing it,” said Low Ah Kee.

The seed for the collaboration emerged rather haphazardly, shortly after the two former Lululemon executives launched Left on Friday in 2018. One of the players on the volleyball team, Shanice Marcelle, wore Left on Friday suits that she bought herself. She contacted the swimwear makers to be one of her additional sponsors.

It was too early for the newly founded company to think about sponsorship. But they built a relationship with Marcelle by supplying her with suits. Soon, other athletes on the Canadian women’s beach volleyball team were wearing Left on Friday products, allowing the company to perfect the fit for some of its styles. “We have always been involved in product testing and working with athletes to ensure we can resolve the issues they have with the product,” said Low Ah Kee.

So when Lululemon dropped its sponsorship of the beach volleyball team a few years ago, it was only natural that Left on Friday would step in to design their outfits. The company outfits about 40 athletes who wear different sizes and have different measurements. The Left on Friday swimsuits have a cup size up to DD+.

For the upcoming Olympics, Left on Friday has also created team uniforms featuring short-sleeved cropped sun tops to wear over swim tops for extra coverage. Uniforms come in three colorways: maroon, white and neon red. “We had two main priorities when approaching the uniforms,” says Savage, who oversees design and products. “It was important that we delivered on the promise of comfort, allowing the athletes to fully concentrate on their performance. Secondly, we want them to stand out for their big moment.”

Left on Friday, whose name comes from the idea of ​​leaving on Friday for a weekend of adventure, used the company’s signature Italian-made technical fabric made of nylon, polyester and 18 percent lycra to enable the uniforms to have greater compression, flexibility and provide support.

Since the beginning, swimwear has been the backbone of Left on Friday’s product offering. Initially, swimsuits were made in a small factory in Northern California. But as Left on Friday has grown, more of the main product is manufactured in a factory in Taiwan. Currently, swimwear represents 90 percent of the company’s sales, which are in the eight-figure range.

But that could change as Left on Friday explores other lifestyle categories with more clothing options. In recent years, the company has introduced leggings, cupro and linen button-down shirts, pants and linen dresses, as well as sportswear including fleece sweatshirts, sweatpants, jerseys and shorts made from cotton milled in Los Angeles.

Since its inception, the Canadian company has relied on e-commerce to fuel its growth, with the United States accounting for 80 percent of sales and the remainder in Canada. There have been a few pop-up stores in Toronto and Vancouver. But that will change.

The swimwear company will soon take a big step to open its first permanent store, which will be in the United States. The team scouted locations around Los Angeles, focusing on the trendy seaside neighborhood of Venice. “We hope to have something this summer,” Low Ah Kee said. “Every day I wander the streets.”