Anook Athletics
Anook Athletics is a new maternity-and postpartum-friendly activewear brand founded by Allie Lindenmuth and a team of Lululemon and Nike alums. When Lindenmuth was pregnant in 2016, she found it shockingly hard to find quality activewear for pregnant moms. As a yoga teacher, she was always in activewear, and while she found lots of cozy clothing options, she couldn’t find anything that would work to sweat in, and grow with her body during pregnancy and postpartum.
“The issue became even more apparent when I began nursing and couldn't find the support I needed,” Allie Lindenmuth said. “I really wanted to fill this gap and create high quality activewear for pregnant and nursing mamas that could be worn as their bodies changed and through the years to come.”
Lindemuth turned to people in her community to help turn her company from an idea to a business.
Anook Athletics
“Honestly, most of Anook's partners have come through connections. Austin is a small community at heart,” Lindenmuth said. “People are so open to helping one another. We found our production company through a contact here in Austin and that connection led to us finding our manufacturer in Canada.”
Lindenmuth and her husband self-funded the launch of Anook Athletics.
“We believed in the concept and our mentality the whole time has been if we are going to do this, let's really do this and put the money into the project that it needs for success,” Lindenmuth said.
Launching as a direct-to-consumer brand, Lindenmuth plans to reach her customers through the traditional means, but knows that word-of-mouth when appealing to mothers.
“Aside from the traditional route of reaching our customers through press, digital marketing, advertising and social media, our biggest asset are mamas,” Lindenmuth said. “When a mother loves a product they are sure to tell all their mom friends about it. We are really hoping to tap into this by creating the #AnookOutercircle, a place where not only moms, but all caretakers can come together and support one another, share stories and information on must-have products that enrich their daily lives.”
Anook Athletics
Lindenmuth has big plans for the future of Anook Athletics, hoping for it to become the most recognized athletic line for moms, and a community of support for mothers no matter what the age of their children are.
“With this presence, our goal is to truly create a community for moms,” Lindenmuth said. “We plan to offer community events, online classes and wellness support to all mamas. We live in a baby-focused world, where the mom is often forgotten when the child arrives; where women are left many times feeling alone and isolated. We want to change this. Women deserve to feel whole, connected and supported physically and emotionally as they go through the many transitions of motherhood. This will be more than just an athletic line. It will be a lifestyle and support system. You are joining a community when you buy Anook Athletics, you become a part of the #AnookOutercircle.”
