Fun Activewear for the Win!
If you’ve read my many workout program reviews, you’ve likely noticed an obsession with brightly colored or surprising athletic wear — especially those made by woman-owned or BIPOC-owned small businesses. So what’s the story behind my new ARMOR LEGGINGS? Read on.
What Helps Small Businesses Survive?
This isn’t a sponsored post — no one is paying me to write this or even asked me to do so — and there are no affiliate links for these clothes… so why type this article? Well, the journey from learning about these leggings to buying them revealed elements of what it takes for a small business to flourish. As an English teacher, I can’t resist sharing a good lesson!
Armor Leggings Lessons:
1. Eye-Catching, Unique Design and Models.
When I first saw an ad online for Lorica Clothing, something was different. The designs for the leggings weren’t like any I’d ever seen before. Subsequent research revealed that they are geekily (and I use that word with love) based on meticulous replications of historical armor from real museum collections. The attention to detail is stunning.
It wasn’t just the clothes that caught my eye, though. The models Lorica’s founder, Elie Hutchinson, chooses are of all body types and backgrounds. I was thrilled to see a diversity of skin tones, alongside abundant body positivity! Gender performativity is also gorgeously fluid in the photos, with male models in exuberant poses often reserved for female-identifying folks.
2. Persistant Social Media Ad Targeting.
For small businesses wondering if Facebook or Instagram targeted marketing works, I must sheepishly admit that it got me in this case! Every time I opened my computer, there were those beautiful leggings staring at me.
Over and over I clicked through to the site, then over and over I closed it without buying, once I remembered that the price seemed out of my range. That said, every time I saw the ad and site again, I learned more about the company, and became — bit by bit — more open to the idea of a purchase.
3. A Compelling Founder’s Story.
What really began to change my mind about making the splurge purchase was learning about Lorica’s founder, Elie Hutchinson. Elie is an Asian-American woman who launched the company via Kickstarter in 2017. When it took off, she wore multiple hats, racing around to fulfill the sudden outpouring of orders.
4. Ethical Elements and Leggings in LONG.
Lorica’s clothes are made in the USA by woman-owned garment businesses out of fabrics created from recycled plastic water bottles! This is “slow fashion,” with each item made to order (meaning shipping takes longer, but there is far less waste).
Oh, and in music to this 6-foot tall woman‘s ears, the leggings even come in a “Long” length! (As you can see, they are actually even longer than is necessary — a feat that’s impressively hard to achieve.)
4. Human, Authentic Communication.
Wow — the founder herself responded to my Instagram questions, and was cordial and helpful as I thought through which sizes and styles to buy! I was star struck, and ended up zeroing in on the Henry VII Sports Bra and Sackville Leggings, both in Small. (Like my socks? They’re linked in the “compression socks” section of this #mbf Beachbody review.)
6. An Alluring Intro Discount.
The final element that got me to splurge on these leggings and the top was there’s introductory discount offered by email! Delightful and effective marketing. CLICK — into my shopping cart the armor leggings went… and the rest is history. Or rather, the rest is a whole lot of photos and videos wearing the outfit in this “Muscle Burns Fat results” article.
Armor Leggings Love Forever!
Long live woman owned small businesses, creativity, body positivity, and delicious geekery! So what about you? Are you a fan of armor leggings? (If you enjoy medieval armor in real life, peep these epic blacksmithing classes in PA!) Have you also seen my other review featuring these leggings with pockets — and dinosaurs?! What other woman and BIPOC-owned small biz companies should I check out next? Do share!
The author, Lillie Marshall, is a 6-foot-tall National Board Certified Teacher of English, fitness fan, and mother of two who has been a public school educator since 2003. She launched Around the World “L” Travel and Life Blog in 2009, and over 4.2 million readers have now visited this site. Lillie also runs TeachingTraveling.com and DrawingsOf.com. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter, and follow @WorldLillie on social media!