Left changes the Olympic uniform of the game on Friday.
The swimwear brand, co-founded by former Lululemon executives Laura Low Ah Kee and Shannon Savage, partnered with Volleyball Canada to design the team’s uniforms for the 2024 World Tour and Paris Olympics — a responsibility they didn’t take lightly.
The top priority was making sure the gear was comfortable and ready for performance, which is why the brand worked closely with Canadian team stars Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson.
“They are world-class, top athletes, and they also care about how they look,” Savage tells PEOPLE of the brand ambassadors. “We love that they bring style and fashion to the field and inspire young athletes. They are also great people who represent different cultures and we are proud to work with them.”
On Thursday, August 8, Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson led Team Canada to victory against Team Switzerland in the semifinals. On Friday, they will play for gold in the final.
Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes for Left on Sunday.
Colina Rentmeester
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The Left on Friday designs mark the first one-shoulder uniforms in beach volleyball, which Savage says “allow each player’s serving arm to be strapless and have full range of motion.”
The founders also saw a unique opportunity to shine a light on Team Canada. “This is a moment for Canada on the world stage, to perform with the whole world watching,” says Savage. “We want them to be memorable and stand out from the crowd.”
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Brandie Wilkerson for Left on Friday.
Colina Rentmeester
Low Ah Kee adds that they wanted to incorporate the brand’s trademark bold colors and flattering silhouettes.
“We were excited to bring this ethos to life for a true Canadian moment by creating unique combinations of red (in honor of our country’s flag color) in slightly unexpected ways,” she explains. “For example, instead of pairing white with classic red, we blocked out the white and caramel colors and used bright red lettering for the uniform text… It was so much fun to play with Canadian-inspired colors that will definitely bring energy to the court.”
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Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes for Left on Friday.
Colina Rentmeester
Launching the design at the Olympics has had a huge impact on the independent swimwear brand, whose e-commerce website is powered by Shopify.
“For some brands, this influx of volume would overwhelm their store — but not on Shopify,” Shopify President Harley Finkelstein said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. “Shopify is a platform built to meet the demands of major events like the Olympics and we’re proud to launch Left on Friday during this exciting time.” Thanks to the Olympic Games stage, Left on Friday experienced significant spikes in traffic to its website , with organic searches up 59% and total international traffic up 136%.
“Left on Friday is all about creating fashion and function in one garment in the ultimate way,” says Savage. “This Olympic moment is just like that. The world’s best athletes are choosing to wear our product to perform at the highest level on the world stage…our athletes are incredible and we couldn’t be more proud to see them in the left position on Friday.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education