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Olivers

The thing about athletic shorts is that you rarely find a pair that you could wear outside the gym. While plenty of brands like Nike and New Balance have succeeded in balancing form and function when it comes to footwear, there's a visible gap in the market for athletic apparel that looks as a good as it performs. While women have it easy with the proliferation of yoga pants and athletic leggings as acceptable casual wear, guys would get laughed off the sidewalk for attempting to get errands done in a pair of slinky running shorts or compression pants. Olivers aims to change that with their smart shorts made from a water-repellent nylon and spandex fabric. The style-conscious design and comfortable fit is due in large part because Michael Maher, one of the guys behind Taylor Stitch, is one of Oliver's co-founders. He gave us the run down on the revolution that the new brand is trying to build.

 
What are some of the most common problems about athletic shorts, and why do so many styles lack pockets?

The biggest problems we found are that they fit poorly, they're overly baggy and they are generally too flashy. As for the lack of pockets, you'd never find me wearing an arm band for my music and it's nice to have somewhere to throw a key when I go for a run so I can get back into my house. Maybe a few bucks to stop and grab some groceries is a good thing too.

 
How should athletic shorts fit?

They should fit closer to the body. The 4-way-stretch fabric in our shorts allows us to ensure a proper fit while still giving the wearer uninhibited full range of motion.

How many times can a guy wear athletic shorts before they need a wash?

I would say it depends on how hard you are sweating it out. I am sure you could get away with a few solid wears before having to throw these in the wash.

 
What fabric are these made from?

We chose a nylon/spandex blend. It has a water repellent treatment on it too. We wanted you to be able to go for a run in them and still be able to hop in the water too.

Well you've already blown way past your goal. Are you guys thinking of any stretch goal plans for the future?

We haven't had a lot of time to think about that. We've thrown some ideas of new products out. Maybe adding a new color of the short. There are a few guys that are asking for a longer inseam version, so we've got a lot of options.

 
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    The brand is offering some pretty sweet pledge incentives, like the Dsptch paracord keychain or a duffle from Topo Designs.
 

Back the Project

Pledge $48 to score a pair of shorts in the color of your choice.

(End Date: Friday, September 13th at 2:59 am EDT)

 

Published on

August 20, 2013

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