DAUB | ACTIVE offers quality, comfortable activewear that inspires women to lead a passionate existence. Break boundaries. Be active.
This project is a launch of our new line, DAUB | ACTIVE: new products and new production techniques to keep our collection fresh and you on the move. Once the full amount of the funding goal is raised by the closing date of the campaign, we put your orders into production.
NEW TO KICKSTARTER? HOW TO ORDER:
Kickstarter is a platform to raise money for projects. It works by individuals pledging their support of a project in return for the reward of their choice (a look at our (digital) journey, leggings, tank top, sports bra, etc.). Our project is a launch of our new line: DAUB | ACTIVE featuring new products and new production techniques to keep our product fresh and you on the move. Once the full amount of the funding goal is raised by the closing date of the campaign, the project is set in motion and the pledgers receive their rewards upon completion of production.
You select your reward on the right-hand side of the webpage and place your pledge. You are only charged once the project is over and when it is fully funded. Unsuccessful campaigns that do not meet their funding goals do not move forward, nor would you be charged. That’s not going to happen here, right? So keep reading!
STEP ONE:
Scroll down to read our story and look at photos of each style. Decide what item(s) you wish to select.
STEP TWO:
Find your reward (item you wish to select or combo of said items) in the right hand column or under the Rewards tab on a mobile phone.
STEP THREE:
Choose your reward and proceed to checkout online.
*ADD-ONS TO ANY PLEDGE:
– Add $20 to any pledge option if you also want to receive of our digital journey of the brand’s conception to completion.
– Add $25 to any pledge option if you want to add a candle OR eye pillow.
– Add $64 to any order of our SIGNATURE, RILEY or AVA leggings to add an ARIA Tank Top.
– Add $68 to any order of our SIGNATURE, RILEY or AVA leggings to add a matching sports bra of either the KENNEDY or CHLOE style.
– Add any amount to the EVERLASTING SUPPORTER just to make our day. We’ll be sending out thank you cards with surprise gift codes as tokens of our appreciation.
STEP FOUR:
Confirm your pledge and shipping details. The cost of shipping is prompted at this point. Your size, colour and candle scent will be collected after the project is fully funded.
STEP FIVE:
Share our project with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Email, Word of Mouth, Paper Airplane…However you can! Please + thank you!
PLEASE NOTE: If you don’t want a certain reward, select “No thanks, I just want to help the project” and enter your desired pledge amount.
Here it is!
OUR STORY:
DAUB | ACTIVE is an evolution of a mind-set. Our Creative Director, Lexi Soukoreff, comes from a textile arts background. For the last 6 years, she has hand-dyed her line of activewear, Daub + Design, which many of you love and continue to support. Daub + Design has been widely successful, being featured in SELF Magazine, Well & Good, Yoga Journal, Women’s Health, the Georgia Straight, Vita Daily, Fitness Magazine and more.
This project comes from your feedback. Whereas Daub + Design’s laidback luxe takes you seamlessly from working out to going out, DAUB | ACTIVE incorporates that iconic aesthetic into activewear that’s ready to go with you to the next level. The artist’s world coming together with the technologically-driven real world requires a delicate balancing act. Our lives are one big balancing act, and DAUB | ACTIVE evolved from the desire to make it just a little easier.
THE DAUB AESTHETIC:
We’re widely known for our hand-dyed fabrics in our signature tie-dye look. Lexi continues to utilize her surface design skills for the new pieces but integrates the use of technology to build a cohesive, print driven collection. In the year leading up to the launch, we tried sampling a variety of styles, fabrics and techniques to recreate the Daub + Design style exactly. We realized it was time to try something new: an overall repeat yardage design that we could play with for different styles of activewear.
THE COLLECTION:
This capsule collection features 3 versions of our new basic legging, the SIGNATURE DAUB Legging, the RILEY Legging and the AVA Legging each with their own functional components. The desire for a wider waistband for athletic activities was at the forefront of our design.
BUT! Here comes the goods: We wanted it to be comfortable on the body, still avoiding any soft spots and to stay in place and not slide down. We want the leggings to fit REAL women, while encompassing the unique aesthetic that we’ve become known for. The ARIA Tank allows you to dress head to toe in DAUB with combinations of beautiful, soft meshes that allow the body to breathe during your workout. We’ve added in the KENNEDY Racerback Sports Bra for ultimate support and coverage while working out and the CHLOE Scoopneck Sports Bra for a sleek, modern design.
OUR COMMITMENT:
Fabric selection is always a component of our design and we always aim for comfort, breathability and durability. We searched, emailed supplier after supplier and tested over 25 fabrics to find and be sure that these were the ones. Our printed fabrics are sublimated on fine gauge polyester/spandex which resists pilling, breathes beautifully and feels like a second skin. It’s wicking components keep you cool and the knit structure smooths any imperfections.
Our Daub + Design customers know that our fabrics FEEL amazing on and we often hear “It feels like I’m wearing nothing!” when they come out of the change room. The fabrics for DAUB | ACTIVE are different fibre content because the process to adhere colour to the fabric are different. However, they have that same lightweight feel for ultimate comfort.
PROCESS – DYED VS PRINTED
Both processes can only be done on specific fibre contents.
– Dye penetrates through the fabric and bonds with the entire molecular structure that the dye touches. Dye needs time, pressure, heat and fixatives. This is why dyed fabrics have colour on both sides of the fabric.
– Prints sit on the surface of the fabric and bond with the surface only. Prints need time, pressure, heat and transfer paper. This is why printed fabrics only have colour on one side of the fabric.
DAUB | ACTIVE:
– Prints are sublimated onto high-quality polyester fabric.
– Combinations of fabrics (polyester/spandex, nylon/spandex) throughout the collection for colour blocking, design, comfort and function.
DAUB + DESIGN:
– Fabric must be nylon/spandex to accept and hold dye for wash and light fastness.
We chose these fabrics because of their quality but also their hand and feel. They feel luxurious on and deserve to be treated as such. Just as you would take care of anything else you love, treat your DAUB clothes with respect and care. Be mindful of rough surfaces, zippers, velcro and anything that can catch fabric. Wash by hand, in a delicates bag or with like, luxe items on gentle.
COLOUR SELECTION:
FIT & FABRIC:
Our fabrics are knit, which means they are stretchy. Although we as consumers can often size down in stretch fabrics, we recommend ordering true to size to maintain the integrity of the fabric. We print on white fabric. This means, the base fabric is white, unlike our dyed fabrics which start a base colour. We’re extremely happy with the fabrics for DAUB | ACTIVE thus far; the print is high quality and opaque. Just like with other white or light pants, if you’re ever concerned, we recommend nude undergarments.
The wide waistband fits smooth against the body and at the natural waist for the RILEY Legging. The SIGNATURE Legging and the AVA Legging sit 3/4″ lower.
The ARIA Tank Top is long and a slim fit through the body. It can also be styled by tucking it into a waistband loosely to one side or tied in a knot gently.
THE KENNEDY Racerback Sports Bra offers our best support. This is our new favourite bra for running and for coverage in our classes. Power mesh lining and space for bra cups.
THE CHLOE Scoopneck Sports Bra offers medium support with wider straps. We received feedback that people wanted a non-racerback option so here it is! We love the cute colour-blocked triangle in the centre. Power mesh lining and space for bra cups.
* Please note, our bras will be retailing regularly at $94.00 CAD. In order to bring this price down for the future, we need to be ordering over 50 units of each style. We are offering these two items on Kickstarter to bring our production numbers up. Labour is expensive in Canada and if you’ve ever tried to sew a bra or swimsuit – you understand!
SIZING:
Every product we make aims to inspire fierce passion in our community of like-minded women—whether they’re neighbours or from around the world, we have, in all of our hearts, a desire to break boundaries. Our building blocks of effortless sophistication and functional luxury are designed to give our clients exactly what they want: something different—something new. DAUB | ACTIVE is a hybrid of unique prints born in the art world, and the limitless opportunities of technology printing allows for a new generation of athletic wear. Combined with luxurious fabrics sourced from around the globe, DAUB | ACTIVE inspires you to play harder, push the limits, and never compromise style for comfort and quality.
One of our biggest challenges with Daub + Design has been keeping up with production. With DAUB | ACTIVE, we’re able to continue working with our hand-dyed fabrics as well as continue giving you one-of-a-kind pieces. By working roll to roll with our sublimation printing process as opposed to panel printing as many companies choose to do, the process and colours are regulated but each pattern lines up slightly different on each piece.
We fell in love with our base fabrics, a blend from Europe, and are now been trying to get a gauge on how long fabrics take to be shipped, what’s kept in stock and how long the process will take from fabric order to completion. We’re learning every day and promise to do our best to be transparent and communicate along the way.
While, done at a higher cost, we choose to manufacture domestically because we believe in supporting own economy. Domestic production also works with our business model: less waste, less chance of over-production (because we can order smaller amounts) and the ability to establish direct relationships with our vendors. Producing domestically also comes with a price: fair wages and labour rules, safe environment. We work with a factory owner who genuinely cares about his staff’s well-being – from staff get-togethers, vacations, reasonable timelines, fair pricing and weather! Yes – factories get HOT in the summer so it slows down production if it’s too hot to work past 3 o’clock! These qualities are important to us.
Our values are as follows:
– local production
– fair wages
– unique designs
– quality fabrics
– West Coast feel
Our challenges are:
– New products: New fabrics, new fit – how does it all work? SAMPLE!
– Small production: Finding suppliers who work in small batches. Many want you to purchase a minimum 5000m. That’s A LOT of leggings!
– Price point for small batches: JUST our labour costs from manufacturing locally can cost the price of a finished product from overseas. We need to increase our orders significantly on these rewards in order to bring the costs into perspective and make this a viable project.
– Meeting new clients: We’ve taken part in 3 wholesale shows now in the US (LA and NYC). The cost to partake plus accommodation, flights, booth fees and time are all risks worth the investment.
Please note: We are still in the process of sampling so sizes are (solid) estimates. We will update the campaign as we have more women try on the finished garments in a variety of sizes.
Thank you so much for your support helping us get this project up and running. We can’t do it without you so many thanks in advance!
Lexi Soukoreff
Creative Director/Owner