Philly online retailer launches private-label sportswear collection for the girl-on-the-go | Elizabeth Wellington
OTG, which stands for On the Go, is a collection of activewear that's highly technical, as in you can wear it to Soul Cycle, but still has a relaxed aesthetic.
With her brand new women’s wear line OTG — that stands for On the Go — Center City-based entrepreneur Marguerite Adzick is the Donna Karan of active fashion.
But instead of the tailored trousers, blazers, and cashmere sweaters at the core of Karan’s 1980s 7 Easy Pieces for the woman on the move, Adzick’s modern-day, work-hard, play-hard grouping features leggings, a long-sleeve T, a crop top, a tote, a pullover, and a cross-body bag. The easily mix-and-match pieces range from $36 for the crop top to $158 for the pullover and come in three core colors: navy, raspberry, and black.
“We wanted to create a collection that was both highly technical, as in you can wear it to Soul Cycle, but still has a relaxed aesthetic,” said Adzick, the 31-year founder of the online athleisure retail website, Addison Bay. Adzick, formerly a producer of Lilly Pulitizer’s e-commerce site, launched Addison Bay in September 2018 to sell liquid leggings, crop tops, and jackets from fashion-forward athleisure brands like Koral, Terez, and my all-time favorite, Spiritual Gangster. And after just 15 months in business, and a lot of around-the-town pop-ups at gyms, boutique fitness studios, and healthy eateries, Adzick launched OTG earlier this month.
I recently chatted with Adzick about OTG, how she’s different from Lululemon and why sports bras just don’t sell.
The athleisure space is pretty crowded. Why did you think it was time now to introduce another gym-to-brunch line of clothing?
It was always in my business plan to launch a private-label activewear line. We just planned on launching it in year four or five. But 15 months into the business, we saw holes in activewear offerings specifically in [our customers'] core building-block pieces.
What were those holes?
She needed pieces that were versatile enough to wear on her morning workouts, to school pickups, on errands, while she’s traveling and beyond. But essentially she was bored with her basic black leggings. For example, our leggings are made from luxe fabrication that wicks sweat but are also fashion-fashion forward, and they are so soft that you want to pet your legs. But the waistband stays put, so you never have to yank them up.
So why should she buy OTG, rather than Lululemon?
Because we strive to give an elevated fashion-forward feel. OTG is neither high-performance activewear, nor ready-to-wear. These are meant to be the building blocks in her wardrobe, as in everything in this collection can be worn together. She’s meant to wear it from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Are the leggings your top seller? Those stripes along the ankle are everything.
Within our first week, we’ve sold hundreds of leggings, but our pullover is our No. 1 style. It’s a polyester, cotton, spandex blend with a turtleneck and specifically placed zippers that dips in the back to cover the behind.
Is this piece in keeping with your concept of the ever-important third layer in athleisure?
That third layer is what really elevates the outfit. It’s what takes you from gym to your brunches and errands. It’s what really completes the look.
So tell me, why does OTG need two different kinds of bags in the collection?
Because our girl is really on the go. She carries her laptop, her lunch, wallet, appropriate shoes, a water bottle and she needs efficient bag that does that. Our bags are made of neoprene that’s not only fashionable, but can survive spills.
Wait, are you meant to carry a tote for the laptop? You can’t fit a laptop in that cross-body, can you?
Yes, our cross-body holds a 13-inch laptop.
Sports bras are a key part of athleisure collection, but OTG doesn’t have any. Why not?
Sports bras, believe it or not, are one of our lowest sell-through products. I think it’s because people can’t see your sports bras. People can always see leggings [and jackets and sweatshirts] so they don’t want to allocate the dollars.
As in, we scrimp on our sports bras and pay full price for leggings?
That’s what our research shows.
What’s next for OTG?
Well we just finished our spring 2020 line where we will add kelly green pieces to the collection, as well as some more white pieces. And in fall 2020, we are looking to bring in some olive. We’d like to add more core pieces, but we are still working on exactly what those pieces are. Our customer will let us know soon.
OTG is available on Addison Bay’s website: www.Addisonbay.com
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