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Ever Wonder Why Swim Parkas are Only Available in Unisex Styling?

High school swimmers Niki and Becca did, and they concluded the unisex (aka made for boys) swim parka symbolized long overlooked compromise for the female athlete.

This compromise has a real cost for girls, who leave swimming at twice the rate of boys by the time they graduate from high school.  Further evidence of the disparity is that there is only one female coach to every 3 male coaches on deck.

WOTTER Cofounder, Becca Segal stated, “When you look at the statistics and really listen to girls, you see how this kind of compromise has been sending a subliminal message that girls are secondary in the sport.”

She continued, “It’s so clear to both Niki and me that what we gained from swimming was the foundation that allowed us to tackle some really huge challenges, WAY beyond the water.  We think every girl should feel confident and strong on deck because that translates into every facet of your life.”

WOTTER Cofounder, Niki Vilas Boas said, “WOTTER is about making choices available that celebrate and validate female swimmers.  This is not “Pink It and Shrink It”, WOTTER is a FOR HER BY HER movement that stands for the freedom of choice girls deserve so they feel powerful on deck, in the water and beyond.  We want our parka, and everything else we hope to bring to female swimmers, to be symbolic of a new era for girls in our sport.”

WOTTER launched on Kickstarter in November of 2017 and successfully attained its funding goal of $36K, achieving backing by 3 decorated swim Olympians.  The funding allowed the girls to further develop their prototype and deliver on their first orders last Fall.

Since that time, Niki and Becca have been named in business.org’s 50 Youngest Entrepreneurs in America, enjoyed counsel through a world class Y-Combinator-like accelerator and been featured on Entrepreneur Magazine’s nationally televised “Elevator Pitch”.

Meanwhile, their first product, the World’s Only Female Swim Parka has met with high praise from swimHERs around the globe.  With features no other parka can boast like larger hoodroom for ponytails and top knots, female forward tailoring, heat sheet window sleeve, and a handy wrap and snap feature for ready storage, the WOTTER parka is best in class for Power On Deck.

The girls are now entering their second season with parkas available for order on their website www.wottergear.com.  Parkas are on sale now at a limited time promotional price of $139.

You can follow WOTTER on InstagramTwitter, and Facebook for updates.

Courtesy: WOTTER, a SwimSwam sponsor. 

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Ninja
5 years ago

Ever wonder why goggles are only available in unisex styling?

2 Cents
5 years ago

because they are made and used to keep warm not to be worn on the streets of NYC during fashion week maybe?? They aren’t exactly flattering on the male figure either.

Gisa rollin
5 years ago

I think these girls are setting a great example in being young women entrepreneurs! They are finding a niche market and succeeding. Good for them to create a product and see if there is interest, do all the hard work to get there, ups and downs, why not!? And personally, I’ve wore my college swim parka 20 years ago and hated how bulky it was always (and ugly), at least this has some style to it and a good story! I’d wear this to the gym and beach!

Troyy
Reply to  Gisa rollin
5 years ago

Bit early to say they’re succeeding.

2 Cents
Reply to  Gisa rollin
5 years ago

If you are wearing a parka to the beach, it doesn’t sound like good beach weather….

Market Segmentater
5 years ago

Good for these kids! Hope they do well, get bought by speedo, and not knocked off by them.

“pink n shrink” seems like an apt critique of the swim business. Fair enough.

However, they lost me a little conflating girls leaving swimming due to there not being apres swim apparel that was appealing or fit their body types.

Kels Mom
Reply to  Market Segmentater
5 years ago

I don’t think they are saying the parka is the problem, the parka is symbolic of a pervasive and entrenched bias that we have all just accepted for so long that we don’t even question it. As a swim mom of a girl swimmer, the bias is real, maybe unintentional, but its real.

DamKams
5 years ago

Got to say
In my experience as a swimmer and coach, swim parkas don’t really fit anyone that well ponytail or not.

Good for these girls for doing some though

Fly for all
5 years ago

I think that many of these comments validate these young womens’ feeling and their desire for these products. You go girl(s)!!

Brian M
Reply to  Fly for all
5 years ago

Hey, it’s 2019….we get to create our own reality now.

DMacNCheez
5 years ago

Alright, let’s be careful here. Else I’m liable to believe women quit swimming because their parka doesn’t fit!

CollegeSwammer
5 years ago

I’m pretty sure nobody has ever once wondered why parkas are “only available in unisex styling”. Additionally, wouldn’t this go against the argument that women shouldn’t have to wear “girly” clothing? That they should be able to wear whatever they want?

Props to these girls for finding a way to make some money. It’s just a bit difficult to believe that somehow even parkas are subtly sexist.

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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