When Melissa Moo was in high school she never described herself as athletic despite being on both her high school swim team and tennis team. After Moo graduated from high school she continued her education at UC Davis. It was here that she became involved with intramural sports and saw the Ironman on television. It did not take long after seeing the Ironman World Championships for Moo to add completing one to her bucket list. But Moo quickly found out that finishing one was not enough. She went on to complete 3 Ironman races and quickly fell in love with the multi-sport lifestyle.
In 2012 after seeing a need for more clothing options for women in cycling and triathlon Melissa Moo started her own line – MooMotion. MooMotion apparel is perfect for “women who are not afraid to sweat and who appreciate quality, fit and construction while putting in long miles.”
Read more about Melissa Moo and how she got started:
Freeplay: When did you start participating in endurance sports? What was your first endurance event and how did you get involved in running/triathlons?
Moo: When I first moved to NYC I was lucky enough to live near Central Park. That was motivation enough to get outdoors! I started participating in local Road Runners races and eventually got into marathons – cycling – and triathlons. NYC is actually a fantastic playground for athletes… despite the somewhat more difficult (sometimes dangerous) conditions, distractions, and obstacles. If there is a will, there is a way! There’s an awesome community of resources, races and you are never short on training partners!
Freeplay: Where did the idea for starting a women’s line come from and at what point did you decide to make it a reality?
Moo: Attending Parsons School of Design was a dream of mine and I left a career on Wall Street to pursue a more creative outlet. I knew I wanted to combine my business background and love of design in an industry that promotes strong women and a healthy lifestyle. I was never fully satisfied with the fit and look of available women’s endurance gear. The onsie, white lycra, flashy logos and girly prints just weren’t doing it for me. With the amount of time and energy spent training and racing, we should absolutely LOVE what we wear.
Being a niche and independent brand, I know I can’t be the one-size-fits-all solution to every woman, but my goal is to provide more flexibility and options for women of different sizes and abilities to choose from.
Plus, for selfish reasons, I always have a supply of awesome gear for myself which at times makes it that much easier to get out the front door!
Freeplay: How would you describe your line?
Moo: Performance, style and quality for women who go the distance! A MooMotion athlete is not afraid to sweat and appreciates the quality, fit and construction while putting in the long miles. She certainly doesn’t take herself too seriously because let’s face it, you have to have a sense of humor when we’re all suited in lycra.
Freeplay: Is MooMotion available only online or is it available in stores as well?
Moo: Aside from the website, www.moomotionsports.com, MooMotion is available at several retailers. I’ve had the opportunity to partner with many independently owned businesses that appreciate the flexibility of a smaller company and strive to offer unique products that differ from the big box retailers. From a business standpoint, retailers and manufacturers are starting to recognize the impact and purchasing power of women and the old “shrink and pink” model is archaic. They appreciate that my business supports local manufacturing and I am involved with every aspect of the design, production, packaging, marketing and the sales process. I have a passion for a quality product and I’m constantly striving to make improvements based on feedback from my customers and retailers.
Freeplay: I know you recently had a baby girl but do you have any plans to do any more triathlons in the future?
Moo: Absolutely! I was fortunate to have an easy pregnancy and be physically active during the past 10 months – Now I can’t wait to hit the road! I plan to race the NYC tri in Aug along with a few local races between now and then.
Freeplay: Any plans for expanding the MooMotion line in the future and in what capacity? More patterns, styles, etc…
Moo: As a new and independent business, my goal is to constantly improve every aspect of my products first. I’d like to continue to build a loyal customer base and see where it takes me. I’m working on the 2015 line and am always sourcing new fabrics and designing new patterns. I plan to continue to work closely with my customers and retailers to put the best quality product out to market.
