Tyler McDougall and her brother Braylen McDougall have been active all their lives. As athletes and avid gym-goes (both are trainers at Red Zone Fitness), they wanted to create something that stood out from the crowd.
“The two of us were throwing back and forth ideas [for a business] and we said, let’s make it something we’re really passionate about. What do we both love? What have we done our whole lives? And it was sports and being active and being in the gym and with that we’re always wearing athletic wear.”
By being active all her life and essentially living in active-wear, McDougall felt passionate about providing active wear to her community from the beginning, especially after talking to other women in Thunder Bay.
“We were seeing that it wasn’t just us who were frustrated because you can’t really get athletic wear here unless you luck out and go to winners on the correct Thursday of the month,” she says.
Running the course
The pair began researching what materials and designs for Kwik co. that would be successful and sustainable.
“We started from complete scratch, we looked at who could manufacture to get a grasp on where to start and started reaching out and doing research on materials and popular designs,” McDougall says about the beginning stages.
When Kwik co. launched this past May, the first sets available were a crisscross back sports bra and leggings set with a seamless look, high waist fit and an extra support waist band. Since then, Kwik co. has released an assortment of colours and inclusive sizes and biker sets with u-back tanks.
“What I know is if I’m feeling unmotivated in the gym what’s going to elevate my work out is a cute new gym outfit or something I’m feeling good in and something that won’t slide around,” McDougall says.
The duo’s goal is to provide this excitement to women throughout Thunder Bay, and beyond, with international shipping.
Winning the race
Since the first launch, Kwik co. has become a staple for active women across Thunder Bay.
“The top tier is Lululemon and the number of people who have messaged us back saying this is my new go-to, or this is better than Lululemon… People are obsessed with the material and it not moving around,” McDougall says about the success this summer.
With another launch of new products happening on Sept. 12, the sibling duo is looking forward to the continued support and generosity felt within the community.
“Our goal is to continue to grow and to continue to offer, not only more sizes but more product and to try to do something fun and new to keep it fresh.”
While Kwik co. offers active wear, they also donate a portion of their proceeds from each launch to a local charity. They have provided donations to the Thunder Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre, Thunder Bay and District Humane Society, and Roots to Harvest.
Check out their website and keep in touch on Instagram @kwik.co
