Since its founding three years ago, Outdoor Voices has established itself as one of the leading athleisure brands, with its signature two-tone leggings and crop tops and call for “Doing Things.”
With locations in NoLita, Austin and Dallas, the brand continues its growth this week, with a second NYC location that opened Nov. 21 on the Upper East Side at 135 E. 65th St. where you can shop for men’s and women’s apparel on two floors, and even play table tennis on the lower level.
“Community is the biggest focus for us, and we’ll open more retail shops as a way to create touchpoints with our customers across the country,” founder Tyler Haney said.
We spoke with Haney, who splits her time between New York and Austin, about the brand.
What did you see missing in the activewear space that you wanted to fill with Outdoor Voices?
So much of activewear has traditionally been shiny black and neon spandex, which is meant to be competitive and intimidating. I wanted my activewear to aesthetically align with the rest of my closet and be something I’d be excited to wear not only while I worked out, but while walking around the city, too.
What makes your clothing unique and well-suited technically and aesthetically to an active lifestyle?
While a student at Parsons, I became obsessed with technical materials and began working with some of the best mills in the world to develop our signature fabric, Textured Compression. Using the right materials has always been a focus of ours; they need to be able to stand up to activity while maintaining a textured, matte appearance and soft hand-feel. More generally, it’s about creating a uniform of everyday essentials for activity, which is why I think people find us so approachable — we provide gear for people who are active, but not defined by it.
How has the brand grown over the past three years?
We have a big vision for OV, and I’m really proud of what the team has accomplished so far. We have two shops in NYC, one in Austin (our very first!) and one in Dallas, and we’ve launched collaborations with incredible brands like A.P.C., Man Repeller and ClassPass. We’ve also brought people together through more community events — jogs, basketball and soccer games, studio visits — than I can count. We’re redefining what it means to be active and building our community by participating in it.
How do you personally stay fit? What’s your workout routine like?
Walking my dog, Bowie, is my favorite way to stay active (he loves it, too). I’ve also been going to a dance class called Moves that’s run by Marisa Competello, the floral genius behind Metaflora. Everyone in the class is really good, so it’s a little intimidating, but super fun to try new things, sweat a little, and let loose with friends. I’m getting better every class.
How else do you keep a healthy lifestyle?
I try to balance my taco intake by making healthy food choices whenever I can.
Any healthy go-to eateries in NYC that you have?
Sweetgreen is my go-to spot for a quick and easy lunch near the office (shout out to the hummus tahini salad) and I’m a huge fan of the My Way smoothie from Two Hands, though I often leave with blueberry seeds in my teeth.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly spelled Tyler Haney’s surname.
Tyler Haney
Age: 28
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Occupation: Founder of Outdoor Voices
Workout jam: “My friends Krissy [Jones] and Chloe [Kernaghan] who own Sky Ting Yoga make the best playlists, and I rely on them for a lot of my music. They’re public on Spotify.”
