If you're a woman, or you have women who you're close to in your life, then chances are excellent that you already have a good idea of what a massive chore it can be to find good-looking clothes that fit women right. That goes for all women, of all shapes and sizes.
Unsurprisingly, that's also true with motorcycle gear. Frustration with that situation, coupled with the combined expertise and riding passions of Anya Violet, Jaime Depsey, and Corinne Mayer, are why the three women founded Atwyld in the first place. They're women, and they ride, and they wanted to create the gear that they and their fellow women riders wanted to wear.
But unlike other brands that might merely pay lip service to involving women at every stage of the creative process, Atwyld differentiated themselves from most by doing exactly that. It was a brand made by women, for women. All kinds of women, no matter what or how they wanted to ride. Their catalog was made to enjoy on or off the bike, with both technical and casual apparel to suit a wide range of women who are all about the moto lifestyle.
Wait, Janaki, Why Are You Using All Past Tense Terms?
This isn't quite a 'pour one out for the fallen homies' situation, but it is a bit of sad news that hopefully, by bringing awareness to the situation, we as a community can work to turn around.
Small businesses, as you know, are often a tenuous proposition. Even in a knowledgeable and fiercely loyal niche like motorcycling (and to put an extremely fine point on it, women's gear), times are tough. New players rise and fall, almost with the frequency of the sun and the moon.
With all that in mind, Atwyld released the following extremely sad announcement on its social media channels on April 8, 2024.
It reads,
"To Our Beloved Community,
With a very heavy heart we share with you that ATWYLD has fallen on some hard times, and we’d like to offer our followers some transparency on our current situation.
Running a small business is quite a journey. There have been lots of ups and downs over the last 8 years, and we’ve done our best to make the right decisions along the way. Unfortunately, things don’t always turn out the way you planned.As founders, we have poured our whole heart into building this brand, and we did not expect to see it stumble in this way. Regardless of our efforts to avoid it, we must pause operations entirely at the end of this month. We will continue to do absolutely everything in our power to get back on course but the current situation has proven to be unavoidable.
We are now offering MAJOR discounts online, and we hope you can take advantage of this opportunity to grab some great pieces while you can.
Please know that every dollar you spend helps to get us back on track, so thank you! We will be winding down over the next couple weeks, and we will keep you informed along the way.
Thank you for inspiring us to create the first ever women’s motorcycle brand! It has been our honor to provide our community with the best looking gear we could think to create.
Thank you for of your support on this incredible journey.
- Corinne, Jaime & Anya"
At the time of writing on April 8, 2024, the Atwyld website lists all motorcycle gear and apparel at 60 percent off, with all sales being final.
Keeping in mind the line about "please know that every dollar you spend helps to get us back on track," now might be a good time to get your hands on any pieces that you've been eyeing for yourself or one of your riding sisters.
For all the other women riders out there, here's hoping they can turn this ship around.
