We believe in sustainable production and conscious consumerism, which is why we have taken a bold step forward by introducing their latest innovation in sports apparel: the AAVA Armoured Sports Bra. We are breaking away from traditional production methods. We have opted for crowdfunding as a means to introduce our groundbreaking product but also to ensure sustainability and avoid overproduction. In this blog post, we will delve into the significance of AAVA and explore how crowdfunding aligns with AUAU Athletics' commitment to meeting the needs of athletes while minimizing environmental impact.
Identifying the Need
We conceptualized the AAVA armoured sports bra with a primary focus on addressing the needs and concerns of athletes. Recognizing the lack of suitable protection offered for the female body, the AAVA was designed to provide unparalleled comfort, functionality, and enhanced safety. By employing the latest advancements in material technology, AAVA offers a unique combination of flexibility, durability, and impact resistance, ensuring athletes can perform at their best while minimizing the risk of injury.
The Power of Crowdfunding and Conscious Consumerism
Crowdfunding has emerged as a powerful tool for innovative companies seeking to bring their products to market while remaining sustainable and avoiding excessive production. Our decision to crowdfund the AAVA Armoured Sports Bra represents a paradigm shift in the sportswear industry, enabling us to accurately gauge demand, allocate resources efficiently, and reduce waste. By involving the community in the product's creation, we can additionally engage with our community. Crowdfunding also allows us to stay true to our core values as it prevents us from having to take on outside investors who might not align with our values. We can remain self-funded and operate with values that are also valued by our community.
Sustainability as a Core Principle
The decision to crowdfund the AAVA Armoured Sports Bra reflects our dedication to our sustainability core principle. Crowdfunding enables us to produce the exact number of products required, minimizing excess inventory and waste. By avoiding overproduction, we effectively reduce our carbon footprint, conserve resources, and contribute to a circular economy. This approach aligns with the growing demand for ethically produced and environmentally friendly products in the sportswear market.
Community Engagement and Feedback
Crowdfunding not only provides us with the opportunity to introduce our product sustainably but also allows us to engage directly with our community of athletes and enthusiasts. Generally, backers can provide feedback, suggest improvements, and contribute to an iterative design process. This collaborative approach ensures that the final product meets the diverse needs of athletes, leading to a more satisfying and inclusive experience for the end consumer.
But the AAVA Armoured Sports Bra has already had more than three years of development time, during which we went old school and tested the product with a global roster of roller derby teams and collected their feedback. So AAVA was nearly complete when we launched our crowdfunding campaign. For future releases, however, this process can look entirely different.
We have always been an athlete focussed company, working with the input we have received from our community, even as STEAKS® Contact Wear. Conversations with athletes wearing our products usually inspired developments. Crowdfunding allows this process to continue on a larger scale. It enables us to find and communicate with a more diverse group of athletes who do not necessarily know we exist yet and are not searching for our brand name but for solutions to their problems. Crowdfunding platforms offer a reach hard to achieve for small self-funded companies by themselves.
The Future of Sustainable Sportswear
With the introduction of the AAVA Armoured Sports Bra, we have exemplified our commitment to sustainability and community engagement. By leveraging crowdfunding, we can identify the need for an armoured sports bra and ensure that every product is produced with a purpose. We hope this approach inspires the sportswear industry as a whole, encouraging a shift towards sustainable practices and fostering meaningful connections with customers. AAVA represents the future of sportswear, where innovation, sustainability, conscious consumerism and community collaboration intertwine to shape a more responsible and inclusive industry.
