Badass Wod Wear - Interview with Manda Freyman

Recently I had the unique opportunity to speak with Manda Freyman, one half of the dynamic duo that makes up the founders of Badass Wod Wear.  She represents the best of a new breed of Canadian athletes that are driving innovation, style and a little bit of edge.  The brand is purebred Canadian with a mandate of supporting sport, fitness and the athletes that drive them...regardless of the brand they wear or where they call home.

Manda was very upbeat when I interviewed her and you could hear the passion when she spoke about the sport she loves and the brand she has built.  She spoke of her time developing her love of the sport of Crossfit as well as the competitive nature it continued to foster in her as a long time athlete.  She was very forthright with the direction that they want the brand to go in and the deep attachment they have to community and community development.  Manda, and Badass, recognized that many incredible Canadian athletes go unnoticed, unsponsored and lack the support from the community to take their sport to the next level.  To this end, Badass Wod Wear infuses the Crossfit community with 25% of their revenue.  Badass Wod Wear's mandate is support Canadian athletes and the community as it moves forward in it's growth.

One of the biggest things that got me fired up to do the piece on Manda, and Badass, were the parallels that exist.  Manda, and the people at Badass, and I both have similar goals when it comes to fitness.  Fitness for life is bigger than an individual or particular sport, but you have to be willing to see the individual's needs as well and address the "tree for the forest".  Manda is driven by the potential in all of us.  This potential will see the next great athletes in the sport rise from virtual obscurity to the eventual pinnicle of their human capability.  Fitness is unique in that anyone, anywhere can challenge themselves and others to be the absolute best that they can.

We are both the marble and the artist.

Badass was started for the people that they would build and design gear for.  The people, as Manda explained, "immediately feel that something is different and it's interesting to watch the transformation when new people settle into Crossfit and it's community."  Badass Wod Wear is a company that "embraced the same virtues that Crossfit instills in it's members."

Badass Wod Wear has a brand as unique as those who run it.  #REP THE BEAVER is their motto, their motivation and their rallying call for others with similar interests and competitive natures.  They are proudly Canadian and their brand logos and clothing designs reflect that proud heritage.  Upon visiting their site you are inundated with the Canadian national animal in all of it's glory.  The gear is meant to be as tough as the people who wear it and to stand up to whatever WOD, workout or adventure the wearer could put it through.  The customers are the "face" of the company and the company strives to have a human element in their brand.

When it comes to Social Media, Bad Ass is no slouch.  Manda describes their social media work as a "party".  "When you're at a party you need to keep it going and keep it interesting to keep people involved.  You have to keep the conversation going."  Badass accomplished this goal in spades by being a vendor at the 2014 Crossfit Games and being a hugely visible presence within their social media community.  Athlete interaction and a who's who of those in the sport made regular appearances on all of their social media platforms.  Each and every time they continued to #REPTHEBEAVER with their innovative logo and variety of gear options.

The future looks very bright for Badass.  From the creation of their "Super Jocks" competition, where they will challenge sponsored athletes to compete for their sponsor with the goal of generating funding for a charity of their choosing to collaborations with top Canadian athletes, and other fitness brands, the only way for Badass to go is up.  The brand, like the athletes it supports, will continue to evolve.

www.badasswodwear.ca

When I asked her what people should know about the brand she got directly to the point.
"This is only the beginning for Badass, our clothing will continue to evolve as the brand does and know this; the face of Badass is like Crossfit in Canada in it's infancy.  We have some exciting new designs and evolutions of the beaver that will be coming out early fall with the collaboration with some great Canadian artists.