Dirty Red
San Diego–based designer Nicol Akins is an active woman. She mixes a design career with running marathons and races on the weekends and taking care of her two young children.
Her 1-year-old activewear line, called Dirty Red, answers her wardrobe needs for a busy lifestyle. The pieces are designed for women who run, walk, hit the gym and then do a dozen chores.
Akins has a fashion degree from the University of Michigan, where she was an All Big-8 track star. She launched Dirty Red to provide an opportunity to mix both her passions.
Her line consists of tops and bottoms, as well as sports bras, tanks and yoga pants priced to retail from $25 to $70.
As a regular on the weekend marathon/10K circuit, she has promoted the brand at the grass-roots level, and it has grown.
“Dirty Red has exceeded my expectation. I have many loyal fans and customers,” she said. “It is exciting to see how it has influenced and inspired.”
This fall she will be expanding into yogawear with a collection of pants and tanks that will retail from $30 to $32. They will come in navy and black.
Though Akins is in prime physical shape, she didn’t build the collection just for herself.
“I began sketching out gear that would complement a woman’s figure to look good whether she was in the gym or running around town with the kids,” she said.
The line is available online at www.dirtyredgear.com as well as at specialty stores. A portion of the profits benefits breast-cancer research.
For more information, call (800) 719-9403. —Robert McAllister
