In a flurry of wine, friendship, and fashion, Pursuit and Olly Awake hosted an event on November 16th to showcase elevated styles that reach beyond gender. Founder Nate DeMars of Pursuit and Kevin Terry Smith and Celeste Malvar-Stewart of Olly Awake wanted to intersect their businesses in a collaboration that demonstrates a shared passion for encouraging people to look beyond gender norms and celebrate everyone’s unique expression. As Olly’s website states, “We are not saying gender is over, we are making gender bigger and more inclusive.”
Olly Awake’s Egyptian cotton textiles were styled with Pursuit trousers and blazers to create high fashion looks that are approachable for every day. The inspiration? Kevin wanted to create a look for people who have struggled with the binary male-female shopping dynamic, and Nate wanted to share with the Pursuit community the brand’s ability to be styled beyond society’s notions of the suit industry, which is heavily geared towards men. Pursuit’s pieces paired flawlessly with Olly’s designs to showcase a dialed-up look for whomever desires it. Making a statement and dressing to your liking doesn’t need to be a far-fetched idea, and local fashion entrepreneurs are paving the way for a more diverse and enjoyable experience.
Olly Awake has taken this concept a step further by creating its own sizing guide denoted as shapes (triangle, square, and hexagon, to name a few) to create size categories sans gender. Together, Kevin and Celeste have worked to build a clothing line that is designed for every body type, and it’s truly versatile and classic.
“It was a full night, and the clothes were brought to life,” comments Tyler Phillips, Columbus store manager at Pursuit. People left feeling inspired and hopeful. Luckily, Kevin’s vision for Olly Awake’s line includes many more pop-up style events and appearances, so stay tuned or follow them at @ollyawake on Instagram!