Wow, time flies when you're having fun! As 2017 comes to an end, we at Arêt Basewear have been reflecting back on how magical this first year has been.

We gathered as much denim as we could find and donned our Canadian Tuxedos to ring in the new year like it was 1999!

From our very first launch party to being featured in Outside magazine, this year was full of new faces, exciting opportunities, and fun adventures. As a show of gratitude to our customers, ambassadors, and business partners, we wanted to share some of our 2017 highlights!

The TOURA is Born.

 

Adventure blogger Paulina Dao is now the proud owner of this original handmade TOURA prototype in Dune/Charcoal!

🕙 Let’s rewind back to 2016: Olivia and Bridget spent countless hours cutting and sewing to perfect the original TOURA design. At the dawn of 2017, our vision was fully realized as the handmade TOURA prototype was sent to production to become a technical under-layer for the outdoors. We can’t help but smile when we look back and remember the early days of taking measurements, sewing straps, and sipping beers.

With the help of local businesses and organizations, we hosted and attended a few events.

Bridget, Olivia and Lauren of Arêt Basewear clinking drinks in a Bishop hot ditch after the 2017 Flash Foxy Festival.

Bridget, Olivia and Lauren clinking drinks in a Bishop hot ditch after the 2017 Flash Foxy Women's Climbing Festival.

Photos from the Flash Foxy Women's Climbing Festival 2017

Photos of the 2017 Flash Foxy Festival by the RV Project and Collette McInerney

We made friends with some pretty amazing outdoorswomen.

The amount of support Arêt has received from women in the outdoor community has been tremendous. Below is just a sample of the wonderful outdoorswomen who have helped us along our journey.

Arêt ambassadors Kathy Karlo & Alma Baste

Kathy Karlo & Alma Baste

Arêt ambassadors Cheyenne Sukalski & Rachel Jones

Cheyenne Sukalski & Rachel Jones

Arêt ambassadors Alex Blackbird & Jessica Maviano

Alex Blackbird & Jessica Maviano

Aret ambassadors Paulina Dao & Jessie Olson

Paulina Dao & Jessie Olson

The Outdoor Women of Arêt Basewear

The Outdoor Women of Arêt

📐 Based on customer feedback, we refined the TOURA #basewear top design.

Modifications to the Arêt Basewear High Cut rock climbing sports bra basewear top in 2017

We know one size doesn't fit all. Based on feedback from our customers we altered the High Cut TOURA design by adding more fabric at the neckline and underarm to provide more support for cup sizes C – DD.

There’s always room to improve. We continued to take customer feedback throughout the year and translate it into improvements to the TOURA design on our quest for the perfect fit. We got started on a few new designs too!

  • Altered the High Cut design to provide better support for cup sizes C – DD
  • Switched to a thicker bottom band for the High Cut design to prevent flipping
  • Slightly altered the TOURA Low Cut design to prevent the dreaded nip-slip
  • Researched sustainable fabrics for the upcoming FURA line
  • Developed handmade prototypes for the TOURA Short

People had some pretty nice things to say about us.

🗯️ "I was tingling with excitement when my Arêt Basewear TOURA top arrived in the mail. Don’t judge me, but I haven’t worn anything else since its arrival." - Kathy Karlo

🗯️ "Typically, upon returning home from climbing, I find myself wanting to rip off my bra off as soon as I get home in the evening, but the TOURA is so comfortable that I often leave it on through dinner." - Julie Parker

🗯️ "Finally, if none of this can convince you to throw all your money at these ladies instead of LuluLemon, they also use real women as models [...] with the goal of sending a positive message to the women in the climbing community: one that embraces diversity, strength, and empowerment." - Alma Baste

We made a 📽️ film about the story of Arêt!

We were elated when videographer Adam McCain offered to create a video about Arêt’s story. We organized four film shoots and had an absolute blast in the process. With a group of some wonderful outdoor women, our talented photographer Keenan Herbon, and his lovely family ventured out to the seas, mountains, and desert to capture the magic of Arêt on film.

Lauren & Bridget engaged in conversation between two cacti at the Arêt Basewear About Us Company Interview

Lauren & Bridget engaged in conversation between two cacti.

From Left: Model Olivia Diaz traverses by the sea, with trusted spotters below. To the cliffs! The gals donned their Aret #basewear rock climbing sports bras and took a big leap into the ocean. Our talented videographers interviewing model and activist Alex Blackbird

From Left: Model Olivia Diaz traverses by the sea, with trusted spotters below. To the cliffs! The gals donned their #basewear and took a big leap into the ocean. Our talented videographers interviewing model and activist Alex Blackbird.

After a full day of shooting, cliff-jumping, swimming and climbing the gals worked up quite an appetite. We finished off the shoot with a short lunch, and beach clean-up.

After a full day of shooting, cliff-jumping, swimming and climbing the gals worked up quite an appetite. We finished off the shoot with a short lunch, and beach clean-up.

From Left: Olivia keeps her focus while walking a slackline in the woods. The gals had so much fun walking the slackline we stayed into the moonlit  night. We take yoga very seriously, can't you tell? Model and yoga teacher Sonia lead the way through a proper Vinyasa flow.

From Left: Olivia keeps her focus while walking a slackline in the woods. The gals had so much fun walking the slackline we stayed into the moonlit night. We take yoga very seriously, can't you tell? Model and yoga teacher Sonia lead the way through a proper Vinyasa flow.

Beers and cheers all around with models Paige, Maiza and Sonia during our outdoor interview in their Aret Basewear rock climbing sports bras.

Beers and cheers all around with models Paige, Maiza and Sonia during our outdoor interview.

From Left: Outdoor mom Goldy takes in the moonlight. Our models Sonia and Maiza flew in and stayed with Bridget for the shoot. We had so much fun it was tough to part ways! Yoga teacher and good friend Sonia taking in the cool desert air in her rock climbing sports bra.

From Left: Outdoor mom Goldy takes in the moonlight. Our models Sonia and Maiza flew in and stayed with Bridget for the shoot. We had so much fun it was tough to part ways! Yoga teacher and good friend Sonia taking in the cool desert air.

Bouldering with other women can be a pretty empowering experience. Our model Monica topped out her first outdoor boulder problem, and the ladies followed suit.

Bouldering with other women can be a pretty empowering experience. Our model Monica topped out her first outdoor boulder problem, and the ladies followed suit.

All photos above were taken by the talented photographer Keenan Herbon of Pull Down Photo.

We partnered up with some likeminded organizations in the outdoor community.

Arêt's TOURA rock climbing sports bra was featured in Outside magazine's 2017 Gift Guide.

Arêt was lucky enough to work with some pretty amazing companies and brands in the outdoor community. These likeminded groups share our vision of expanding opportunity for women in the outdoors.

  • We paired up with WYLDER Goods to bring our basewear tops to their online Marketplace
  • The TOURA was featured in Outside Magazine's 2017 Holiday Gift Guide
  • We teamed out with Outdoor Women's Grassroots Program to offer discounts to OWA Members

We love making new friends. Want to be on this list in 2018? Contact us to get the conversation started.

Arêt basewear formed new connections with companies in the outdoor industry like Outside magazine, Outdoor Women's Alliance, and WYLDER Goods.

This year was full of outdoor adventures.

We worked pretty darn hard this year, but as soon as free time comes up we don our #basewear and hit the road in search of new adventures and outdoor spaces!

Olivia, Bridget and friends headed south of the border to take the FURA for a testrun in the salt and sand. We were lucky enough to catch a few breathtaking views of the pacific ocean lit up with Bioluminescence.

Olivia, Bridget and friends headed south of the border to take the FURA for a testrun in the salt and sand. We were lucky enough to catch a few breathtaking views of the pacific ocean lit up with Bioluminescence.

Olivia found new heights highlining in Valley of the Moon. Here she contemplates the 70 feet of open air below.

Olivia found new heights highlining in Valley of the Moon. Here she contemplates the 70 feet of open air below.

From Left: Mountain Guide in training Lauren on Top of Mount Whitney with client Cara on the Women's Mount Whitney Trip. Lauren teaching rappelling.

From Left: Mountain Guide in training Lauren on Top of Mount Whitney with client Cara on the Women's Mount Whitney Trip. Lauren teaching rappelling.

🎶 Headed outdoors this weekend? Download our Spotify 2018 Arêt Road Trip Mix for the drive out.

From the soulful songs of SZA to the electric riffs of Metallica we've got something for everyone on our favorite songs of the past year. So grab your gear, plug in your auxiliary and hit the road with our 2018 Arêt Road Trip Mix.

Get the Playlist

Psst.. here’s a sneak peek at what we have planned for 2018!

Rachel Meyers in her FURA swimwear prototype
  • TOURA Short - The perfect shorts to pair with your TOURA Top
  • #readysetaret - A new challenge each month in 2018. Stay tuned
  • Flash Foxy & Hueco Rock Rodeo are booked for 2018 - We'll see you there

💙 We know our #basewear and brand are only as great as our customer’s feedback. Get in touch, or comment below to tell us what you would like to see in 2018!

December 31, 2017 — Bridget Kilgallon

Welcome to the Journal: official blog of Tera Kaia Basewear.

Here we tell stories about the outdoors, sustainability, and life through the lens of outdoor women. Get the latest on TK events, and a "behind the seams" look at everything that's going on with our brand.