About the Strong Athletic Human Shirts by Sports Inclusive Brand Strong Athletic
There are so many labels in the world, and Strong Athletic certainly uses our fair share. The original intention of our company was to make sure that if people were going to label us, it was in a way that we preferred. Cristen Perks created the Strong Athletic Woman shirt in 2013 after her friend and teammate Nadia Kean used the phrase "a fine group of strong, athletic women" to describe their teammates. Nadia felt an immediate attachment to the concept of putting those powerful words on her chest and she wanted to create the opportunity for others to do the same, and thus the first Strong Athletic Woman shirt was created. The thing is, many, many people found the shirt to be empowering, but because there was no alternative to the shirt- no way to be included in the statement if you didn't identify as a woman, others found the shirt to be exclusionary. Although Nadia wanted to make a statement about being a strong, athletic woman, she didn't want to do so at the expense of her friends that identify that way. The obvious solution to this problem was to create additional shirts for people to show their pride in their personal strength and athleticism, yet not have to do so through a binary word. The first nonbinary words that we added to our line were skater and queer in 2014. The word "human" is extremely inclusive and so it was added to our line in 2017 and we've never looked back.
Are you looking for a queer and woman-owned company that is within sports? Are you looking for a company that isn't so much concerned with your performance as we are with your perception of if you belong? Are you looking for a company that believes that all humans should have fair and equal access to playing and competing in sports? Strong Athletic is that company and we're always looking to add others to the growing list of companies that want to make sure that sports stays open to everyone.
Our hope is that when you wear our shirts you feel pride and confidence. We want you to look in the mirror and feel motivated by the words you see on your chest. When you walk down the street, we want others to be motivated by seeing you in your Strong Athletic Human shirt. We want the words to speak to them. We want the words to remind them that they too are strong and athletic.
We hear so many things about our shirts. For the people that don't wear them, the main thing that we hear is that the shirt feels too bold to wear. The word "athletic" is so specific. So many people have been raised to believe that only certain people should be able to use the word "athletic" and "athlete". We are a company that started with in a sport, and we will stay true to our roots of being a company that is within sports and athleticism. We're a company that is pro-athlete, but we are also pro-human. We will always put a human's experience before medals and competition. We think that sports should be human first, and everything else second.
A portion of the profits from this design are donated to Pull for Pride's Share the Platform Grant. To read more about this organization, their grant or to donate, click here.
Why are you drawn to this shirt? Why do you wear it? Why wouldn't you wear it? When you see another person wearing it, does it inspire you or make you want to shrink into yourself because you think you're not worthy? We know that not every t-shirt company goes this deep. We know that sometimes a t-shirt is just a simple t-shirt. But Strong Athletic decided a long time ago that we're not just in the t-shirt industry to do what everyone else is doing. We're here to support people who want to make statements. We're here to amplify the voices of athletes who are proud of who they are and proud of who they will continue to grow to be. Do you have a story about how you became the athlete that you are? We always want to hear from people and hear your why. Please write to us at hello (@) strongathletic.com.
If you buy this shirt and post while wearing it on social media, please tag us! #strongathletic #strongathletichuman #stronghuman @strongathletic
About the Shirts that Strong Athletic uses for their Strong Athletic Human Design
We have three different styles of shirts with the Strong Athletic Human design. All of the shirts were printed at a small scale shop somewhere in the United States. Most were printed by Amanda who prints out of Austin Screen Printer's Coop in Austin, Texas. Amanda is a teacher, and artist and when she's not working on her art she's playing with her cats. The design of this shirt is based on the original Strong Athletic Woman design produced by Cristen Perks as a gift for Nadia Kean. Cristen was gracious enough to all Nadia to carry on her design in the form of a t-shirt company, and for that we will always be grateful. Our logo, the Strong Athletic woman who is stamped inside of a circle, was created by Angel Ortega, owner of Garzig design. Angel is an artist and much of her art also makes a powerful statement. Angel says, "The work and art of Garzig Design is heavily influenced by metal music, her Mexican heritage, and love to redesign pop culture with a low brow chic." When Angel is not creating art she can be found playing with her chihuahuas in South Austin, Texas.
The Bella Canvas Flowy Muscle Tank
The Bella Canvas Flowy Muscle Tank is the most popular style of tank top that we have carried. This tank is not designed to be clingy, but rather flowy. The tank billows a bit as you go down the fabric toward the lower hem. The arm holes of this shirt are larger than a traditional tank top- which is why this tank is called a "muscle tank". The length of the tank is average, with the hem coming down to upper thigh. These t-shirts are preshrunk. This shirt was assembled at a WRAP facility.
The Bella Canvas Crew Neck T-shirt
The Bella Canvas Crew Neck T-shirt is basically your average tee. This shirt is designed to hang "straight down" meaning it doesn't billow and it is not "flowy". The length of the sleeves is very average- it is not capped sleeved and they do end above the elbow, about mid-upper arm. The length of this t-shirt is also average, with the hem coming down to the mid-upper thigh. The neck line is a traditional "crew neck" which means that it has a circular neck line and no collar. Crew necks are very common on most t-shirts. These t-shirts are preshrunk. This shirt was assembled at a WRAP facility.
The Bella Canvas Crew Neck Muscle Tank
The Bella Canvas Crew Neck Muscle Tank, style number 3483 has a unique style from your average tank top. The reason this tank is called a muscle tank is because the armholes are a bit larger than your average tank top. The basic look of the tank has the appearance that you took your favorite t-shirt and cut of the sleeves right at the perfect place so that the fabric covering your shoulders is thicker. If you wear a garment under this tank, such as a bra, a binder or an under-tank, some of the fabric might be visible under the arms. Strong Athletic carries many different styles of muscle tanks, so we recommend that you don't assume this one will fit like another of our muscle tanks. Make sure to check out the size chart. The hem of the shirt goes down to the upper thigh area, so you won't find any crop tops with this shirt. The neck line is a traditional "crew neck" which means that it has a circular neck line and no collar. Crew necks are very common on most t-shirts. These t-shirts are preshrunk. This shirt was assembled at a WRAP facility.
