Olympic champion Allyson Felix opens first store in Los Angeles

By

Chenu Alexis

Published
Oct 26, 2021

It's in LA's Culver City, at the Platform shopping center, that Saysh, the sneaker brand launched by Olympic athlete Allyson Felix and her brother and agent Wes Felix, has chosen to open its first store. 

"More than a store, Saysh is a space for exchanges, created by women for women," explains the store's manager, Ramine Hajipour. "It's a gallery-like space, where there will be workshops and conversations on subjects such as inequality and discrimination," and where Oprah Winfrey herself will be making an appearance in a few weeks. 

Conceived by designer Gabriel Chan, the centerpiece of Saysh's new space is a hanging California blue swing-table, surrounded by screens displaying images of the ocean, "a wink to California and to infinity, a symbol used by the Saysh brand as its logo," explains the label. And it is here that the brand's flagship sneaker model, the Saysh One, designed by Natalie Candrian, is displayed in three colorways. 

The idea behind Saysh originated as part of Felix's reaction to the controversy in which she was involved in 2020, when her equipment partner and sponsor, Nike, with whom she had a 10-year relationship, decided to reduce her pay by 70% due to her pregnancy. 

Denouncing the brand's rules as having been "largely established by men for men," Fenix broke off her contract with Nike a few days later, announced the launch of her own brand and found a new partner in the form of the Athleta brand. 

As well as its sneakers, for which 15,000 preorders have been received, the Olympic champion's brand is looking to expand its offering in the near future with the launch of a scarf and a leather bag. Scheduled to stay in its current location for three months, Saysh's LA store will then move to New York.