Today we’d like to introduce you to Tracey Janowitz.
Tracey, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
“She believed she could, so she did”, said a quote that stopped me dead in my tracks, one Saturday morning. When I read this quote, it changed my life, perspective and how I view myself. Things were hectic; I just got married, had our 1st baby, bought a house and turned 30, all in the same year. That same year, my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer… only to lose her fight 6 months later. On top of all that, I opened a gym with my husband.
I had a story to tell and had a background in fashion with my 8+ years of management at Nordstrom and decided that clothing was my vehicle to move my message. My clothing line is everyday clothing, designed for the everyday woman, inspired by the everyday woman. Right at conception of sweatyswag, I had a fire ignited and I won’t stop until sweatyswag is carried worldwide. But, I’m just your “average” woman from the south suburbs and I needed to give it purpose, a story I suppose, that other women like me could connect with and that’s how I came up with sweatyswag. It was catchy and kind of fun to say so I thought it would stick if you heard it. I sweat for a living by teaching group exercise at our Facility in Elmhurst and physically challenging myself is important to me in many ways so the name needed to grab the active girl but sweatswag runs much deeper than the sweat dripping down our forehead during a work-out, so that’s how I added the swag.
I physically challenged myself with something that scared me by signing up for a Half Ironman. I crossed the finish line and got started on sweatyswag that next week.
That’s where sweatyswag was born although I didn’t know it yet. SWEATY, well that’s what LIFE is; the physical, emotional feeling that drips deep into your soul. SWAG, how you deal with what has been dealt and still have a thirst and want to quench it. I realized that I am only as STRONG as I think I am. If I was going to instill the desire to go after their dreams in my kids I must first quench my own thirst and go after mine. You are wearing a sum of my desires (or hopefully soon will be).
When you wear sweatyswag, I hope it’s more than a mantra on a shirt. It’s how you feel when you’re in it. It’s a way of fife, your sweaty life. How you view yourself, you’re beautiful by the way and others (they’re beautiful, too). Here, I was in the presence of some amazing women through our gym who was not only physically strong but mentally. These same women who could recognize the beauty in others had a difficult time recognizing the same qualities in themselves. sweatyswag symbolizes seeing the beauty in you and celebrating the beauty in each other. It’s a pick me up when you need it and one to share. It’s a personal wake-up call when you deserve it and extension of your internal dialogue; or for me, a quote on a T-shirt that reminds you that YOU. ARE.ENOUGH. sweatyswag is your daily reminder to appreciate the good because there is a a lot of it and let go of the bad.
“On the 21st we share kindness” is a statement you will see often on my social media channels, website and even on some of my merchandise. This brand is about love. The love we have for each other, but more importantly the love we have for ourselves. Every month on the 21st myself and my sweatyswag kindness ambassadors, wake up with the intention of creating opportunities to share kindness by doing acts of kindness with people in our everyday communities. You can visit my Facebook for some videos about what we have done in the past to inspire others to be kind to each others. The 21st was my mother’s birthday and it also falls on my son’s birthday so it’s personal, but it also to connect others to the story of my brand knowing that on the 21st of every month. sweatyswag is out doing acts of kindness in hopes that others will begin to execute these monthly acts with us.
Go after what inspires you and the rest will fall into place just as it should. Are they just words on a shirt or is sweatyswag just what you needed at just the right time to go in the direction of your desires. Everyone has a story. You are every woman who inspired my clothing line whether we are friends or have yet to meet. We are sweatyswag and we have the power to transform ourselves into the women we want to be now and always. Life is sweaty. Work it out. Wipe it off and keep going!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Lol, one of the inside jokes my husband and I always laugh about since founding our first business 8 years ago is… maybe one day, we will be as rich as others think we are! Outsiders may see us drive nice cars and see a packed gym, but little do they know of the everyday struggles of keeping this business thriving 8 years into the game. The gym business is super competitive and for a small independent gym like ours we have to rely on our gym community and out of the box ideas to keep us afloat. We have failed over and over again as gym owners, but that is also why we succeed.
As far as sweatyswag is concerned, I was able to take some of the best lessons we’ve learned through our own experiences and apply them to this business. Keep it simple and realistic. I knew that I wasn’t going to become a fashion icon overnight and if I waited till everything was perfect, I would have never jumped. I also am very conscious to not fall into the victim role. Everyone has obstacles and advantages and I try to stay very aware that I don’t use my own obstacles as a reason why I can’t succeed. So, I started small and sought out a Chicago manufacturer to make 8 pieces that I brought in for inspiration to start my athleisure line. I had to hit a minimum, so I had to order 72 units of each piece. Doesn’t matter what styles we are into, we all need the basics so, that’s what I decided to focus on. Everyday clothing that fits and flatters and has my branding on it someplace to grow the name. Sometimes design is subtle, other times its a bit more bold, but it is always simple in design. I can’t draw and I’m not very artistic so my designs center around the text I use. Placement is super important to me as well because as I said clothing is my way to move my message and how you, the wearer relate to the message as well as the passer by identifies with the same message on your shirt. You follow? lol.
With that, I launched sweatyswag at our gym in October of 2016. I invited members and had over 100 show up for the event. I was thrilled, over the moon. The night was fantastic and I rang up 10,000 my very first night! I did it! I had a dream, an idea, a plan and I executed. and it was successful. Now what?! My biggest fear was that my clothes were going to fall apart and it would devastate me which is why I decided to only invite people I knew or had a relationship with so in case anything did go wrong they wouldn’t blast me all over social media. Thank goodness I did because can you believe my top two selling items starting falling apart!? Long story short, it was error on the manufacturer with the stitching and it was resolved, but it really brought me down and I took it very personally, hard not to. A member and a good friend throughout the years gave me a book which I read cover to cover in like a week that was just what I needed to get me back on my feet. The book was the story of Nike and how he started. There was a whole section on how his shoes were falling apart and I was able to identify with and use to fuel me into building the brand and starting to welcome the setbacks and failures I have because it will only shape my future. My whole brand revolves around it, right? Life is Sweaty. Work it Out. 🙂
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about sweatyswag – what should we know?
I always go back to the story because that is truly what makes this brand different. sweatyswag come from a burning desire within me to inspire other women through my clothing. This brand continues to teach me everyday. I know what I am good at. I was in sales most of my working life and whether it is selling gym memberships or clothes at Nordstrom at some level selling is selling. It just so happens I am deeply rooted in this brand as it begins with my story, but this brand will succeed because how you identify with it and apply it to your own story(ies).
I also think I have a pretty good eye of offering athleisure apparel that is everyday yet has chic twist on it that you haven’t really seen out there yet.
In a world where we can literally find anything at our fingertips, I almost think it is nostalgic to find a brand that has a heartbeat and soul and revolves around connection with ourselves and each other. “on the 21st we share kindness” has been mentioned already, but it is what truly makes this brand unique. It is about operating outside of our comfort zone. My demographic is women 18-50s I’d say, but narrowed down even further this brand really speaks to moms of young children and I just so happen to be one. I celebrate what my 4 and 7 yo do daily, but when is the last time that I truly celebrated something that I did? big or small? that’s what it’s bout. It’s waking up looking in the mirror and finding more reasons to love ourselves. Once we find more reasons to love ourselves it becomes a bit easier to share kindness/love with others. I make a point to those that share kindness with us on the 21st to create an opportunity to connect with someone new. anyone can do something anonymously, and I’m not taking away from that, but there is something about “targeting” someone with kindness and not knowing how it will be received or the amazing engagement and connection that may come out that interaction if only for a moment. and that is an awesome feeling. But, this brand if for every girl the young school age girls/boy which I do a kids line that revolves around kindness. The girl going into highschool/college or graduating, as well as the women that are going through career change, divorce, heartbreak, loss, etc. sweatyswag is for everyone of us. It has purpose which is why it will continue to grow because I can connect you to the story and offer you some pretty adorable clothing too!
What am I most proud of? That something I said aloud or a message on one of my shirts changed your perspective of yourself and how you view others. Being a recipient of one of our acts of kindness truly made you smile and inspired you to do the same for someone new. To know that something I may have said inspired you to jump, well, that is what I am most proud of.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My husband. He is a born leader and amazing Coach, dad and the toughest person I know, mentally and someone I would truly admire husband or not. I am so fortunate to have a partner in life that truly pushes me and supports everything I put my heart into. He is a world record holder, most recently for most pull ups in a 6, 12 and 24 hour period is a hands on dad and runs our business day in and day out. He never complains and he never doubts himself. He is a glass full kind of guy and always wakes up with a positive attitude. every. single. day. I am lucky to have that kind of example for me every day.
My kids. I know I mentioned this earlier, but it is absolutely true… If I am going to tell my kids to go after their dreams and constantly push them into doing things that make them uncomfortable I better make sure I am doing the same things.
Friends, members and customers that continually inspire me through their connection to the brand. Their encouragement and kind words mean more than the will ever know!
Contact Info:
- Address: 915 S. Riverside Drive Elmhurst, IL 60126
- Website: www.sweatyswag.com
- Phone: 708 406 9390
- Email: tracey@sweatyswag.com
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
