Contributing To Change, Sustainable Fashion And Deciding To Found The Good Run

you can find The Good Run crowdfunding campaign here

The Good Run, your first online store for sustainable running apparel has it's crowd funding campaign live and ready for you! Read about Kathy's journey to this point and some tips for decision making when looking to pick up your next piece of clothing.

Thank you for joining us for the latest Most Wanted! I hope you and your family are doing well? Has the ”new normal” changed much for you? I’m certainly watching to many movies! Haha

I was a freelancer working in “community building” for sport and fitness events. And I had an athlete’s contract with a brand. I traveled the world, sometimes from one running event in Johannesburg to the next in Hong Kong. From the beginning of march all my jobs were cancelled. So my answer is definitely a big YES.  After a few weeks at home I actually started working on my project THE GOOD RUN that I didn’t have enough time for before Covid. 

As you have been a long friend of ODE, I know you have started "The Good Run”(will hyperlink) - For the people who don’t know, maybe you could give some insight into the companies mission and what you look to bring to the market?

We want to build the first Online Shop for sustainable Running Gear. Our motto is LOOK GOOD and DO GOOD at the same time. Because I have less money than expected due to the situation, we are launching our crowdfunding campaign next week. 

Considering you are an enthusiast for sustainable business and have a background in textile engineering and experience in the fashion industry, do you find yourself tailoring your decision making process when buying clothes? If so, what are some socially responsible factors you think people can integrate when they are deciding which clothes to buy?

I used to work in fast fashion. I actually had productions in Bangladesh when Rana Plaza collapsed in 2013. That was the moment when I decided that I want to work in another field. The industry is so rotten. I didn’t want to be part of it anymore. (Still took me a while to find my way out of it). 

I guess my best tip is Shop less and Choose well (stealing this from Vivienne Westwood). And educate yourself about the industry. Once you know about the circumstances cheap clothes (and some expensive ones) are made, you will only buy stuff you’ll care for and wear for a long time. 

On top of that, are there extra factors in general you think apply to any shopping experience when deciding what to buy?

I am hoping for a change in our consumerism. I see more people wanting to make better decisions in different parts of their life already. Just remember how we were all drinking coffee from Single-use Cups a few years ago; or how difficult it was for vegetarians/vegans to go out to dinner. The situation is changing already. 

With THE GOOD RUN we want to relieve people of having to search the internet for sustainable running gear. Because we will curate a selection of GOOD stuff all in one place. So that the only decision our customers have to make is which outfits look awesome. 

It really is great to see conscious and socially responsible trends finally turn into a tangible reality. Now people can decide whether they go for a fast-moving-good or something, as you said, which you care for-for a long time. Running is obviously another passion of yours, how do you plan your trainings? What kind of criteria are important for you when setting your goals?

When you’re approaching decisions in general, do you tend to trust your gut as the final decision-maker? What’s your philosophy on trusting your gut versus planning when making decisions? 

For me running is an endless loop of proving myself wrong about what I thought I cannot do. Everyone has these “limits” in their head. For some it seems impossible to run 5k; for others it is a marathon distance (or more). By training for something I think I am not capable running and then doing it anyway, is my recipe for strength and confidence. 

But in order to do so I always have a goal in mind and a training plan to follow. Otherwise I will just run 3km with my dog and then return back home 😊. This can be a marathon, a certain distance in a certain time, a relay with friends or a 100km race or something else.