Sports Fashion Meets Function With These Five Colorado Brands
Women-owned Colorado brands are leading the way in functional, stylish apparel and accessories for golf, tennis and pickleball
Photo courtesy of Owen Braley
Interest in women’s golf and racquet sports has boomed in recent years and continues to grow, fueling a demand for clothing and accessories that offer both fashion and function. Five female business owners in Colorado who have recognized the market’s growth and created their own brands say that for 2025, vibrant colors and patterns, performance fabrics and styles that can be worn for multiple sports and occasions are among the top trends in activewear.
Natalie West, founder of Ellie Arbee, has made it her mission to create versatile athleisure clothing so you can “live your life rather than worrying about what to wear.” The idea for her collection was hatched when she was on a business trip and was invited to play golf at Harding Park in San Francisco. The weather was too cool for the golf wear she had packed, so she wore wool trousers and a mock turtleneck top, completing her outfit with a favorite newsboy cap—and she looked great. It made her realize that when made with high-quality performance materials (think stretchy, moisture-wicking and sun protective) and carefully tailored, sportswear could cover a lot of ground in a woman’s wardrobe.
“Why do our golf clothes have to be single-purpose?” she asks.
Ellie Arbee, which debuted in 2024, is built on the idea of core pieces such as a bodysuit and skirt that can be dressed up with a jacket and boots, or made sporty with a hoodie and sneakers. West says her designs are meant to appeal to a wide cross-section of women. “These clothes have nothing to do with age, but are about beauty and comfort.”
Photo courtesy of Never a Wallflower
PRINTS CHARMING
Dana Schoonover, the founder of Never a Wallflower, says she designs for a woman similar to the Ellie Arbee customer. “Women have a lot of interests and activities,” Schoonover says. “Our customer is typically 30 to 60 and is very active, traveling a lot and playing her sports when she travels.”
The brand was started in 2015 and the activewear division, Never a Wallflower Club, launched in 2024. True to its name, the brand is about standing out, and for spring 2025, florals and plaids in red and pink dominate. Schoonover includes pieces that a woman can carry over from the court or course to her everyday life, “like a jacket that you can throw on with jeans or a sweatshirt for lounging at home.”
Photo courtesy of Owen Braley
TEAM SPIRIT
After spending 18 years working in New York’s fashion industry in such roles as COO of Zac Posen and head of technical design and the operations team at Nanette Lepore, Anne Fanganello returned to her native Colorado in 2007. She was in the midst of battling breast cancer and needed a change while recovering, a process during which she put on 90 pounds. She launched AnnaFesta Design in 2009 after being unable to find attractive clothes for her then plus-size figure. When she started playing tennis and found a similar lack of activewear that fit and flattered her, FestaSports was born in 2012.
The company specializes in custom apparel for tennis, pickleball and golf teams, creating unique outfits whether for two or 14 players. The brand offers multiple styles of golf and tennis skorts and tops, all made in Colorado, in 100 prints. Current favorites are Atomic Cocktail, or what Fanganello says customers are calling “Judy Jetson goes to Palm Springs,” and Sunsplash, a yellow-and-orange abstract.
“The theme for 2025 is to have fun, feel joy, be fierce and sparkle,” she says.
Photo courtesy of Sassy Caddy
IN THE BAG
Emily Haythorn started making golf bags and accessories after spending years as a golf professional and realizing that there were plenty of masculine golf bags in solid colors with big logos advertising equipment brands, but few styles aimed at women. So Sassy Caddy was born, offering lightweight golf bags in vivid colors and patterns. They are also made of waterproof, fade-resistant and stain-resistant fabrics and include features such as a glove patch, cooler pocket and velvet-lined valuables pocket, as well as large storage pockets.
Haythorn celebrates 16 years in business this March and finds that just as when she started, “women want more feminine touches.” They also want accessories to match, so she offers club head covers, crossbody bags and a variety of totes, as well as pickleball bags.
Photo courtesy of Trelle
PICKLE PALS
Nancy Shipp and Elise Markel met at a party a few years ago and became fast friends. When the pandemic hit, the pals took up pickleball. And while engaging in their newfound passion, they couldn’t find stylish totes for carrying their paddles, balls and other gear.
In 2021, they launched Trelle, offering bags in quilted fabrics in classic white, navy and green accented with preppy stripes. The styles hold two pickleball paddles or tennis rackets and have such functional details as pockets for water bottles or sleeves of balls. The name is derived from “quaintrelle,” defined as “a woman who loves and lives life fully through her personal style, hobbies, pastimes and activities.”
It’s also a sentiment that applies to all of these active, involved women business owners.
1218 W. Littleton Blvd., Littleton
303-953-2724
Suzanne S. Brown is a Denver writer specializing in people, places and lifestyles in Colorado and the West.
