Inside the Fashion Brand Dubbed “The Row of Running”
As run clubs evolve into vibrant third spaces, individual style is taking center stage. This is the fourth installment of our Deep Dive into the rise of running clubs.
Links to the first installment, second installment, third installment, along with a full breakdown of the Deep Dive and what you should expect. We’re making this interview free for all BoE readers.
We first came across Pruzan Running in September 2022 while flipping through the glossy pages of How to Spend It, our modern-day bible for discerning tastes, published by the Financial Times. It was there that journalist and stylish runner Grace Cook declared that sport is no longer just a lifestyle—it’s now a social event, with fashion enthusiasts flocking to Pruzan, often dubbed The Row of running. It’s become the ultimate insider’s pick: sleek, high-performance pieces that make you look fashionably on point—dare we say, even sexy—while pushing your physical limits.
With marathons becoming the new fashion week and run clubs the new nightclubs, the aesthetics of running are more elevated than ever. As running maverick Nils Arend, founder of The Speed Project, noted, running is evolving from a sport into a lifestyle, much like skateboarding or surfing, with cutting-edge designs replacing basic tees to express individuality. Pruzan captures this evolution perfectly, offering a refined alternative to the flashy logos of old-school giants like Nike and Adidas. Instead, they deliver understated luxury, impeccable quality, and sustainability—with every piece made from 100% recycled materials.
Founded by friends Jessie Hyman and Lexy Copithorne, Pruzan was born out of frustration during the pandemic. As seasoned runners, they saw a glaring lack of options for women that were both functional and stylish—and not designed by men, for men. Launched in 2022, Pruzan has quickly become a movement, infusing the running world with inclusivity, bold design, and a purpose-driven ethos.
We sat down with co-founder Jessie Hyman to dive into the brand’s meteoric rise, the importance of community, and why running—and looking great while doing it—has never been more empowering.
Running is literally everywhere. Run clubs, new brands, running specific cafes like Knees Up in Hackney, London.
I get why running’s becoming so popular, it's such an activity that gives back to you what you put into it. It soothes that part of you that might be looking for pursuit of something. A lot of people are looking and searching for a personal passion that they can feel that they are stacking something up. It’s social and beautiful to see. It’s not surprising to me that it’s something people are trying out and enjoying and loving. I’m not unique in why I love it.
With Pruzan Running it’s ALL about the shorts, you’ve perfected this method of madness - curved tapered cut, wide cinched waistband, crafted from 100% recycled materials that don’t ride up. These are THE shorts taking you from run to brunch. How did that come to be? I ran the Chicago Marathon in a pair and rave to everyone about the fit.
Lexy (Pruzan’s co-founder) and I are both tall, athletic women and at university we used to wear this pair of men’s American Apparel swim shorts. We thought they were so cool but really, they also just fit better than a lot of shorts at the time, which were either really short or not for someone who had muscular legs or the overall cut felt off. A lot of why we started the brand was trying to deliver both these masculine silhouettes and these female silhouettes.
In the independent running space, which was so much more nascent than it is now, there were only really male dominated brands. A lot of them have incredible branding and communities but I just didn’t feel invited to participate in them and I had such concerns about fit.
Ultimately when you're seeing a brand that's created by men and they’re only featuring men in the ads and in their community, and the spaces they’re occupying, even though I wear a lot of men's clothes, I didn't necessarily feel like this was a space for me.
What we found is that we aren't alone. There's a big group of women and men and non-binary runners who feel like they want to represent themselves differently than what's been offered on the market.
The brand has such a strong foundation of empowerment through athletecism and what it means to push yourself both physically and mentally. What does this area of inspiration and interest look like for you?
I’m very interested in women's sports. I don't know how familiar you are with the professional side of running but in the women's marathon competitive elite fields the American women who are running the best are 36, 37 sometimes even 40 years old.
It’s so fascinating to me, the longevity in the sport. What we aspire to create is a brand that really symbolizes women doing hard things, pushing themselves, the pursuit of what it is that running kind of comes to mean. Whether it’s a marathon pursuit, a meditative practice or how you see the world, it all comes down to getting out there, doing the run and all the difficult things that help you enjoy the sport more. That’s the focus we want to take with our storytelling and going deeper into this perspective, our community’s experiences and our closest athletes.
There’s an athlete in our community, Nate, who is a non-binary runner. They just completed the New York and Berlin Marathons. In New York they placed second in the non-binary division. They’ve had a lot of success and amazing experiences running the world majors in that category and being able to connect with other non-binary runners as well as represent the space. I think Nate can be such an inspiration for other athletes that are thinking of getting into running and thinking of pushing themselves. We really want to focus on those stories.
We spoke to runner and wellness pioneer Thai Richards who spoke about the future of brands and independent brands in this space is in the hands of the consumer. They are demanding what they want, from inclusion to more diverse representation.
I wholeheartedly agree. There is something so interesting about being in this space because people are considerate of participating in brands that represent something to them. Whether it’s performance, maybe buying the Nike shoes that are souped-up. I wear them, for the performance aspect. But also the brands they wear to do their training, do their racing, do their recovery in. I feel like this consumer, this community member, is a way more vocal participant with their dollar and with their spending, and with how they want to show up than I feel like you might see in a more traditional sense of looking at someone’s entire wardrobe.
I think a big emphasis of when Pruzan was itching around in our heads was this idea of going to a run club, I just wanted to feel like myself. I just wanted to rock up to a race feeling like myself. I personally felt like I couldn’t find that so much in the brands that were available.
Yes! An injection of your personality coming through in your look.
Totally! And it turns out that other people feel like the brand that we’re creating also is how they want to represent themselves. I think Pruzan gives you that space to feel stylish and cool and prepared but not overly geared or technical. Just performance based enough and comfortable, the fabrics are super soft. We’re really trying to allow people this beautiful space to show up like themselves and show up confidently.
One of my favorite images from the last few years is of Nate in the Chicago Marathon, wearing the Grenadine Mesh, and they are in this sea of dark colors, and they stand out so much! And it’s such an incredible image of like, wow, you trained your butt off for a marathon, and this is the celebration, this is the victory, this is the party dress kind of moment. Don’t blend in. Own it. I think other people really resonate with that. Wearing these punchy bold colors on race day. Black is obviously still really popular, and suits a lot of people!
But I love that we’re creating this space for this runner who wants to be claiming that race day identity and showing up in an authentic, prepared, excited version of themselves.
I feel like you did it in Chicago so you’re proof of it!
I really did! I was talking to Katherine Douglas who runs the shop, Running Wylder, in San Francisco and she called Pruzan ‘The Row’ of running. I mean I couldn’t agree more.
I’ve worn my Pruzan Classic Sports Bra on long runs and to an art exhibition opening with an amazing pair of pants because the cut is just so sexy and flattering. Katherine also said how people want to be able to wear their pieces not just on the track but also to brunch.
I love that you’re getting a lot of use of them. It’s funny because in our design process we don’t sit there and say, let’s make our pieces so that we can wear that to the club afterwards, I mean I don’t go to clubs (laughs).
OMG neither do I!
But we’re never saying like oh this is for brunch or the coffee meet up in the afternoon, that’s not even the goal. The goal is to make something so beautiful, and feels like something you’d want to wear, and ultimately, if you want to wear it, it’s going to work in other situations. We’re constantly tweaking it. Layering all those things, that feel very you. Something you undeniably love wearing but also serve their performance purpose. Beauty is one of the core principles for us.
How has the brand become so intrinsic with run clubs and with such stylish runners?
I run with a group called Hot Boys Athletics, started by Kimiko Ninomiya. The group is a marathon focused training women’s collective. There’s an element to the group that’s really focused on pushing yourself and trying to get the most out of your performance. But what’s amazing is there’s such a range in what that performance is. There’s plenty of women who run sub 3 hour marathons, which is so inspirational, and there are also women running closer to 4 hours.
And the door is always open to anyone to join and participate regardless of pace. It’s just more about commitment and consistency. That’s what makes the group come together. You end up doing these hard things together, so much camaraderie is formed. I’m getting quite sentimental. This really is a third space to show up really how you are. Whether you’re feeling confident or low or sad that day and you’re just accepted for who you are.
In terms of that group’s connection to Pruzan, ultimately they are the Pruzan customer - this woman who is using running as a way to explore herself, the city, to travel and see the world. Someone who loves design, arts and culture. Appreciates the beauty of the design but also really cares about the performance and running and racing the marathon in it. And doing all the hard sessions in it. The synergy there has been such a natural connection.
Yes! I’ve seen so many phenomenal women from varying backgrounds decked out in Pruzan.
I know it’s crazy to say, in the most saturated market with some of the biggest brands that we’re competing against, like ON and Nike, publicly listed huge brands, people wanted this more feminine lead identity, but we’re not swamping just for traditionally assumed gender colors. We weren’t just putting florals on everything. We were putting more intense colors and sport driven colors. I think that’s something that a lot of people were waiting for essentially.
This customer in this independent space is really interested in having that relationship with the brand itself. I think maybe it goes back to something subconsciously. You know how you see athletes wearing a brand across their chest, it’s their sponsorship. We kind of want that too. We want to feel community sponsored.
I’ve worn Pruzan, I’ve raced in Pruzan, I’ve attended Pruzan hosted events (LOVED the one with runner, author and sociologist Lindsey Freedman). What can I tag along to in 2025?
We’re interested in using running as a base and going beyond that, exploring all the nuanced interests found within our community.
We’ve been talking about hosting Pruzan museum nights, or a wine tasting somewhere.
Trying to create these experiences that tap into who runners really are as people and their multitude of interests. We all want community. Work has really changed and people’s finances have really changed. We all want to find that thread and connection.
Editor's Note: This final point really resonated with us as entrepreneurs that think about the power of brand a lot. It highlights how the experiences you create and the way you bring your community together in real life are a defining reflection of the essence of your brand. Pruzan isn't gathering their community in beer halls but in museums and wine clubs, setting a distinctly elevated tone. And you especially see the difference in how a brand gathers when it is led by women.
Up next…
So, where do we go from here? What does the future of running hold? Shrooms? More cutting-edge tech? Or the Kenyan training camp that’s blending high-performance with hospitality flair? In our final installment, we’ll dive into what running’s high-octane future has in store.