Design Thinking: Splits59

(Image courtesy of Splits59)

In Graduate School, one of the buzzwords professors love to discuss is "Design Thinking." Design Thinking is an iterative process in which we seek to understand the user, challenge assumptions, and redefine problems to identify alternative strategies and solutions that might not be instantly apparent with our initial level of understanding (Dam and Siang). Design Thinking enables a company to understand consumer needs to serve their audience better. For this project, I contacted different companies to learn how the organizations apply Design Thinking into their market offerings. I had the opportunity to talk with Shannon Q., VP of E-Commerce at Splits59, to learn more about the mission and vision of the company.

(Image courtesy of Splits59)

1. What makes Splits59 different from other fitness brands?

Splits59 bridges the gap between activewear and fashion. Our products are designed with both quality and design in mind, and the result is a fashion-focused high quality, activewear garment.

(Image courtesy of Splits59)

2. How does Splits59 stay ahead of upcoming trends in both the activewear and fashion components?

Our creative director, who has worked in high fashion before, has the mindset of researching trends in our products' color, design, and materials. We utilize the most technical fabric to produce our products. Our in-house QC enables all of your products to be checked before shipping.

(Image courtesy of Splits59)

3. How does Splits59 incorporate its mission and vision into its product offering?

Sustainability has always been the foundation of our brand. We focus on sourcing recycled fabrics and moving production into domestic spaces. As a company, we saw a massive shift in the way people were shopping and buying. During the pandemic, we were thinking about how our customers will interact with activewear once the pandemic is over.

(Image courtesy of Splits59)

4. What is the future of the company?

We believe that activewear transcends workouts and fits into daily life. We constantly strive to improve our sustainability initiative as we move more production domestically and our high compression technical fabric (tech flex) into a fully recycled version.

(Image courtesy of Splits59)