Society Nine: A Portland Brand For Fierce Female Fighters

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Kemea Smith, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Society Nine Founder Lynn Le.

Society Nine is making quality boxing and Mixed Martial Arts sportswear for every empowered and diverse female fighter.

“Manufacturers think that taking the lowest-quality glove and turning it pink is what we need,” says Society Nine founder Lynn Le. With women making up nearly 25 percent of the $50 billion combat sports industry (just in the United States), its only fair that women have high quality sportswear to kick some a**."

That’s why Le is trying to bring Society Nine to bada** women in the MMA community, with a kickstarter campaign. So far Le has raised more than $25,000 with the goal of raising $50,000 by February 25th.

“At Society Nine, the way to show that respect is by providing quality products, whose design, creation, and execution is done truly with the athlete in mind.”

The Process

Society Nine’s first line focuses on women’s fighting gloves, and will be launching this fall. Finding fitted boxing gloves is a chore for women fighters because gloves usually come two to four sizes larger than needed. Currently their is no brand aimed on creating comfortable gloves to fit women as serious athletes.

Society Nine studied every glove on the market to find out what material was used and how it was constructed. They also asked women athletes (pro, amateurs and practitioners) what their ideal glove would feel and look like.

Le has accomplished making the line, from drawings and sketches to several prototyping rounds in only 18 months. She has also worked with a focus group made up of pro, amateur and practicing female MMA fighters and has tested the prototypes in several states.

The Bia Collection. Photo Credit: Matt Hogan (image cropped)

The Bia Collection

The Bia (bye-yuh) collection, named after Greek goddess of strength, features a pair of MMA gloves, Boxing Gloves, “Initiation” jacket, styled jogger, compression top, and infinity scarf.

The Bia MMA Glove is made of premium leather, adjusts more naturally to a clenched fists, and features triple foam padding for absorbing the shock of a punch. The outside design features a black and turquoise (no pink here) geometric triangle pattern available in 12 oz to 16 oz sizes.

“The designs for the first version of our boxing gloves and MMA gloves are inspired by the idea of shattering glass,” says Le. “We are breaking through the current landscape and coming out by making a statement that we stand for something different.”

The boxing equipment is being made with a factory in Pakistan, while the activewear line is being made with a factory in Los Angeles.

“I created Society Nine with the core athlete in mind - the athlete who does combat sports, says Le. “But on a spiritual level, our heart belongs to the female fighter, and she exists across all sports.”

Entrepreneur Lynn Le, has been a athlete her entire life. Le had the drive to become a dancer after being diagnosed with scoliosis at a young age. She has also ran the Amsterdam Marathon, became obsessed with Krav Maga (a self-defense system), and became a kickboxing instructor. You can find Le in Portland in her standard uniform, a girly dress and knitted beanie.

For more information and to contribute to the Society Nine kickstarter, click here.

Homepage Photo Credit: Zen Freese