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Janji and Oiselle, two mission-driven brands in the running space, have announced they are merging in a “partnership of equals.”
There are some brands that stand out as pioneers in the running industry, and both Janji and Oiselle stand tall. Janji’s story has always prioritized a sustainability message and tapped into artists from underrepresented communities from its inception. Likewise, Oiselle entered center stage with its sights set on providing female athletes apparel that not only met their performance and style needs but was a statement for building strong female voices in running and beyond.
With this new partnership, the two brands will continue to operate as sole entities—Oiselle in Seattle and Janji in Boston—but the magic will be in leveraging their combined power to build bigger running communities and reach more runners with a larger distribution network.
“By coming together, both brands can grow their communities, lean in on their strengths, and continue their unique mission: to support runners and make the world a better place through running,” said Janji co-founder, Dave Spandorfer. “This merger allows us to think incredibly long-term and support our communities, the Volée and the Collective, even more.”
Oiselle founder Sally Bergesen will be stepping down into an advisory role and long-time Oiselle president Atsuko Tamura will continue to lead the brand and strengthen partnerships with elite athletes.
“Runners truly understand the value of community and connection, that hard efforts are best done as a group! I’m thrilled to be joining forces with our friends at Janji, who share our passion for the sport and its people,” said Bergesen. “I’m equally happy that Oiselle will remain a women-led company, something that has defined us since day one, and will continue to be who we are and what we stand for well into the future.”
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Janji’s co-founders, Mike Burnstein and Dave Spandorfer, who will stay in their roles, built Janji with a focus on community and giving back. The company works with local artists around the globe for each collection and gives 2 percent of sales back to water projects in those communities.
Together, both of these brands are a powerful combination to foster their distinct running communities — Oiselle’s Volée is a global community of thousands of women with diverse backgrounds and different goals, connected by the common thread of running, and Janji Collective is a community of like-minded runners and adventurers who are encouraged to explore, connect, and give back through running.
Athlete Lauren Fleshman, who has been a key part of the Oiselle team since its early days said, “The work of these two mission-driven companies is so important, and in many ways, it’s only just begun. The bird of humanity flies best with two strong wings, and this partnership combines us in a way that makes soaring inevitable.”