Plum Practicewear is taking the gymnastics world by storm! What started out as a small leotard company in New Jersey has turned into one of the hottest leotard companies for gymnasts all around the country. Made popular in the gymnastics world with the help of the elite trio at MG Elite, Plum leos are known for being super cute, comfortable, and affordable! What more could a gymnast ask for? Nicole Midura, the Vice President of sales and marketing at Plum Practicewear, gave us the inside scoop on how Plum leos are created and the upcoming line.
Can you tell us how Plum Practicewear got started?
We started out as a group of friends with an idea. We wanted to make fun, funky leos...leos that got your attention. We also knew from experience that gymnastics is an expensive sport. We thought we could make at least one aspect of it a little easier on the parents' pockets. We soon came to realize that there was another very important aspect that we wanted to address- comfort! Some of these gymnasts are living in their leos, [training] five plus hours at a time, eight hours total per day.We design our leos with the gymnasts who wear them in mind. I feel personally connected to every gymnast who wears a Plum. I do think of them all as part of our family...they're my girls!
Can you explain the design process?
The cut we keep super simple to maximize the comfort. [It's a] standard tank with very few seams, and the seams we have are super soft. Most of our fabrics are silky smooth...although we do add a bit of sparkle here and there. As for the patterns, we keep our thumb on the pulse of the every day gymnasts. Plus, I think I'm also more or less a large child! We've got a great focus group of gymnasts and we hand pick every single fabric that we use. We are currently designing our very own custom fabric which we will be debuting very shortly! Everything we manufacture is produced on the east coast. Staying local and supporting our great nation is something that is near and dear to our hearts.
You have a very close relationship with the girls at MG Elite. Can you talk about how you began working with them?
Those girls...I just love those girls! We were at a live sale about three years ago and along comes this gorgeous young lady and her mom. The mom stops and asks if she wanted a leo and this girl just lit up. She picked one out and dashed off to try it on. When she came back I just knew. The moment I saw her face I knew she was our girl! The young lady was Laurie Hernandez and the rest is Plum history. Once she started wearing Plum, it trickled out to her teammates. Once they saw them and heard about how comfortable they were, they were interested. [Then when] they wore them, they were hooked. Now more MG girls wear Plum than don't on any given day.
We recently brought Jazzy and Ari in our photo shoots and that has been stellar. They are just the most humble, sweet, funny, and down to earth girls that ever rocked a gym. Maggie [Haney] and Vicki [Levine] have been so amazingly warm and welcoming. I'm in there shooting the girls a lot. I practically live there! [They are] just a fabulous team from top to bottom.
Out of all the leotards you have created, which one is your favorite?
Man! That's a really tough one. I had been wanting to make a mustache printed leo for a really long time, so when we saw that fabric I was totally over the moon! The red binding on it just sealed the deal. I really love that one. I love the unexpected and unconventional leos the most, for sure.
What makes Plum leos different then the other top leotard brands?
We've got this whole "limited edition" model going that I really love. We have such a great time paying with fabrics and color that we don't want to get stuck on any one thing. We make a certain amount of each leo in each size and once they are gone they are gone! We've only made an exception to this once... with the last run. We sold out so fast! We couldn't leave all those girls out in the cold like that, so we broke our rule and restocked...just this once. Honestly, we just want to make gymnasts feel confident and happy. When they send us pics in their Plum with those big grins on their faces, hitting some fierce pose or getting a new skill for the first time (#luckyleo) that really reminds us why we love what we do.
Plum Practicewear has really grown over the last year and is now worn by many of the top gymnasts in the country. Can you talk a little about that?
Along with the MG elite girls, we've also developed a really great relationship with the super cute, super talented, up and coming Olivia Dunne and her coaches Craig and Jenn at ENA Paramus. Talk about fantastic people!
Plums are worn at every National Team Camp and also at every Developmental Camp. That has really helped spread the word! Without name dropping, I'll just say that some
very high profile elite and junior elite gymnasts practice in Plum! Every time another elite reaches out to us I am floored. When I see some of the names coming through on the orders, it's hard not to fangirl, if I'm being totally honest. I can tell you that we've got both junior and senior girls practicing in Plum. So many elites...it seems like every day another easily recognizable name places and order or is reaching out via Instagram or Facebook. The love and support we've been getting from the elite community has been overwhelming.
What is next for Plum Practicewear? Do you have a new line in the works?
We always have a new line in the works! We never stop thinking, planning, and hunting for the next thing. We are currently in production on our mid winter line, due out in February. It will include our very first Signature collection! We've come up with a few fabric designs of our own and we are just so excited about them. We do have some shorts and shirts in our near future as well...we heard you, girls!
