Hi, my name is Shannon and I am the owner, designer and creator of Tough Chik, LLC.
Tough Chik is performance and casual apparel for active women. The Tough Chik story started when I began training for the San Francisco marathon. One post-training run evening I was complaining to my mom about my various aches and pains. I told her not to worry, however, “I am a tough old bird” I quipped.
“No, you are a tough chick!” my mother replied without skipping a beat. To give some context, my mother and grandmother have referred to themselves as “tough old birds” for decades due to their resilience through life's trials and tribulations. I thought it was funny that I was the “tough chick”, the next generation.
A few weeks later I came home from a long day at work and was dreading my training run for the evening. I felt like I was coming down with a cold or some other illness that would be a great excuse to skip this run. Just then, opened my mail and found an encouraging card from my mom that said “tough chick” with a cute image of a baby chick. Of course I had to run after that!
Go Shannon! Tough Chick!During the marathon my mom gleefully waved a large poster with a hand-drawn chick on it as she proudly cheered on her “tough chick”. During the course of the marathon, I kept an eye out for the “tough chick” poster as it was my mother’s beacon from the crowded, marathon sidelines.
It was during my marathon that I realized how very disappointed I was with women’s performance apparel. After the marathon, I started riding more frequently and my disappointment with our apparel choices grew. Most everything was pink or powder blue and very expensive. The “Original Tough Chik” needed something edgier than butterflies…a balance between cute and strong. I spend a lot of time riding with the boys on mountain trails, I need to look the part.
So with my imagination, a design background and a strong network of supportive family and friends, Tough Chik was born.
This is women’s apparel that appeals to real women who want to make a statement about who they are and what they’ve experienced along life’s journey.
This is what tough looks like…
