WOLACO's New Soho-Inspired Shorts Will Elevate Your Next Workout
The runners have spoken, and this activewear brand listened. After hearing from customers about the need for running-specific shorts, the folks over at WOLACO (Way of Life Athletic Co.) just dropped the perfect running short. They know it can be hard to get a good workout in when the rest of life is calling, and they've set out to make it as easy as possible to work up a sweat.
“We realized in those days when you've got quite literally 30 to 45 minutes to work out, you have to make a key decision. Am I going to get this three-to-five-mile run in as fast as I can, or am I going to retreat back to my computer and take that extra call instead?’” says WOLACO co-founder Nick Diadato. “We wanted to create a product that would afford you the ability to put it on really quick and just go.”
The miracle piece that's going to let you "just go" is the SPRING Short. Named after Spring Street in Lower Manhattan, it's a high and tight short with a design ready to go fast. According to Diodato, the SPRING Short is perfect for runs ranging from three to eight miles. The short is super lightweight and has a six-inch inseam that hits mid-thigh. The infinity waistband means no need for an annoying drawstring. All of this combines to create the sleekest silhouette WOLACO has engineered to date. The brand has eliminated hand pockets, instead opting for a rubberized, sweat-proof pocket that can store a wallet or phone. This creates exactly what you need to squeeze in a quick and efficient run, with none of the unnecessary accessories that actually end up getting in the way.
As with the other items in their line, the WOLACO team has opted for sleek, minimalistic branding and colors for the SPRING short. “We have core colors that we know our customer and people from our community gravitate to," says Diadato, "So, as opposed to using color as a way to potentially pique interest outside of our core customer group, we know that specifically what they want works for us and we don't deviate too far from it.”
The team at WOLACO finds their inspiration on the streets of New York. The short's name inspiration was a careful choice to reference a core part of their regular exercise: The Spring Street Loop. The running route goes up the west side of Manhattan from WOLACO's TriBeCa HQ, east across Spring Street, down Bowery to the Financial District, and back to the HQ. "It's 3.85 miles," says Diadato, "and it serves as this loop of inspiration for us where we can cross through you know the heart of Soho into the lead down into Chinatown into the Financial District and back into TriBeCa." Though its route provides convenient motivation for the WOLACO team to get a workout in, this isn’t a leisurely training run - it’s a footrace against yourself and the city. That’s why they made the Spring Short: it's built for the streets and ready to go fast, making it New York's perfect running short. Its design is by people who run NYC, for people who run NYC - the leaders of tomorrow who integrate an active lifestyle into everything they do.
Beyond wearing the SPRING shorts to embark on its namesake running loop, NYC-based fans can join in on WOLACO Wednesday. Every Wednesday morning, starting at about 6:30 or 7 AM, the team hosts free workouts. These sweat sessions happen outside during the summer months and inside when it's colder, and activities vary from yoga to runs to HIIT or cross-fit inspired workouts. "We bring in New York City-based instructors from different studios or gyms," explains Diadato, "and then at the end, we give the floor to two to three people from the community who are working on something that they're proud of or care about or need help with something specific." It's a way of fostering community among those who subscribe to the active way of life.
