Our Story
A Crazy Idea
Co-founder Jill Deering can remember the exact moment in 2013 when rabbit was conceived. How can it be so hard, she wondered in frustration, to find shorts that fit, feel, and look amazing? We can all be grateful that her next thought was, what if I made my own running clothes? She texted local ultrarunner and running store owner, Monica DeVreese, and said, Monica, I’ve got this crazy idea….
Monica responded in about two minutes. “I had been looking for a new challenge, a new opportunity, and had my own frustrations with apparel made by big shoe companies, so when Jill talked to me about starting a performance running clothing line, the timing was perfect. It just clicked.”
The two women quickly transformed their four decades of combined passion for running, their industry and business savvy, into a bold new vision. Monica had years of industry experience, starting from her first job in a specialty running shop to being in senior management positions with some of the biggest shoe brands in the industry . She and her husband opened their own running shop, Santa Barbara Running. Jill’s legal and business background provided the yin to Monica’s yang. The perfect brain trust was formed!
They quickly turned a simple quest for better shorts into rabbit: not just a line of premium running apparel, but a community of dreamers. With those dreamers they built a brand that celebrates all runners’ goals and unique relationships to the sport.
“No matter how attainable or lofty one’s goal is, I think everyone is a Dreamer,” explains Jill. “Whether training for your first or fiftieth marathon, or simply finding relief from your crazy family, everyone’s dream is powerful in its own right.”
“It goes back to why we started the brand,” says Monica. “It’s even in the name. A rabbit is a race pacesetter: someone who champions the competitors by leading them through splits and pushing the pace – quietly stepping out before the finish line, they do it for the love of running and supporting the goals of others.”
It Takes a Village to Raise a rabbit
The two women got their entire local running community involved. They gathered every running short they could find, brainstormed about what they loved and hated, asked, What if? How can we be original, different, better?
They developed an outlook, a vibe rooted in a California culture based not only on chill, but on an ethos of inclusion and sustainability. Now, entering its 8th year, rabbit is one of the largest independent running specialty apparel brands in the world. The original sense of community is still strong at rabbit, and dreamers from coast to coast feel at home in that community.
What's in a Name?
Rabbits are sometimes social, but often solitary. They can be found in almost any setting, on almost any surface. They are fast, adaptable and hard to pin down. The Chinese zodiac holds the rabbit to be lucky, and symbolic of mercy, elegance and beauty. Those born in the Year of the Rabbit are said to be quick-witted and resourceful, agile and light on their feet. In the racing world a rabbit is tasked with taking out the pack at a fast pace, doing the hardest work in order to help everyone else run faster. Rabbits are happiest when leading the group to a good time.
Sounds about right to us.
Two Mothers and a Tribe with a Vibe
Passionate, but laid-back, rabbit runners are intensely competitive when the gun goes off, but contemplative and chill during a foggy morning cruise on the roads or a sun-kissed afternoon on a favorite trail. They demand clothing that keeps them comfortable and performing at a high level, and looking good doing it.
This all goes back to Monica and Jill’s original philosophy: find apparel that fits both body and spirit, a second skin to pursue your passion in!
Both women fell in love with running early, and running gave them the confidence to chase their dreams, to see failure as just a stepping stone to greater success. Jill was a DI collegiate runner and now has a 2:48 marathon PR. Monica was a high school state champion who discovered the trails and now has a half dozen hundred-milers in her pocket. Between them they have enough happy, healthy children to score at a cross country meet. Family. Community. Business. All of it organic, all of it a labor of love.
Says Monica: “A long time ago, I gave myself permission to go figure out what I love, and rabbit is one example of that.”
When asked if she’s surprised at how quickly the company took off. Jill laughs. “Oh sure. I still get so excited whenever I see a random runner wearing our clothes. I get butterflies! It really moves me. Our crazy pipe dream has become a reality.”
A reality shared by an ever-growing community of dreamers.
