Allyson Felix launches her own shoe company two years after Nike separation

After a separation from Nike in 2019, the United States' leading female track and field Olympian, Allyson Felix, was unable to sign a sponsorship contract with any other shoe company.

Felix then made a big decision after the epidemic last spring prevented her from making to the Olympics for a fifth time. She opted to start her own shoe brand.

In a recent video that Allyson Felix posted on her Instagram Reel account, she narrates the motivation that led to her starting 'Saysh'. The celebrated athlete also revealed how she markets her product to women.

Allyson Felix's contract with Nike, which had expired in December 2017, was renewed in 2018. When the Olympian found out that she had become pregnant, she worried about losing her job.

Felix asked Nike to include a clause in the contract stating that she would not be penalized for poor performance during the months leading up to her delivery. Unfortunately, Nike did not agree with her request, and this caused the negotiations to come to a halt.

Her dissatisfaction is with Nike and the sportswear business in general because of how it handles female athletes.

Athletes have a responsibility to hold brands responsible for their behavior, particularly with regard to marketing that is directed toward the next generation of athletes.

Allyson Felix's Saysh Sneakers

So, after breaking away from Nike, Allyson Felix founded Saysh, a line of shoes made specifically for women, with the goal of "undermining inequality with female athleticism and creativity."

The business was successful in securing a transaction for multiple millions of dollars during a funding round. This will enable the company to broaden the range of products they offer and enhance maternity benefits to its employees.

As a result of the investment, they will also expand their position in e-commerce and grow their wholesale distribution. When a few potential investors first learned about the 'Saysh' concept, they weren't impressed.

"My initial reaction was to try to talk them out of it," recalls Meridee Moore, founder of the Bay Area-based hedge fund Watershed Asset Management.

Allyson Felix said: "It’s for that woman who has been overlooked or feels like their voice hasn’t been heard. That was the biggest thing when I spoke out—hearing from other women across industries. And having such a connection there, feeling like it’s so much bigger. There’s just that power in the collective."

Olympian Allyson Felix advocates maternity rights

Allyson Felix's moment with her daughter

The famous athlete almost lost her life when she gave birth to her daughter in 2018. Felix had an early c-section because she developed pre-eclampsia, a condition that is more common among African-American moms.

She gave birth to her daughter, Camryn, who weighed just three pounds. The struggle she would face as a determined champion for the rights of athlete moms and women, in general, would have its genesis in this experience.

Nike offered Allyson Felix a sponsorship arrangement that paid approximately 70 percent less after her contract expired in 2017 than it had before she became pregnant.

Felix, flabbergasted and disheartened, went public with her story in order to bring attention to the unjust conditions that female athletes face in the male-dominated sports sector.

Felix's activism encouraged other female athletes to share their own stories of discrimination. As a result of this, Nike was forced to make changes to its maternity policy in August 2019, and those changes will apply to all of its athletes.

Moreover, the improved maternity protections ensure full salary and incentives for the 18 months preceding and following a pregnancy. Since then, competitors in the athletic apparel industry have started doing the same.