Empowerment and Performance
Wicked Rose creates technical, Canadian-made activewear tailored specifically for women in martial arts. Despite women constituting 35% of martial arts gym members, they’re often forced to wear men’s or unisex activewear for training. Wicked Rose addresses this gap by offering activewear designed to enhance performance, improve comfort, and foster a sense of representation within the sport. Their products incorporate unique features such as built-in compression shorts, high waistbands, and elastic components that ensure freedom of movement without wardrobe malfunctions. This thoughtful design not only improves training experiences, but empowers women to feel more confident and represented in martial arts.
Wicked Rose’s innovative product line includes the first-ever Muay Thai shorts with built-in compression, leggings with a seamless second layer to prevent transparency, and a rash guard with an anti-ride waistband to ensure it stays in place. These technical garments are crafted from recycled spandex and polyester fabric, diverting 10-15 plastic bottles from the waste stream with each garment.
The Vancouver startup produces all of their clothing locally, using a female-owned manufacturing company and featuring designs by tattoo artists, allowing athletes to express their individuality through what they’re wearing. Committed to inclusivity, Wicked Rose ensures that all martial artists see themselves represented through diverse models and a broad size range from XS to 5XL.
Tapping Into Growth Channels
Founder Christina Morrow has quickly guided Wicked Rose to major wins. The startup’s already generated over $50,000 in revenue, from 450 customers across 13 countries, 36 states, and 7 provinces. They’ve sold over 800 garments and successfully ran a Kickstarter campaign in April, raising $27,500 — 275% of their initial $10,000 goal. Additionally, the company recently signed UFC fighter Lupita Godinez as a sponsored athlete, further establishing their brand in the martial arts community.
Looking ahead, Wicked Rose aims to build a dedicated team to drive their growth. Their initial focus is on hiring a social media manager and community builder, as social media is a crucial sales channel for them. An operations person will also be added to the team to enhance efficiency, along with a marketer to drive growth. Alongside team expansion, Wicked Rose is exploring various distribution channels, including Meta ads, Amazon, and influencer partnerships to reach more customers and accelerate their scaleup.
Community and Collaborations
Christina Morrow entered Wicked Rose in this year’s NVBC Competition to leverage the support and guidance offered by the accelerators and communities associated with it. Recognizing the competition’s reputation for attracting some of the best up-and-coming startups, she saw it as an ideal platform to grow her startup. Wicked Rose’s biggest motivations in the competition are to receive mentorship surrounding scaling, and to more deeply immerse themselves in Vancouver’s startup community. They’re also excited to explore collaborations with other local companies who are experimenting with novel fabrics.
The startup’s competition strategy can be likened to that of a crow. Crows are known for being scrappy, talkative, resourceful, intelligent, and loyal to their family groups — traits that resonate with Wicked Rose’s approach. These birds are creative problem solvers, and Wicked Rose plans to harness this creativity to clearly and effectively communicate their technical aspects, despite not being a traditionally tech-based venture. Channeling the crow’s air of confidence, the apparel company aims to excel in the pitch portion of the competition. And lastly, by emphasizing their social nature, Wicked Rose plans to connect and collaborate with other ventures, expanding their network, learning from others, and maximizing their experience in the competition.
About the Founder
Christina Morrow, Founder
Fun Fact: Christina is very accident-prone. She’s crashed a moped, been in a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, had a brain hemorrhage, and lit her hair on fire. She’s also into foraging and can make a mean dandelion jelly.
Company Cheatsheet:
City: Vancouver
Founded: October 2020
Sector: Technical apparel, e-commerce
