SAUSALITO, CA (BRAIN)—With input from the Luna Chix Pro Team, the owners of Clif Bar & Company and Luna Bar are expanding into women’s cycling and athletic apparel with the creation of Luna Sport LLC.
The new company is owned by Kit Crawford and Gary Erickson, founders of the nutrition bar maker, and housed in the same headquarters in Sausalito, California.
Longtime Luna Chix Pro Team member Marla Streb, who now serves as general manager of the team, has been tapped as marketing manager for the new Luna Sport clothing.
“Over the past eight years Luna Chix Pro Team members have won hundreds of races, become world champions, set Ironman records, and competed in the Olympics. Their unmatched athletic experience enables us to develop, test and refine the most unique, authentic women’s cycling clothing available,” said Kit Crawford. “We are committed to creating great looking and fitting, performance-driven clothes from a blank canvas; clothing for women who want to look and feel great on their bikes.”
Like with its Clif and Luna bars, which use organic ingredients, the apparel line is made with recycled and renewable fabrics and minimizes packaging to keep inline with the company’s sustainability mission. The line spans from short and long sleeve jerseys, to vests, jackets, baselayers, bottoms as well as gloves and arm and leg warmers. Luna Sport will also offer two women’s-specific saddles.
Streb, who has raced for 16 years, eight of them with the Luna Chix Pro Team, said the company soft-launched some apparel at Interbike last year, but has tweaked designs and sizing since then and launched a Web site, www.lunasportgear. It has also picked up some distribution through independent bike shops and REI. The apparel is also sold through the Luna Sport site.
As the clothing sponsor of the Luna Chix Pro Team, athletes will use Luna Sport garments exclusively beginning with the 2010 season. Luna Sport will donate 1 percent of its annual gross revenue to the Breast Cancer Fund. Luna Bar has donated more than $3 million to the Breast Cancer Fund over the past 10 years through direct donations and fundraising programs.
Luna Bar was launched in 1999, and the Luna Chix Pro Team evolved shortly after, forming in 2001. Since then, some 27 local Luna Chix teams have launched around the country, formed of beginner to competitive runners, triathletes, road and mountain bikers who train and support each other while raising funds for breast cancer.
—Lynette Carpiet
