Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alisa Otto. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Alisa, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

trekALLa is a women’s sustainable + size inclusive outdoor apparel company. Our mission is to make sure women have the apparel they need to adventure at any level they choose. I started this company after a lifelong struggle finding hiking clothing that fit and performed. After becoming more active in women’s hiking communities, I realized this was not just a me issue, it’s an industry issue. I got sick of borrowing my husbands moisture wicking tops for hikes and decided to use my vast experience in apparel design to do something about it.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have been in the apparel industry for as long as I can remember. I went to college for fashion design and after a few years in the industry, I decided to get my MFA so I could teach fashion design at the college level. Size inclusion was always a topic of discussion: in the classroom, students were asking how to make clothes that better fit for them, and in research and freelance gigs, discussion on how to make sizing more accurate was abundant. I had been sitting on this idea for women’s outdoor apparel that I really wanted to start looking into but I lacked the confidence and finances to dive into it full time; teaching allowed me to use summers to research it more, going on various hiking trips and taking note of how my clothes performed in each situation. Eventually, after a particularly frustrating hike in clothes that didn’t fit, I decided to finally open trekALLa (then known as Ottomatic Threads) and spent the first year making samples in various performance fabrics and I worked with friends of all sizes to trail test them.

After launching our initial collection in January 2020, things really picked up. I reached out a plethora of US based manufacturers and was eventually told that I just knew too much about the industry and that I should do our manufacturing myself. So I did. In October of 2020, I opened a microfactory where my very small team did all production under one roof. I am so incredibly proud of the work we did there to expand our size range to XS-6X, educate people on why sustainability is important, and solved problems with apparel that were keeping women from exploring the outdoors. We closed down the microfacotry in 2023 when my family moved to Florida, but I am getting ready to open a new one in Spring 2025, which I am incredibly excited about. I hope to grow our community even more and give businesses and organizations solutions to help get more women participating in outdoor activities.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

After looking for a manufacturer and being told I knew too much about the industry and to open my own facility, I did. I have been sewing since I was 4 and during my career as an apparel design educator, I have taught hundreds of students how to sew on industrial machinery and how to develop designs using flat and digital pattern making techniques. I knew I could do all the work myself if needed (and I did for quite some time), but knowing I had the ability to train anyone else to take over was reassuring while taking on this venture. On that note, one thing I have learned is that just because I can do everything as the founder, doesn’t mean I should.

If you have multiple revenue streams in your business, would you mind opening up about what those streams are and how they fit together?

In addition to making our own apparel, we have worked with other small businesses who are wanting to create their own collections. We’ve done everything from pack design, to specialy slacks, to sequined jackets, and they’ve all been really rewarding projects. While it’s been incredibly rewarding helping other founders get a kickstart on their journey, we’ve had to really get more selective when taking on projects. We want to make sure that the projects we take on reflect our mission of inclusivity and sustainability, instead of just taking someone one because they’re willing to pay.

Contact Info:

• Website: TrekAll.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trekalla_apparel/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Trekalla-61556240260391/?locale=en_GB
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/79872372/admin/dashboard/

Image Credits

Sarah Freelin Photography