Real clothes for athletic women: Interview with Melika CEO, Melissa Bailey Tokstad

June 2, 4:24 PMWomen's Cycling ExaminerKathryn Bertine

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I am not a high-maintenance woman. For godssake, I spend half of my day wearing male cycling clothing. When not waddling around in a chamois, all I ask is for some female clothing that fits well. Strangely, this can be hard to find as an athletic woman. For example, I’ve got the waist of a size 2 woman, but ain’t no size 2 waistband gonna make it over my cycling thighs and arse. Let’s go to the upper body, where there is not a lot of bulk on a cyclist’s arms. I could be a small in all things triceps and biceps, but my back is still carrying the muscles of my triathlon swim days. Not to mention, I’m on the taller side, so this is the result: In terms of tops and dresses, I’m a smalledium. Pants, I’m a melarge. Strangely, Banana Republic and Old Navy fail to recognize these categories. Good thing there’s Melika, the greatest clothing line ever created for sporty chicks. Check it out at www.melika.com

KB: Melissa Bailey Tokstad, CEO of Melika, visionary of athletic clothing, guru of the smalledium, friend to female athletes everywhere… let me just start by saying thank you for your existence. Where did you get the inspiration for your clothing line?

MBT: For the swimwear part of the line, the goal is to build suits that fit real women, are flattering and cute, but also work well for women involved in water sports. We don’t do buckles, bows, and bling. I pick fun prints and design flattering shapes, and everything must pass the “wetsuit test.” Fashion, function, fit! With the activewear, I build styles that can be worn at the gym, office, or out to dinner, all using the same performance, moisture-wicking fabrics. Active women are comfortable in these fabrics, so why should they only get to wear them to the gym?

KB: I agree! I wear your clothes everywhere, especially when traveling, and get compliments from women in all age brackets. Do you ever make custom clothes?

MBT: Yes! Especially in swimwear. I feel very strongly about the fact that every woman should have a swimsuit that makes her feel good, so I am always more than happy to take care of customers who can't find anything that fits in our regular line. We can also make small changes to the activewear pieces as needed - longer bra tops, shorter skirts, size 2X dresses, etc.

KB: Where are you located and where does the name “Melika” come from?

MBT: Our store is in downtown Hood River, which is pretty much heaven for anyone who loves playing in the outdoors. We have great windsurfing, kiteboarding, kayaking, road and mountain biking, and skiing and snowboarding.
Melika is my name in Hawaiian. I was born in Honolulu, and I thought the connection to surfing and water made sense for a line of active swimwear.

KB: Were you an athlete? What sports did you play?

MBT: I played soccer and ran track throughout high school and college. After college I got involved in triathlons and small dinghy sailboat racing. I’ve also skied my whole life.

KB: Do you get more business from certain types of athletes?

MBT: I get a lot of windsufers and kiteboarders, just because of our location. I also get a decent amount of business from kayakers, cyclists, and runners.

KB: Not only are you fabulous for women, you’re fabulous for the planet. Tell us about Melika’s policy on ordering fabric and keeping the manufacturing local?

MBT: As much as possible, I buy my fabric from a local company that resells leftover yardage from larger companies like Nike and Patagonia. I get to use top-quality fabrics without adding more waste to the global supply chain. All other fabrics that I use are produced in the US. The design and cutting of all Melika styles happens at the Hood River store, and everything is sewn in Hood River or Portland. It’s always tempting to think about moving production overseas to keep costs low, but I think it’s important for my brand to stay local. We have a small cutting table on the retail floor that we use to work on patterns and cut samples and custom orders, and people get a kick out of watching us work. Also, the majority of my customers seem to really appreciate that I run a truly local business.

KB: That’s fantastic, especially in our chain-store, foreign-assembly dependent society. Good for you! My favorite aspect about your designs is that the fabrics stretch to accommodate sizes of muscular women, without pulling or pinching, and your cuts are always flattering. What is your favorite piece of clothing from this year’s line?

MBT: I have so many favorites that it’s hard to pick! The “old stand-by” is the City Skirt, which I’ve had for a few years now. I have women come back every season to buy two or three new City Skirts, because they love them so much.
I have some great new dresses this summer – the Racer Hoody Dress has been flying out the door. The new Hannah swim top is very flattering and offers tons of support and coverage, with a sporty racer back, and the Avery swim bottom is a winner because it has a “no-pinch” waistband that eliminates the squeezing that even the skinniest women get with swim bottoms.

KB: Complete this sentence: “Female athlete’s bodies are so much better than those _____ size zero Hollywood starlets.”

MBT: Scrawny? Wimpy? Is that too harsh? Waifish?

KB: I’d say that’s largely accurate. What’s next for Melika? Any chance we’ll see your store nationwide…while keeping production local, of course?

MBT: I view Melika as a destination watersport brand, and I’d love to see Melika in cool, active, outdoorsy towns across the country. I’m currently working on samples and a catalog for next summer, and hope to sell my line to other stores up and down the west coast.

KB: With your work ethic and righteous sizing, I see nothing but great things for Melika. Thanks, Melissa, and best of luck! To check out Melika's great stuff, head over to www.melika.com