When members of the Canadian women鈥檚 beach volleyball team take to the sand for their opening match of the Paris Summer Olympics on July 27, there will be an impossible-to-overlook B.C. connection.

While none of the players are from B.C., they鈥檒l be wearing uniforms designed by Left On Friday, which was founded by Ashcroft-born Shannon Savage and Laura Low Ah Kee, whom Savage met when they worked together at Lululemon.

Savage says she took an interest in sewing when she was a student at Ashcroft Secondary School.

鈥淚t was always fun. We were crafty as a family, and my mom made our clothes when I was young, so I had an understanding that this was a skill or talent people had, which was cool.鈥�

Savage thought she might become an architect, and did a year of building engineering at BCIT before dropping out and doing a year of stagecraft at a college in New Westminster. It included costume design, which she found interesting and creative, so she tried to figure out what she wanted to do.

鈥淭here was a program at Kwantlen Polytechnic that featured business, marketing, creating products, and designing for niche markets. I looked into it and thought it was incredible, so I put together a portfolio and got accepted.鈥�

That was Savage鈥檚 door into the apparel industry. She stuck it out for the 鈥渧ery intensive鈥� four-year program, which was good preparation for getting into the apparel business.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very gruelling. I worked at a couple of apparel companies in action sports, like snowboarding and skateboarding. A friend had started working at Lululemon, and said interesting things happened there, and I wanted to stay in action sports, so I put in an application and started there in 2005.鈥�

She worked there for more than a decade, and during that time met Low Ah Kee. 鈥淲e became pretty good friends, and identified a niche market no one else was doing: high performance and high fashion. We both loved the water and the ocean; I lifeguarded at the Ashcroft pool.鈥�

Savage left Lululemon after having her first child, and Low Ah Kee left a year later.

鈥淲e started doing research and development into whether we could get this project off the ground. We started by having fun with it, then realized it wasn鈥檛 just a fun project; we could do this for real.鈥�

After a year of research and development, the pair launched Left On Friday in 2018. Their designs blended form and function, and in 2022 they began a partnership with the Canadian women鈥檚 beach volleyball team. Savage says the partnership came about very organically.

鈥淎 member of the national team reached out to us and said she had found us online and seen our product. She had already tried our product and loved it, so she reached out to us to see if we had an ambassador program and could sponsor her in some way. We said we could support her through giving her product, so she wear-tested it and gave us feedback.鈥�

Lululemon had been sponsoring the women鈥檚 beach volleyball team, and when that deal ended Savage and Low Ah Kee鈥檚 contact reached out to them and told them to get in touch. Savage says they realized that the time frame of the sponsorship would take them to the Paris Olympics, which she describes as 鈥渁mazing.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檙e young as a company, so we were flattered that the team wanted us as their sponsor. The team wasn鈥檛 being told they had to wear this apparel; they were asking for it, because they loved it. We said we鈥檇 do it, and find a way to sponsor the team.鈥�

In the two years leading up to the Paris Olympics, Left On Friday outfitted the team for an entire year of training apparel, which was custom-printed with the Volleyball Canada and Left On Friday logos. Then, as the team moved through the Commonwealth and Pan-Am Games, Left On Friday provided them with specific uniforms for playing in. 鈥淢oving into the Olympic year we created new uniforms for the national team. We wanted them to stand out.鈥�

Savage, who does all the product design, says it鈥檚 a 鈥渕ind-blowing鈥� moment.

鈥淲e got to work with the team and heard their feedback, knowing they were going to have this big moment. We worked with them to understand what styles they like. There鈥檚 a one-shouldered design they love for serving, so we ran with that and created something unique for this year.鈥�

Savage adds that she loves the partnership with the team. 鈥淭he athletes are amazing, and we love to see our product worn by them and put to use. We鈥檝e launched an ambassador program and work with other athletes in Canada and the U.S., so we鈥檙e looking to see what the future brings.鈥�

She also loves the idea that Left On Friday is supporting the team.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e elite athletes who鈥檝e worked so hard to get to the level they鈥檙e at, and it鈥檚 an honour to do this, so we sponsor them. Their entire life is being an athlete. They can鈥檛 hold down a job as well, so sponsorship is important for them as athletes.

鈥淏rands want to be associated with teams as long as the brand is aligned, and it鈥檚 good exposure for the brand. It goes both ways, because we get to promote these athletes.鈥�

Savage says that this is a really exciting year for Left On Friday鈥檚 growth.

鈥淲e鈥檙e watching these women. And they鈥檙e so good. They鈥檙e really in the running to be top of the world. We hope they鈥檙e going to get there, and we鈥檒l be cheering them along every step of the way.鈥�

Left On Friday鈥檚 products can be found at Turf (2041 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver); you can also check out their products at .