An Interview With GRACEDBYGRIT

We’re extremely excited to have partnered with GRACEDBYGRIT, an high-performance active wear brand, that makes women feel powerful, confident, and safe. In this blog we interview Kimberly Caccavo and Kate Nowlan,the Founders of GRACEDBYGRIT, to find out the inspirations behind the brand, what makes their clothes great for travel and their plans for the future. Tell ...

12 July 2017

an-interview-with-gracedbygrit

We’re extremely excited to have partnered with GRACEDBYGRIT, an high-performance active wear brand, that makes women feel powerful, confident, and safe. In this blog we interview Kimberly Caccavo and Kate Nowlan,the Founders of GRACEDBYGRIT, to find out the inspirations behind the brand, what makes their clothes great for travel and their plans for the future.

Tell us a little about yourselves?
Kate Nowlan: I’m an athlete and entrepreneur at heart. I grew up in Upstate NY swimming,
playing softball, skiing, sailing… you name, I did it. I went to college at UMass Amherst and
continued my love of swimming through coaching.

I love leading our team of strong, fun, smart and dynamic women at GRACED BY GRIT . I
also love living in Encinitas, California with my 2 teenage daughters and boyfriend where
you can often find us running the coastline or surfing the beautiful Pacific.

Kimberly Caccavo: My background is a bit different than most athletic apparel
entrepreneurs. I studied chemical engineering at UC Berkeley and received an MBA from
UCLA. I wanted to be an astronaut.

I had just decided it was time to stop working when I hired Kate as my trainer for a triathlon.
As we ran and biked we often discussed what we were wearing and how many of our
friends were looking for more technical features in their athletic apparel. Companies were
designing cute outfits but they did not have the performance we wanted.
I live in Solana Beach, California with a super funny, intelligent husband and two great kids.

What inspired you to create GRACEDBYGRIT?
We founded GRACED BY GRIT in 2013 after training together for a triathlon in San Diego.
While training, we recognized that active women like us, 30 to 60 years old, need to feel
safe, confident and powerful in order to perform their best. Together we saw an enormous
opportunity to change the way a woman feels when she wears and buys athletic apparel.
What we needed to look and perform our best wasn’t out there so we designed it ourselves.
In just four years of business, we’ve generated over $2.5 million in revenue, sold 48,000
pieces of apparel and formed close relationships with over 40,000 loyal customers. When a
woman wears GRACED BY GRIT , she feels like she is part of something bigger and is
inspired to become her best self.

The triathlon we trained for was in honor of Chelsea King, a San Diego teen whose life was
taken from her by known violent predator a few years ago. Chelsea’s parents took their
gritty moment and turned it into many people’s grace by creating Chelsea’s Light
Foundation. We honor Chelsea’s legacy by including a whistle with every purchase to keep
other women safe.

Keeping women safe is the foundation of GRACED BY GRIT .

What inspires your designs?
We are inspired by what we love and what our friends, influencers and customers love.
Items in our wardrobe that we’ve loved for years, but weren’t designed as athletic apparel,
are our biggest inspiration. We adjust the fit of our favorite items that fit extremely well and
have lasted for many years but use technical, high-performance fabric to make them
GRACED BY GRIT . We make clothing that applies for all athletic endeavors.

What are you thinking of designing next?
We are currently working on expanding our tennis, golf and run collections.

Tell us about the GRACEDBYGRIT woman?
The GRACED BY GRIT woman is 30-60 years old and balances her family, career and
philanthropy with inspiring, gritty workouts. She runs, skis, hikes, bikes, walks, swims and
more.

What makes GRACED BY GRIT great for moms?
GRACED BY GRIT apparel can be worn through your pregnancy to chasing toddlers, from
preschool playdates to teenage date supervision and finally on the college tour. Our fabrics
mold to your body and make you feel, and look great.

What are your favorite travel destinations?
Kate: My parents’ lake house in upstate NY. It is an old fishermans inn named “Hearts
Content.” My heart is truly content when I am there with my family, surrounded by so much
history.

Kimberly: I love to travel; any new destination is my favorite! My daughter was asked this
the other day. I was quite surprised when she answered Estonia. I guess my all-around
favorite is Italy: the art, the architecture, the food, the people…

Why does your clothing work well for travel?
Kimberly: Our clothing packs light, wrinkles pop right out after hanging for a bit and all of
our apparel can be washed in a sink then rung with a towel. Everything dries in no time. I
have been on several trips where I have worn the Perfect Travel Dress, tied up, hiking in the
day and worn long with platforms at night.

What destination is on your vacation bucket list?
Kate: Eating my way through Italy and sailing the Greek Islands.

Kimberly: The Arctic Circle. I added it last week after meeting a woman who told me about
her amazing week spent living on a chunk of ice and watching the polar bears, beluga
whales and narwhals. Or, maybe taking in opera in Austria.

Share this:

You are on our UK website

We noticed that you are in US and recommend that you explore our US website instead.
switch to US website
Or continue to explore our UK website

Plan your trip

Please tell us a few details about your holiday plans and provide your phone number so we can call you back..
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4

When would you like to go?

Please select Enter your departure date*
Please select Year*

Where would you like to go?

Please select Select your interest

How many nights?

How many nights? Drag the slider to select nights
0 21 nights +

Guests*

Number of adults (aged 12+). Minimum 1 adult  
Adults (age 15+)
Children (age 0-15)
Rooms

Select your budget per person

Please select
Budget*

Contact details

Your First name First name*
Your Last name Last name*
Your email address Email address*
Your phone number Phone number*
+44
Tell us about your trip
Let us know if you have fixed dates, who you’re travelling with or if it’s for a special ocassion
Please tick this box to continue  

Unable to submit your request

Unfortunately, we were unable to submit your request. Please try again later or contact us.