This profile is part of the Glossy Pop Guide to Influencer-Founded Brands, covering the fashion, beauty and wellness companies started by people who built their careers on social media. More from the series →
Born and raised in the Alaskan North Pole, Heidi Somers is the original small-town girl. In 2010, she made a big, solo move to San Antonio, Texas. To make new friends and work on her health, she joined CrossFit and decided to post her fitness journey on social media, soon gaining over a million followers. The lack of women-owned fitness apparel brands inspired her to build her own. In 2016, Somers created her athletic wear brand, Buff Bunny. Buff Bunny creates every piece with every woman and body in mind.
Who: Heidi Somers (Buffbunny)
What’s the brand: Athleisure
Find it: buffbunny.com, the Buffbunny Collection Boutique inside of Alphaland in Houston, TX
Ad position: web_incontent_pos1
Why did you decide to bring a brand into this crowded marketplace?
I took a close look at the apparel being offered to women in fitness and just wasn’t impressed. If the pieces were cute, they weren’t functional, and the functional pieces just weren’t flattering. And that’s not to mention the size range — it was lacking across most major brands. I took it upon myself to etch out this corner of the market where I saw a lack of interest or drive to create products that not only met women’s needs but made them feel comfortable and confident, inside the gym and out. Bringing body positivity, inclusivity and diversity to the forefront of all that we do and offer is essential to Buffbunny Collection.
What makes the brand different?
Buffbunny Collection prides itself on creating each piece starting from the ground up, from custom size grading. Our patterns are designed in-house and we use luxury one-of-a-kind fabrics.
We’re also known for our themed collections. For example, we flew a professional ballerina out to the Alaskan glacier to capture our “Frozen” theme and we built out a spooky laboratory for a “Mad Scientist” collection! We custom-grade every piece we offer. Unlike most brands that grade their pieces off of an XS and use “fashion math” to grade their larger sizes. We use real women with real bodies starting from an XS to our 3-4X, which allows for the best, most comfortable fit across our entire size range.
Fun fact: I’m a small-town girl originally from the North Pole, Alaska who has no degree, no business partner, and built everything without any loans or investors.
Ad position: web_incontent_pos2
Best seller: Game Changer Backpack
To read the rest of The Glossy Pop guide to influencer-founded brands, click here.
All products featured on Glossy Pop are independently selected by our editorial team. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
