Inspired to have leggings and biking shorts with a perfect fit, Madelyn Hadel, creator of Rebellelion, set out to make her own line of comfortable, sustainable and supportive athletic wear with a twist. Her line is 100% customizable and made from a 100% recycled material called Repreve fabric, which is made from plastic bottles and is manufactured in North Carolina. For Hadel, sourcing eco-friendly fabrics from the US was particularly important because of the country has stricter regulations towards disposing of waste and the ethical treatment of workers is more clear.
A Colorado native, Hadel has been creating outstanding fashion since she was young. She created Rebellelion in 2015, using only recycled and thrifted materials. When Hadel first started her brand she was creating custom garments from recycled materials – it is very important to Hadel that the fashion she creates is sustainable. She has used fabrics from old curtains, vintage dresses and many thrift stores to keep up with sustainable fashion. However, only providing custom garments, Hadel felt that her offerings to customers were limited. So, she expanded into the world of activewear. With this expansion, she can continuously reproduce her product and reach more of an audience while still bringing a custom design to the table.
The unique name of her brand, Rebellelion, is a representation of a french rebel girl in Rebelle, and the power and strength of a lioness from lion. Rebellelion is a future-forward thinking model of fashion and Hadel is creating an uncycled stylish way to keep up with the trends. Fast forward to 2021, Rebellelion now offers options to get customers more involved with creating their own statement pieces. Throughout the process of shopping for a customizable set of leggings or bike shorts each customer has the option to choose the desired length, waistband color, as well as left and right pant leg design.
In designing the athletic wear, the first pattern that Hadel created was “messy stripes.” Once she saw it, she knew this one could be turned into a perfectly seamless design. She went through many brainstorm ideas of designs before she came across the best options. She also hand-painted each never-ending black and white design to make the prints seamlessly flow together. “I… left the messy texture on purpose when I digitized these patterns for printing so that they would still feel authentically hand painted,” Hadel said. Keeping the authenticity of the artwork for her line of athletic wear in mind, Hadel made each pattern a little more simple so that they did not clash against each other when choosing a look.
“I like my designs to be a little rough around the edges, imperfections are what make us each unique,” said Hadel.
In order to make this line 100% customizable, Hadel redesigned her entire online experience. She wanted to give her customers options to feel confident and comfortable. “I know we each have individual preferences when it comes to our ideal fit so it was important to me that customers could choose the right length for their body,” Hadel said. Her line ranges in sizes from XXS-8X with photos and videos of each size for customers to better picture what type of legging or biker short style they would feel best in. There are four different lengths for biker shorts and leggings as well as four different patterns to choose from.
Each step in the customization process is super easy and user friendly. Hadel’s sister, Torie Hadel, assisted her in making her webpage as simple as possible to navigate. It allows customers to make all of their own customizations, with pattern options for the waistband and the individual left and right pant legs. “It has been so exciting seeing all of the different combinations customers choose,” Hadel said.
Over the course of her design career, Hadel has gained many skills and abilities, allowing her to sew for long strenuous hours. “I worked in sewing manufacturing for three years before launching this line, so, I was very experienced in sewing for mass production,” Hadel said. With this collection, Hadel is hand sewing each piece for the best result and minimal waste. This does make the production process two weeks long, however, “I think it’s a great opportunity to nudge a customer’s mindset towards sustainability,” Hadel said.
Building a sustainable fashion output is the biggest goal for Rebellelion and Hadel encourages all fashion gurus to consider the power of their purchases. “When you shop consciously you’re investing in a better future for everyone,” Hadel said. She also has an entire page dedicated to learning how to shop more environmentally friendly.
All photography by Roxanna Carrasco.