More than just cool running gear, more than our love for running, OnlyAtoms stands for the true essence of running — feeling good, having fun, living your best life and being your best self. Like atoms, it's about interconnectivity to each other, part of a supportive community and inspiring others to live their best lives and be their best selves.
OnlyAtoms was founded by a fashion industry insider who’s an avid endurance runner and a long time member of New York City's running community. Designed in Brooklyn and manufactured in the heart of NYC, OnlyAtoms merges high quality and sleek, minimalist design together with true athletic performance and functionality.
OnlyAtoms sprung from one simple, universal idea – a desire to feel good, look good and just have fun running. The desire to run a 10K, go to brunch afterwards, and enjoy the experience of running and connection. The desire to bring your self-expression and meaning to your passion – running – not to see fifty other runners wearing the exact mass-manufactured outfit as you. The desire to inspire all humans, from those running their 50th marathon to the 5K first timer, to get moving and just have fun.
We are regular runners, not famous and not pros. We love running because of how it makes us feel...and we want how we feel inside to be expressed on the outside. Unfortunately, those options are limited. Most running clothes are not only made by the same few giant brands, but are dull to boot. And fun? Authentic? Meh. Running brands try to promise “endurance!” “strength!” “speed!”…but, really, who runs faster because of a top you wear? In the end, why do we really run? Because it makes us happy. Simple.
After years of making clothes for big fashion brands, while making wish-lists of what we wanted in running clothes dreaming of one day making our own, OnlyAtoms came to life. Our founder, Beth, was an active sports-playing kid, but she hated running “the mile” in PE – her and her friends would hide behind bleachers to avoid a few laps. After spending her teens and twenties out dancing in the rave scene, loving the happiness, connectedness, and “in the moment” feelings she got from dancing, she discovered running at a 5K and promptly fell in love. Running a race felt like being at a big party!
Over the next few years, running got her through hard times including the sudden loss of her father. Beth was training for her first marathon when her dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The last weeks of his life were the worst weeks of hers, but she kept on running. She ran her first marathon only two months after his death. Crossing the finish line, there was happiness, connectedness, and positive energy despite that rough time in her life. It was that moment she realized how amazing running was...realized that if she hadn’t had running, and running friends, she might not have been able to get through the tough times. She realized that running is just a metaphor for life: if you can run, you can find happiness...if you can run a race, you do anything you set out to do.
It’s that spirit of fun, connection and positivity that infuses OnlyAtoms. It’s about getting to mile 8, wondering why you don’t take up a more sedate hobby, but knowing that accomplishment is waiting for you at the end, and you push on. It’s about hitting the hot spot for coffee after crushing a 10K, looking good sporting gear you feel good wearing. It’s about remembering while we're only atoms bouncing around this world for a limited time, we should spend our time moving forward – living our dreams, accomplishing goals, knowing if we run, we can do anything…while having fun and feeling good doing it.