WILL LANE Partners with KIND Snacks

WILL LANE had a blast partnering with KIND Snacks for their “Be-In” event at The Beekman NYC in September 2018. The event brought together the best wellness-related fashion, beauty and tech brands for a full day experience that left attendees feeling strong and inspired, inside and out. Guests were treated to KIND’s new protein bar flavors, WILL LANE’s latest collection, and many more products by participating brands.

Guests experienced WILL LANE’s latest collection alongside a mindfulness breathing exercise offered by Shaktibarre, a yoga-barre fitness fusion studio.

Supporting Youth & Fitness

We had the privilege and honor this spring to support two great organizations dedicated to youth and fitness. 

For the second year in a row, WILL LANE participated in the Girls On The Run NYC Sneaker Soiree on April 19th. Empowering the next generation, Girls On The Run helps young girls unleash their confidence and limitless potential through experience-based programs that integrate running. This year's Soiree featured incredible speakers (including co-founder of SoulCycle Julie Rice), inspiring stories, and an amazing spread provided by women-led vendors. WILL LANE auctioned off a number of activewear pieces, with 100% of the funds going towards the organization's initiatives. 

Around the same time, WILL LANE became involved with Derek Jeter's Turn 2 Foundation for the first time. Since its launch in December 1996, the Turn 2 Foundation has created and supported programs and activities that motivate young people to turn away from drugs and alcohol and “Turn 2” healthy lifestyles. From April 18-21, Turn 2 held its Celebrity Invitational in Las Vegas, raising $1 million for its youth programs. WILL LANE similarly auctioned off several activewear outfits, with 100% of the funds going towards the organization and its programs. 

Working with non-profit organizations, specifically those committed to supporting youth through fitness-related programs, remains an important part of WILL LANE's mission. We remain committed to working with these organizations in the near future and beyond. "The dreams we have today are the promises made to the future."

To learn more about these two organizations and how to get involved year-round, please visit:

Girls On The Run International

Derek Jeter's Turn 2 Foundation

Find us at the W Hotel

We're so excited to announce that WILL LANE is now available at the W Hotel in Times Square, the heart of NYC!

Explore and shop our collection at this beautifully curated space. 

1567 Broadway, 7th Floor, NYC

Mon - Wed: 11am - 8pm

Thurs - Sat: 10am - 9pm

Sun: 10am - 6pm

Owning Our Stories: Living Our Unedited Truths

On Tuesday, December 5th, WILL LANE and WOMEN MAKING WAVES co-hosted an evening of open dialogue at WeWork Soho.

“Break The Silence” was a special evening dedicated to breaking social and emotional stigmas by shedding light on the importance of owning and voicing our real stories as women.

With women from all over NYC in attendance, WOMEN MAKING WAVES founder Charlotte Haimes and WILL LANE founder Emily Soong shared their personal stories and discussed how embracing our struggles and fights can build courage and inner strength, in the same way that embracing our triumphs does.By sharing their journeys honestly, they aimed to create solidarity, connection, and an opportunity for women to share their truths (vulnerabilities and all) without judgment. 

“I’d like to challenge us to think about the concept of empowerment & strength in reverse. What if by being empowered, we were being enabled to find strength in honesty, to find strength in vulnerability, to find strength in asking for help, and to find strength and power in authenticity.”

— Emily Soong

“There is so much stigma attached to emotional pain because of the pressure to live our lives according to what’s expected of us. Accepting our struggles is challenging, but it teaches us to be more tolerant, self-accepting, that being imperfect is OK, and that ultimately, our stories may be a part of us, but they don’t define us. Once we’ve understood that, we realize how freeing it is.”

— Charlotte Haimes of Women Making Waves

The talks were followed by small group discussions & mingling with delicious snacks provided by "Allo Maman What's Cooking"!

We'd like to thank everyone who joined us! We loved connecting with you, sharing our real stories, and learning about yours. YOU continue to inspire us each & everyday.  

THE JACKET: An Inside Look

Will Lane Founder Emily Soong sits down with Lisse Grullemans to discuss the latest collaboration.

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LG: This is such a unique piece that’s come out of an amazing partnership. Can you tell us a bit about how the collaboration began?

ES: Of course! It was actually really organic, which feels ‘right.’ It all came from a chance encounter this summer with a woman wearing a classic black satin bomber jacket with "BY WAY OF DALLAS" written on the back. I’ve always loved this style, they’re reminiscent of varsity athletic jackets and baseball bomber jackets for me - both classic American staples. But I also immediately connected with those words “By Way Of.” Turns out, the woman in the jacket worked for the brand and she was all for getting a collaboration going. It felt like kismet!

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LG: So, Will Lane is based in NYC, not Dallas. How did that inform the look and feel of the piece?

ES: Right, totally. The words "By Way Of Dallas" spoke to me because they're a visible and direct acknowledgement of where one comes from. To me, the person wearing the jacket was stating their identity loudly, clearly, and confidently. With any geographic identification, there are always mental & emotional associations with certain places -- this is especially true for NYC.

In my early vision, I knew I wanted to create something with that strong identity. When I specifically think about downtown culture, I think of graffiti and street art. I wanted to make something for the woman who embodies those non-conformist qualities. The collaboration uncovers the raw authenticity of NYC women embodying radical subcultures and differing perspectives. I also wanted to take something that seems classic, throwback, and from another era, and turn it on its head by adding atypical elements.

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LG: Let’s talk about that! There are so many cool things going on on this jacket and I know it was by the hands of many that this came to fruition. Who did you work with?

ES: It's the result of a multi-artist collaboration for sure. The custom WILL LANE "hand style" was created by NYC/London-based artist and illustrator Chris Arundel. His style is so true to NYC. The collaboration process was wonderful - he created a series of hand-drawn styles that ranged in style, color, complexity / intricacy, design, lettering, and size. We went through a few rounds of narrowing down and eventually decided on one design, which is what you see now. I love that it’s reminiscent of  Stussy's branded jackets, but it’s also so US.

The custom sleeve patches were created by Hance Taplin from By Way Of. He had a really cool take on why we chose these iconic images so I’m just going to quote him because he says it so well: "Essentially, NYC is rooted with inspiration. There are so many easily identifiable elements that make up NYC and it's surroundings. I wanted to use easily identifiable elements that people normally recognize and put them in a different context. In this case a jacket."

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Isabel carefully sews the custom patches onto each sleeve.

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LG: Ok, last question but a fun one: ‘By Way Of’ as a phrase is something that so many people can identify with and internalize. What does it mean to you?

ES: Technically speaking, I'm by way of New Jersey (born & raised there), but I also consider myself by way of immigrant parents, who are themselves by way of Taiwan. I'm by way of NYC by having found opportunity here after college. There was nothing more exciting to me than chasing after my dreams in the big city! WILL LANE is by way of New York - born & bred here.

SHOP THE JACKET HERE.

Start Your Day with Some Flow

By Chloe Knight

As someone committed to daily fitness, people often ask how I stick to my workout routine. What keeps me going is starting each day with movement. Being active early in the day, especially in the mornings, helps me feel so much better - physically & mentally - throughout the rest of the day. It's a matter of throwing on my Kali sports bra, Jennifer leggings, and sneakers and then getting outside. 

Whether it’s a twenty minute run around the neighborhood, forty minutes of yoga and core work, or making one of my favorite workout classes in the city, I know that once I'm done sweating, the feeling of accomplishment and the boost of endorphins makes me feel so much more energized, and I’m ready to take on whatever the day brings.

Do whatever feels right to you in the morning! Everyone’s preference is different and every day is different too. Whatever it is, as long as it’s active, just get up and move. There is no better feeling than making progress towards a personal goal, no matter how “big” or “small",  which is an achievement in and of itself. Embracing the process can provide an amazing boost of confidence.
 
I begin my day with the following yoga sequence. Not only is it great for opening your heart and focusing the mind on a positive intention for the day, it also stretches the IT bands and loosens up the hip flexors. Check out the video and sequence below!

What I'm Wearing: Kali Sports Bra and Jennifer Legging

Morning Flow:

15. Slowly roll all the way back up to seated

16. Squeeze knees lifting chest

17. Plant right hand down behind you

18. Lift hips: Rockstar pose

19. Breathe here opening heart setting intention for your day and what you want to focus on while running

20. Wrap left arm up and over around your body/ twisting legs/ walking hands back into a forward fold

21. Release head and neck/ breathe / let everything go: stretch into the IT bands preparing for your run

22. Walk hands forward to plank

23. Chataranga with legs crossed

24. Upward facing dog, uncrossing the legs 

25. Downward facing dog

26. Repeat sequence switching Rockstar to the left side this time

1. Downward facing dog

2.Plank

3. Chataranga

4. Upward & downward facing dog

5. Bend knees look forward hop to your hands

6. Half way lift

7. Forward fold (release/exhale/let everything go)

8. Sweep arms up/sit low: chair pose

9. Breathe: with every exhale sit a little lower

10. Come all the way down to seated

11. Boat pose & crunches

12. Squeeze knees tight into chest

13. Plant feet on ground 

14. Slowly roll all the way down to tips of shoulder blades, engaging the core