Outdoor Voices Faces Yet Another Copycat Situation

Editor's Note: On Sunday evening, it was brought to our attention that Bandier was facing backlash surrounding its new in-house activewear brand, We Over Me. Commenters and Outdoor Voices loyalists took to the retailer's Instagram — and defense — to suggest that its recently launched label shows suspicious similarities to OV pieces.

After connecting with Outdoor Voices founder Tyler Haney, she offered Refinery29 the following statement: "I’ve seen similar product to ours pop up a number of times and chose to stay focused and not engage. [But,] I received an overwhelming number of messages about the We Over Me collection over the weekend and felt compelled to address it directly. We built OV as an inclusive, positive brand to encourage people to start Doing Things. When other companies imitate our product, it undermines the creativity that goes into designing it, but more important, our mission; we're building something much bigger than ourselves, and we're proud of it."

Despite side-by-side product comparisons, Neil Boyarsky, Bandier’s cofounder and CEO, is quick to refute the claim. "Ty Haney has built an amazing business and we admire and respect her, from one female founded business to another," he tells R29. "Colorblocking is a trend. However, We Over Me as a brand has completely unique fabric, fit, and construction. Our intention was to create something unique in the marketplace and we are confident that we executed on that."

Repeated situations like these bring up the question of what actually constitutes a copycat product, but such a blurred line isn't okay. Here at Refinery29, we work with both Bandier and Outdoor Voices consistently, and we are committed to supporting original, female-founded businesses. We will continue to promote brands we believe are exciting and innovative, and will continue to question those contributing to the increasingly prevalent knock-off culture.

Every athleisure lover who lives in leggings can easily rattle off a few of their favorite brands on the fly: Outdoor Voices, Live the Process, and Ivy Park are ones sure to be on any list when it comes to dressing for the gym (or just for, well, life). Despite the fact that we're already well-stocked with the classics, there's always a new one that will pop up and makes us want to spend our paycheck on crop tops and colorblock leggings, even though our drawers are already overflowing with spandex. The latest new brand to catch our eye? We Over Me, the first-ever private label from fashion-y athleticwear powerhouse Bandier.

Available today exclusively on Net-A-Porter and Bandier.com, We Over Me has everything we look for in a workout line: Supersoft fabrics, on-point color palettes, flattering cuts that aren't just your usual racerback, and high-waisted leggings, obviously. Most pieces fall under $100, which might still seem like a pretty penny to spend on workout clothes, but there's nothing wrong with treating yourself when it comes to wellness — and we all know that great athletic wear is the best motivation to get moving.

Click ahead to shop this fresh, sure-to-be-popular drop before all your gym buddies beat you to the punch.