Nicol Akins - Designer
Nicol Akins is a wife and mother of two. Yet, despite her marathon schedule she has never thrown in the towel for her passion for running or anything athletic. It is that passion in combination with 11 years in the fashion industry that has motivated her to create DiRTY ReD “Athletic Wear for Women”.
Nicol’s love for design began at the age of 8. Nicol would watch and learn from her mother who loved to design and sew. By the time Nicol was 15, she was designing and hand painting t-shirts for family and friends. Soon, her Missouri hometown state fairs became a playing field for her to sell products to the public.
As if that was not enough, to satisfy her competitive hunger, Nicol began to participate in high school cheerleading and sports. But it was her love of running that would capture her heart and a 4 year scholarship to the University of Missouri- Columbia. It was there that she would become an 8 time “All Big 8 Runner” and graduate with a degree in apparel Manufacturing and Design.
Nicol’s collegiate track career fueled her love for running and soon Nicol completed 2 marathons and countless 5K and 10K runs. Her early design work set the pace for her professional career in the fashion industry.
DiRTY ReD is a brand where function, fashion and fit team up to create a great athletic product for women just like Nicol who are “on the go” with no intent of slowing down! Nicol believes that life is THE ultra marathon and no matter how you approach it, your
clothes should be able to “hang” no matter what!
Nicol currently stores her running sneakers, husband and two beautiful daughters in San Diego, California!