Wild Rye and Smith are two companies that share a lot of history. Both of our companies were born in Sun Valley, Idaho. Strengthened by our shared communities and love for the outdoors, this collaboration is more than a partnership – it’s a celebration of those forging their own path. We sat down with Cassie Abel, founder and CEO of Wild Rye to talk a little bit about what inspired this collection and how nearly a decade of history lined up to make this partnership happen.
SMITH: Can you tell us a little about how you got into cycling?
CA: I was never really a competitive cyclist. I, re-found my love of cycling in San Francisco. I got a road bike and rode through the Marin Headlands a ton. It was sort of a solo activity at the time. When I moved back to Sun Valley to work for Smith my first purchase moving to the mountains was a mountain bike, I didn’t really have many friends, so I went off with myself and a can of bear spray. However, I found more and more community through mountain biking. It became a way to get outside, spend time with friends, see new places, and a good excuse to eat more snacks.
SMITH: You and Smith go way back, can you tell us a little about that connection?
CA: Having grown up in Sun Valley, Smith has always been a part of my life. The headquarters for Smith was here for 50 years. I actually wrote my senior thesis in college, in part on Smith, and I ended up landing my dream job at Smith here in Sun Valley, Idaho in about 2012. Spending time in-house at Smith taught me that there are different ways of doing things and that I could buck the trends in the industry. And that led to the confidence to bring women a better option when it came to their outdoor apparel.
SMITH: What inspired the designs featured in this collaboration?
CA: The theme of this collection is roots. The idea came on a really magical bike ride with our brand manager. Our designer took inspiration from the cross-section of roots and the abstract nature of those roots and brought it to life in different versions, scales, and color stories. Smith and Wild Rye spread their roots, growing here in Sun Valley.
SMITH: The design features on our new Forefront 3 helmet which you have a special connection to.
CA: I actually helped launch the first Forefront helmet. When I was in-house at Smith, I helped launch the very first mountain bike helmet. Smith’s first cycling helmet, period. I’m really excited to be launching this collection with the Forefront 3 with Wild Rye prints on it.
Explore the full collection here.