International Women’s Day at ACAI
ACAI’s vision is “To create a community of
women owning their space in the outdoors”. We’re a female-founded business of women making outdoorwear for women.
We live and breathe the mission of International Women’s Day (IWD) every single day; caring about equality and making a positive difference.
This year’s theme for IWD on 8 March 2025 is Accelerate Action, which seeks to speed up progress and create more “urgency
in addressing the systemic barriers and biases that women face”.
Here is a look at how ACAI was, and is, playing its part to Accelerate Action…
Breaking down barriers to the outdoors
Kasia Bromley founded ACAI in a bid to do exactly that… to break down barriers which prevented women from getting into the outdoors.
“Unable to find outdoorwear that was either tailored to my feminine shape or stylish, I would head out into the Scottish Highlands for a hike wearing a cool t-shirt and a pair of leggings,” remembers Kasia.
“But I felt the eyes of male hikers looking at me with ridicule, like I wasn’t taking the outdoors seriously enough, and that I wasn’t dressed appropriately for the conditions or for the environment.
“So I had this 'f**k you' moment… I was determined to be the change-maker in this space.”
Alongside her co-founder and husband Joe Bromley, Kasia set about building a brand to support women in the outdoors.
ACAI was born from a vision of creating an adventure wardrobe for women, with features required to be fit for purpose in
the outdoors.
“Inclusivity has, and always will be, an ACAI hallmark,” says Kasia. “Our sizing reflects the diversity of women’s shapes, giving the wearer confidence through superior fit.”
Making the outdoors accessible to women
“The outdoors should be accessible; a place where women feel free, safe and confident,” says Kasia.
At ACAI, we know that making the outdoors accessible to women goes beyond giving them a wardrobe to support their adventures.
Our community tells us that safety and confidence are top concerns for them too. That’s why we launched our Outdoorsing Club to offer free, expert-led adventures in the company of like-minded women.
From free SUP skills, to how to plan a hiking route, our Outdoorsing Club participants are empowered to spend time in the outdoors
through education, support and community.
Inspiring a love for the outdoors
At ACAI we want to empower women to get into the outdoors, and to make it accessible for them. And we also want to inspire women to have a love for the outdoors.
Research shows that gender expectations teach girls that the outdoors is scary and should be avoided.*
But we know that there are a great many benefits to getting outdoors for women, and that it supports their mental wellbeing and physical health.
So through our content, the blogs we post, the social media posts we create; we want to inspire women to have their own adventures, confidently claiming their space in the outdoors.
Follow our Instagram for IWD updates and the inspiring ways we’re Accelerating Action.
* Evans, Walters and Anderson. The Case for Evidence-Based Outdoor Recreation Interventions for Girls: Helping Girls “Find Their Voice” in the Outdoors, 2020.
