MICHELLE Pharand

Making Uniforms Less Uniform

By definition, “uniform” means always having the same form, without variation. Brute Athletic Apparel would like to point out one important variable.

“The reality of the situation is women are not small men,” company president Michelle Pharand says.

a constant in her career, with the position relocating her from Toronto to Singapore to Reading to Pittsburgh and back to Reading.

When the opportunity presented itself to acquire Brute, it was too good to pass up for Pharand, an athlete and avid sports fan.

“Combined with years of manufacturing experience and business management, it was a natural career change,” she says.

The Berks-based maker of athletic gear believes so strongly in that sentiment that it trademarked "women are not small men," part of the marketing push for its Athena line, designed for female athletes with the input of female athletes.

Manufacturing uniforms specifically for women athletes rather than simply making smaller versions of men’s outfits may not seem like rocket science, but it took someone with an aerospace background to make that decision.

The vast majority of Pharand’s professional career was spent working in the specialty steel and aerospace components industry, beginning with Carpenter Technology Corp.’s Toronto Service Center. Change has been

Founded in 1967 as the Henson Group, Brute developed a strong presence in the wrestling community. Although that sport remains a linchpin for the company, Brute has expanded its offerings. One of the first things Pharand did after acquiring the company in 2019 was introduce Athena, its name inspired by a vast pantheon of mythological female warriors.

“In many years of competing, I have long believed that women have had limited choices,” she says. “The industry to this day is heavily dominated by men, and many believe that if you shrink and pink a garment, it automatically makes it a woman’s garment. The Athena line is designed to fit the contour of the woman’s body for all shapes and sizes, and the product line allows the females to choose from options that are either more form- or loose-fitting.”

Brute’s core output is businessto-business uniforms and custom-made gear for a range of sports, including basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, track & field and football. Brute’s standard lead time is 15 business days upon the finalization of art approval and order placement, according to Pharand. The company also produces commercial items, which can be found in select outlets and at bruteproshop.com.

Pharand hopes to build on her successful four-year stint as head of the company by continuing to grow national sales while also growing awareness to Mohnton earlier this year. “Brute produces high-quality uniforms using high-performance fabrics,” she says. “As a result, the feedback we get from the athletes is very positive. It is also not uncommon that teams wearing our uniforms are asked by referees and other coaches where they procured their uniforms in addition to their warm-up gear.”