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BEHIND THE STRIPES

Made for the W

By Atlanta United FC

March 26^th, 2024

When people say don’t go into business with friends, they clearly haven’t met Melani Carter and Simran Kaleka. The pair, known better by their snappy nicknames Mel and Sim, have been in business together for several years. Together, they built their brand Made for the W, a media and lifestyle platform that elevates women’s sports and sneaker culture in parallel.

As co-founders of the platform, the two work closely together. Mel runs brand partnership and business development. Sim serves as general counsel and leads marketing. The Atlanta-based brand has reached a global audience with more than 88,000 followers. To have such a flourishing venture suggests their friendship is made even stronger by their ability to work together.

“There’s this thing of you shouldn't go into business with your friends, but we have a solid friendship,” Mel says. “We can have those conversations. Whether it's hard, whether it's easy, whether we're laughing, crying, whether we're pulling our hair out. We can do that. It just works.”

“I feel like we understand each other's strengths, and we cater to that,” Sim says. “It’s a perfect balance between the chaos and the beauty of creativity. Then, the ability to be able to lock that in. We understand each other's importance and strengths. And it's never to take away. The biggest thing is that we want each other to win. We want Made for the W to win.”

Sometimes when women work together on businesses, it can become a tug-of-war. One woman fights for her own place and her spot, especially in male-dominated industries such as sneakers and sports. But the more you talk to this pair it becomes clear that’s not the case. They’ve learned how to navigate this space together and allow each of their strengths to shine.

For Mel, that’s the creative and production side. Her career began right out of college when she got a job working in production at NBA League Pass at Turner Sports. Although it was a great opportunity, she observed very quickly the challenges that come with working behind-the-scenes in the sports industry.

“It was one of those things where you're just like bright-eyed and so excited to be working in your field, and really learning the ins and outs, but also seeing that there was just a lack of diversity and especially a space for women,” she says.

"It’s up to us to show that it can be done. It teaches the next generation whatever you’re passionate about, you can go at it."

Growing up in Atlanta, on the East side in Lithonia and Decatur, shaped Mel’s views on representation. As a child, she was surrounded by support. Her father pushed her to dream big. When she wanted to draw something, he would buy all the paint, crayons and supplies she needed. Mel’s mother was the first woman who shaped her into who she is today and gave her a woman to model herself after. And living in Atlanta, there were many local Black figures to look up to. She recalls all her teachers were Black and says she’s only known Black mayors. She grew up watching the iconic local news anchors Monica Kauffman and Jovita Moore.

“That’s been the direct correlation of [seeing] myself represented growing up throughout the city. How can we now translate that to help these women feel seen and visible and give them the opportunity as well? To have that representation in a way that it's supposed to be done,” she says.

Her counterpart Sim came to Atlanta via the Midwest. Growing up during the time of the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan, both the sneaker and basketball space had a strong influence on her. The two were synonymous. Sim recalls getting money for her birthday as a child and using it to buy a pair of Jordan sneakers.

Sim was trained as a lawyer, going through law school, a high bar that was exactly what her family expected. However, in pursuing a law career Sim found a part of her unfulfilled: her creative side. And so, she pivoted, an ability she learned from her own mother, who herself was highly educated and got her first master’s degree at the age of 17. Sim followed suit and changed directions, which was a big risk.

“That has been a big influence, not knowing the end game but knowing that it's going to be worth it,” Sim says. “Because it's not necessarily about the end game, it’s about the process and knowing there's so much beauty and knowledge to be found on the path there.”

Sim found her way to Atlanta, making a home in the city she describes as “a warm hug away from home.” She met her future business partner Mel while working at a Pro Am league in Atlanta, where professional and amateur athletes come to play during the summer. What developed from that connection was not just a new creative endeavor but also a beautiful, strong friendship that’s lasted 11 years.

“We found synergy and a mutual interest to make a space for women in sports and sneaker culture,” Sim says. “It's been embedded in us. Made for the W has been organic to who we are already and being able to cultivate something built off our experiences and our knowledge in this space but something that we're really passionate about.”

“We saw a lack of women being in the space and wanted to understand how we connect in more of an authentic way,” Mel says. “We would talk all the time about what are some ways that we can start integrating more women, how can we get more involved in sport through different areas from fashion, whether it was from the culture side, lifestyle side. After having a couple of conversations, we decided that we wanted to start our platform called Made for the W.”

“I always say Atlanta feels like a warm hug away from home.”

Made for the W was the culmination of their conversations. Created for the modern sneakerhead, Made for the W seeks to elevate voices of athletes ranging from grassroots to the professional level of traditional sport. As two professional women, both Mel and Sim saw very clearly there was room for more coverage. When asked what specifically they saw was missing from the marketplace, the answer was simple:

“Man, everything,” Mel says. “When I was working in production, we had no ties to what these women are about, stories weren't being told. There weren't women's divisions from different legacy brands. You would kind of wonder why isn't there attention to detail. Because this is a sub-culture that's happening. I mean, sport is sport. You have women who are playing sports. So why isn't there promotion?”

"People can’t see or pay attention to things that are not available to them."

At the time, the most popular women’s professional league in the country was the WNBA, and it was easy to compare with the men’s league, which receives a lot of national and regional coverage. The NBA was raising the culture, promoting fashion and sneakers. Meanwhile, stories about women playing professionally were not as prevalent. Maya Moore, a local standout athlete at Collins Hill High School in Lawrenceville who went on to win two national championships at the University of Connecticut and four WNBA titles with the Minnesota Lynx, was a woman they wanted to see receive more acclaim and more coverage.

“People don’t understand how good Maya Moore was,” Mel says. “Most of the time, people would go to the girls’ games to stay there so they could watch the boys. We were lining up to go watch her. Collins Hill used to be pretty crazy.”

“Collins Hill was insane,” Sim says. “Her winning at every level, that's even a testament. She's won at every single level and was like, ‘You know what? I want to hang it up and have a family.’ But that story within itself and who she is as a pioneer of women's sport. That is really why we started too. We need these stories to be out and be told.”

"It’s never to take away. The biggest thing is that we want each other to win."

With that, Mel and Sim took matters into their own hands and provided a solution. They sought to put the mic back in the athletes’ hands. They aimed to show athletes in ways they wanted to be seen. The natural tie-in was a passion they both shared and were both comfortable with: sneaker culture.

“It was about how can we find that connection and change the way that people were talking because a lot of times you will hear things like no one really watches women's sports or it doesn't bring in money or branding,” Mel says. “I heard all of that being in production. But it was because a lack of visibility. It was a lack of promotion. People can't see or pay attention to things that’s not available to them.”

“Our following wasn't just about the States,” Sim elaborates. “It’s also about international because a lot of women hoop overseas. A lot of their careers are based there so, and women's sports in general. The WNBA was our main goal at the beginning, but once we've been in it, we realize how vast it goes and how necessary elevation is at every level of women's sports.”

"Atlanta is one of those cities that didn't stray away from what makes it true to itself and what makes this in its own right. More people need to tap in and understand the power of Atlanta."

- Simran Kaleka

Mel and Sim attended the Atlanta United match on March 17 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It was the first time that Atlanta United wore the Resurgens Kit, the club’s new community kit that launched in February. Upon seeing the kit in person, the two stylish women took a liking to it instantly. Sim called the kit “versatile,” and said it can pair with so many different items. With the kit featuring blue and yellow, Mel appreciated the way the club experiments with color and the storytelling behind it.

In the Resurgens Kit debut, Atlanta United went on to defeat Orlando City SC 2-0 in front of an energized and electric stadium.

“There’s such a women presence in the crowd,” Sim observes. “Like all the fans here, it's insane to see. You see kids, women, men, people of all walks of life come together. At the end of the day, if you're tapped into sport in the city, you'll be at a United game for sure.

“Sport is sport, right?” Mel says. “No matter what, getting behind a team, there are a lot of women who are fans of the game. We come fly like crazy, so that's the connection within the city. Sport is sport. If you love it, come and support.”

As their brand flourished, women’s sports have also seen a rise in leagues other than the WNBA. Women’s college basketball, with stars like Caitlin Clark at Iowa and Juju Watkins at USC, are leading to sellout crowds. The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) recently kicked off its 12th season with a landmark media partnership announcement that will increase distribution and visibility.

Mel and Sim have seen a tangible shift in the way that women’s athletes and sports are covered by national outlets. And their own brand has played a part in shining a light and elevating women athletes and apparel.

“We’re definitely at a turning point,” Sim says. “We're definitely at that place where the tides are turning. It’s going to become ultimately – well, we knew all along – but what the women deserve in this space. Growing up, we were intrigued by the greats. But to the level of the investment that there is now the viewership, the following, it’s crazy. It’s amazing to see, but for us it’s not surprising. It's just a matter of timing.”

“When you have this young generation, Angel Reese, Flau’jae Johnson, JuJu Watkins is going crazy at USC right now,” Mel echoes. “I think that this is the tie-in. Honestly, it's welcome. We knew what was going to happen. We saw it. It just had to literally be spoon-fed to people. So that's more putting them on a national broadcast, showing them everywhere, putting then in ads, things like that.”

"Atlanta United season is always one of the best seasons in Atlanta."

For the next generation of women, influencers, brand builders and athletes, the pair have encouraging words. Mel wants to see the next generation going for it. She encourages young women to break free of society’s expectations and get to know themselves fully to find their passions. For Sim, she wants young women to learn how to listen to their own needs.

“I would say before you try to figure out what to tell the world or what to tell society, listen to what it is that you need at a personal level and then tap into whatever that is that moves you every day,” Sim says. “Build it, protect it and know that as long as you're moving in something that is aligned and organic and true to you, that's worth living for, that's worth commemorating. It doesn't have to be always groundbreaking. It doesn't always have to be game changing because it is just by existing. It just is by thriving and seeing it through.

“Everything is not easy,” Mel says. ‘It's not going to be handed to you. That's something we had to go through and understand that there are growing pains. I really want them to go for it. Whatever it is they feel, not what people are telling them that they should do. Because I think about the time that we could have created Made for the W so long ago, but because we were trying to follow these steps of you go get your dream job, whatever that is supposed to be, and you work through that. But again, it wasn't fulfilling creatively. So just following your passion and really going for what you want to do.”

"There’s a beauty about the city because it exemplifies culture."

As they see the growth of women’s sports, the pair are also enjoying the moment for the city. Mel and Sim take pride in their company being an Atlanta-made brand. Sim says it makes it feel even more organic and true to the roots of the city.

“There's a beauty about the city because it exemplifies culture, whether we're talking about sports, we're talking about music, we’re talking about sneakers, like Atlanta is one of those cities that didn't stray away from what makes it true to itself and what makes this in its own right and why more people need to tap in and understand the power of Atlanta.”

“From not being from here and me being able to experience that and feel that, it speaks the testament of the city,” she continues. “Because being born and raised, you have that appreciation, and you grew up in it. But there's so many people who come here who understand the power of what Atlanta exemplifies day in and day out. It really is a hub, a one-stop shop when it comes to the intersectionality of all three worlds of overall culture but music, sports and sneakers. I think Atlanta is it.”