Photo: Jennifer Priem Photography
A sports mom creates unique apparel to support local teams.
Ally Kubalak had a problem. As her school-aged sons started getting into sports, the Minnetonka mom and hairstylist found herself on the sidelines, cheering them on while simultaneously scanning the crowds for school gear that she actually wanted to wear. “There were not a ton of options, mainly for us moms,” she says.
Kubalak talked with other sports moms and found that they felt the same—the school merchandise was just not their style. Knowing she wasn’t alone in her search for mom-appealing sports gear, Kubalak took matters into her own hands. “I thought, ‘I love fashion, and I’d like to have a side hustle,’” she says. So, Kubalak bought a heat press, downloaded an app and launched 15.20 Apparel, a custom school apparel shop, designed to give moms the kind of gear that meets their style.
Over the last year, Kubalak has created apparel for more than a dozen high schools in the Twin Cities metro, including Maple Grove Senior High School (MGSH).
Kubalak’s designs are clean and understated. “I’ve always been into that classic preppy look,” she says, noting Ralph Lauren’s look as a strong influence. “Once I settled on a crest emblem, I just played around with that.”
The crest provides the basis for Kubalak to customize her designs for each school or sport. For example, the crest for MGSH features a block M, Providence Academy’s features a lion and Benilde–St. Margaret’s Red Knights includes a medieval knight’s helmet.
Kubalak has added her designs to hats, sweatshirts and sweatpants, T-shirts, tote bags and more. Her most popular pieces are crew neck sweatshirts and quarter-zip tops, but Kubalak’s personal favorites are the button-down shirts with the crest emblem on the breast pocket. “I know what I like to wear, and I’ve just been sticking to that,” she says. “I want it to feel and fit like I want it. I want things to be quality.”
Kubalak’s creations have slowly been amassing a following since launching 15.20 Apparel last May. Her first customers were her friends and some of her clients. “I’ve got a great base to work with,” she says.
Kubalak has also toted her creations to various markets, including local art fairs, but most of her new customers are a result of someone seeing her merchandise at a game and asking about it. “I’ve seen people wearing them at games,” she says. “And it’s so cool to have created this new community. It’s been so much fun.”
As she looks to the future, Kubalak dreams of opening a brick-and-mortar location to showcase her work. “I’d love to get my boys involved and make it a family thing,” she says.
For now, she’s in learning mode—discovering both how to build and run a business and also determining what gaps she can fill with her products. “I’m always looking for pieces that haven’t been done yet,” Kubalak says. So far, so good. “I feel like I found a niche,” she says.
15.20 Apparel
Instagram: @15.20apparel
