“We are just getting started,” wrote Christen Press in an Instagram post dating back to July 22, 2019, while announcing the launch of a new business called Re—INC alongside her former USWNT teammates Megan Rapinoe, Tobin Heath, and Meghan Klingenberg. Today, it has been more than 6 years, and the impact that it continues to create is beyond measure, being more than just a fashion and creative goods brand. But one wonders; what exactly inspired Christen and her fellow colleagues to do the needful?
Three words, actually—Equal pay fight. Yes, the very battle that saw key figures from the WNT go against US Soccer. After a lot of tenacity, a deal was struck, ensuring both the men’s and women’s national teams received equal pay. But what does it have to do with Press launching a brand with her other teammates? Well, that’s exactly what the concept behind launching RE—INC.
Just like all the players showcased themselves as leaders in fighting for a cause, the Angel City star insists similar values are being embodied while launching her company. “I think the inspiration for RE—INC was absolutely our pay equity lawsuit,” began Press while speaking with co-host Sam Mewis on The Women’s Podcast.
“Someone saying to us constantly, ‘Well, the market realities are such that we just can’t pay you. We just can’t, you’re just not worth it.’ And us, as a group having to say, ‘Yes, we are. We are worth it.’ It’s like became a mantra. It inspired me to try to build a structure where things were the way that I know that they can be. That’s what we try to do with RE—INC,” explained the 36-year-old.
It’s not just about creating a set of rules that they think feel like implementing in their organization. Even the smallest factors, including who they hire, what kind of stories they bring to the RE—INC’s podcast segment called, “The RE—CAP show” or even the kind of “intentionality” they try to put in their clothing merchandise—everything plays a role in those factors helps them fulfill the motto of their business.
And that is being a “purpose-led lifestyle brand that champions diversity and inclusion.” It is also a “limitless movement that rallies change-makers to challenge the status quo and fight for social equity.” But mind you, the USWNT leaders never had the intention of raising all of their banners against their own federation; apparently, there’s a key difference to it!
Christen Press differentiates fighting ‘for’ and ‘against’ the cause
The former Manchester United star recalled the time she and her teammates decided to take their protest against US Soccer on the pitch. For those unaware, during their 2020 SheBelieves Cup match against Japan, the USWNT players wore warm-up jerseys inside-out, hiding the U.S. Soccer badge but keeping the four World Cup stars visible. They flipped them back before kickoff and went on to win 3-1, securing the title in Frisco, Texas.
“In particular that game where we came out and we warmed up with our shirts inside out; it’s like, that type of rebellion, it’s not fighting against, it’s fighting for,” emphasized Press. Simply put, consider it a symbolic act for something greater as the forward distinguished between negative resistance and a purposeful movement.
That’s exactly what they plan to do with RE—INC. “That was really the precipice for everything that we’re trying to do at RE—INC and really build an infrastructure that can be a part of the rising tide for all boats,” concluded Christen Press.
Be that as it may, the USWNT’s fight for equal pay is a legacy that stands at the pinnacle among women in their respective sports.
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