Off the Boards: Redefining Hockey Fashion and Community

By Holly Arend

Hockey has long been rooted in tradition, but Off the Boards is proving there’s room for innovation—especially when it comes to fashion. Founded by Olivia Martone and Lexi Molaro, the brand blends hockey culture with modern streetwear, offering fans and athletes a new way to express their passion for the game. Through bold designs, strategic collaborations, and a strong sense of community, Off the Boards is carving out its place in the sports fashion industry.

Off the Boards aims to make hockey more fashionable. How do you envision the evolution of hockey culture as it intersects with broader fashion trends?

I think, as we’ve seen with other sports, mainly the NFL and NBA, many of the athletes strive to make fashion statements when deciding on game day outfits. The NHL athletes have mainly stuck to the traditional suits. I think that going forward, we’re going to see fashion infiltrate the NHL like it has in those other professional sports. We’d love to be the first stepping stone for NHL athletes and fans to embrace more fashion trends.

What has been the most impactful feedback you’ve received from fans about your designs, and how has it influenced your product development?

Our first critics were actually the guys on the team we do media for. We brought printouts of our designs to practice and asked for honest opinions and critiques. Being that we are two women, we wanted opinions from the male demographic as well. Our brand aims to be gender-fluid, so it was very important to us to get honest male opinions as well. They were not shy with their feedback, and we were very grateful for that. We were told that some of our first designs were “cheesy” or that they would never wear them. This definitely influenced our design process going forward, and even now ,we sometimes bring designs into practice for additional opinions. 

Collaboration seems vital in sports. Are there any athletes or influencers you dream of working with to elevate Off the Boards?

We’re both big fans of Tate Mcrae, and being that she’s had such an impact on the hockey world, I think she would be the dream. Her style is truly so inspiring how she mixes sporty pieces with high fashion, which is what we strive to create through our clothes.

How do you balance your passion for hockey with the challenges of running a business, especially in a competitive market?

This year, I (Liv) got my first job with an NHL organization, and Lexi has a job as well. We still do media with a D1 program and pursue OTB, so our weeks are certainly busy, and it takes a lot of time management. Hockey is not a 9-5 and neither is running your own business, so I think we are used to not having a conventional schedule. We put all our extra time into fulfilling orders and building the brand. 

As a female-led brand, how do you see your role in empowering other women in sports and entrepreneurship?

Within recent years, we’ve really started to see a lot of women making their mark in the sports industry in the most innovative ways. This past year, people have reached out to us on Instagram, email, LinkedIn, etc., asking to work for us or asking how we got started in sports, and that is just surreal. Just under two years ago, I was the one reaching out to get started, and now the fact that people trust us to give them guidance in how to get their career started is a feeling unlike any other. I hope other women can see what we’ve done so far in so little time and be inspired to follow their dreams even if they seem far-fetched. 

What unique challenges have you faced as young entrepreneurs in the hockey merchandise industry, and how have you overcome them?

Not that this would be considered a unique challenge, but we recently came across a thread of people on the internet who had negative things to say about how our pieces looked despite not owning a piece of our clothing. Obviously this can be initially upsetting because we invested our own money into the production, and every piece is made by us personally. We press every hoodie, sew every tag, and put so much thought into where we source the products. We can honestly say with confidence that we have NEVER had a customer reach out to us unhappy with the quality of the product they purchased so that alone is enough to let the negative comments 

Can you share a moment when you felt a strong connection with the hockey community through your brand?

I think the fact that probably 98% percent of our customers are people we don’t know personally makes us feel most connected to the hockey community. Being tagged in videos of people wearing one of our pieces to the first day of their hockey internship, or being at work at a college or NHL game and looking in the crowds and seeing people wearing our merch is the most insane thing to us. Our clothing is with people as they make their own memories and milestones in hockey and I think that alone makes the work we do worth it. 

How did the idea for Off The Boards initially come about, and what inspired the transition from a joke to a serious business venture?

After meeting and doing socials for the LIU Men’s hockey team, we were working at the rink one-night doing an inventory of the team merchandise and both agreed we could design cuter things. In college ,Liv majored in Business and Lexi majored in Fashion Merchandising and from a young age we both dreamed of owning our own clothing business. We decided that now would be the best time to actually try pursuing this considering we both don’t have full-time jobs yet and you’re only this young once so now is the time to try everything. 

You launched in May 2024—how did you build traction for the brand on social media leading up to that launch?

Before we even launched, we built a pretty good community on TikTok. We started by teasing some of our designs. We also gave some insights about what kind of brand we are and began introducing our personalities on TikTok as well because we want Off the Boards to be OUR brand, not just another random company with no faces attached to it.

What was the initial feedback from friends and teams when you first showed them your designs? How did their input shape the final product?

We owe everything to our friends and family. Without their ongoing support, Off the Boards would have never even started, let alone be where it is today. From day one, we’ve always shown them our designs and business plans and have always gotten honest feedback, which we consider highly and grow from. 

How has the hockey community, including players, women in sports, and even partners of athletes, supported you in building Off The Boards?

Off the Boards has been a tremendous way to network throughout the hockey community in ways we didn’t think possible. We developed a strategy of targeting athletes that would be willing to promote our brand, which spiraled into a huge growth in our following. It is interesting because, based on who is purchasing our product,s we find Instagram has primarily attracted our male customers while TikTok has a different approach. We keep up with current trends through our clothes which often draw in female consumers. We try to make fun designs that reference pop culture/the hockey world that still fit into our minimalist styles. It was through TikTok that we were able to build a strong base of female customers.

You mentioned receiving support from the University of Michigan and Shane Pinto—how important has their backing been, and in what ways have they contributed to your journey?

We are extremely grateful for the acceptance from them because they really opened us up to the hockey community. They knew nothing about us or our brand but decided to take a chance on us anyway. Every time one of them posts a piece of our merchandise, it exposes us to more people and expands our community even more. 

What barriers do you think exist between fans and athletes, and how does Off The Boards aim to break these down through storytelling and community engagement?

Something I really love about our brand is how so many people we’ve talked to feel so connected to it. It really is a brand for the people, no matter who you are. Every time a fan or an athlete posts our merchandise, they are now a part of our journey. Every person who posts in OTB opens up the brand to even more people, whether they have a lot of followers or not. Both fans and athletes are integral parts of our story. We want to make pieces that are accessible to everyone. 

As Off the Boards continues to grow, its impact reaches beyond clothing—it’s about shifting the culture of hockey itself. By bridging the gap between athletes and fans through fashion, storytelling, and engagement, Liv and Lexi are building more than a brand; they’re shaping a movement.