BOSTON — Kelly Brabants is the founder and CEO of Booty by Brabants, an insanely popular leggings company based in Massachusetts. The company has sold hundreds of thousands of leggings around the world, and Brabants has regularly led very popular fitness classes in front of large gatherings around Boston.
The large gatherings were wiped out by the social shutdown, and while that caused concern, Brabants was also worried about her company’s business, and how to keep that going.
“Pretty much my entire family now works full-time for Booty by Brabants," said Brabants. "I’m so fortunate to have their support, as well as I have 15 other employees who depend on a paycheck.”
Making sure to accommodate the social distancing and safety measures instituted by Governor Baker, Brabants was able to safely operate the mail-order business. When that was settled, next came figuring out how to teach a class.
Kelly went to Instagram, where she has more than 60,000 followers.
“I did one workout in my living room, and the response was just so amazing,” said Brabants.
People tuned in by the thousands, and that’s when philanthropy came into play. Brabants encouraged her followers to donate to charities in need during the COVID-19 crisis.
“I didn’t want to take money for the classes," said Brabants. "I just wanted to find a way to donate. Right away, the Greater Boston Food Bank jumped in my head. They’re just doing such amazing things.”
So far, her followers have donated more than $6,700 to the Greater Boston Food Bank, and another $3,700 for Brigham and Women’s COVID-19 Relief Fund.
“We really are in this together. It’s so much more than just a class; it’s so much more than just a pair of leggings," said Brabants. "It’s a community of strong, powerful women coming together and making a difference. It’s really important that we all give back. It feels really good too.”
If you want to get involved, follow @bootybybrabants on Instagram.
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