The Mondetta Charity Foundation was pleasantly surprised, humbled and honoured to receive over $260000 from former CBC News reporter, Louise Charette, who sadly passed away last summer following a courageous battle with leukemia.

The bequeathal, which was completely unexpected though no less appreciated, will allow the foundation to embark upon its ambitious goal of building a new wing at the KCC Primary School Kamwokya in Kampala, Uganda to provide much needed extra classroom space required to accommodate an ever expanding student body.

Overcrowded classroom at Kamwokya School.

It is the foundation’s ardent hope that the funds Louise pledged to our cause will both do some good to children in need as well as honour her memory.

MPG is thrilled and delighted to welcome Amanda Parsons to the team as our Southeast US sales representative to allow the brand to further grow its presence in the area and reach a whole new breadth of customers that, it’s hoped, will wholeheartedly embrace the MPG ethos of fashion forward performance apparel.

Newest sales team member, Amanda, with MPG National Sales Director, Melissa.

Before joining MPG, Amanda had been working as a multiple brand rep in the running and outdoor specialty market working with stand alone boutiques, chain stores and big box retailers. She enjoys the travel that is an integral aspect of her work along with forging, developing and cultivating robust relationships with retailers.

Amanda is also a trained and certified healthcare and nutrition professional, was previously a competitive and collegiate soccer and tennis player during her academic years and currently enjoys cycling and running as her chosen methods to keep fit and healthy. Given her fitness and sporting background and her interest in fashion, Amanda is an ideal candidate to join the MPG team by embodying the brand’s philosophy of ‘My Performance, My Lifestyle.’

A lifelong Florida resident, she currently resides in Auburndale, FL, and can be reached at amanda.parsons@mpgsport.com for anyone in the Southeast US region hoping to learn more about MPG.

We’re exceedingly excited to announce the appearance of Kelli Segars in our MPG Spring 2013 Editorial Campaign after she won our inaugural Facebook-based Messenger Search Contest. We briefly mentioned her victory back in February immediately after the contest drew to a close and are now back to provide a proper introduction to the newest addition to our Messenger team.

Along with her husband, Daniel, Kelli is owner, operator and online personal trainer at FitnessBlender.com, an online health and fitness resource aimed at providing a wealth of information on exercise, active living and of course, a treasure trove of free instructional work out videos that can be completed at home, in a hotel room while traveling or anywhere one might have internet access but not necessarily a gym.

Before establishing Fitness Blender, Kelli worked as an education counsellor/advisor for at-risk youth in a maximum security juvenile detention centre where she helped the kids there return to school/society after running afoul of the law by helping with resumé creation, job searches, complete the GED and helped facilitate the necessary steps to graduate and in so doing, turn their lives around. Acting as a mediator between the kids and their teachers, principals, guidance counsellors and, in some cases, their parents, Kelli was able to find joy working at what others might deem a difficult job by forming connections with the kids, who may have been facing adverse circumstances in their own lives, and helping them to make more positive choices.

Having grown up with parents who were avidly health conscious and encouraged their kids to get outside and play over sedentary hours spent watching TV or playing video games, Kelli has always been active especially when pursuing her first sporting love: volleyball. And although she’s always described herself as active, in the decade since graduating high school she has further developed and cultivated a healthy relationship with her body by taking care to eat healthy and create strength by not depriving herself calories, eschewing what appears on a scale and not engaging in exercise/workouts as punishment but rather as a way of life. The results, she believes, have had a profoundly positive and empowering impact on her life.

While working out at her local gym, Kelli met her husband and Fitness Blender partner, Daniel. Their union has been one of shared values, philosophies and goals from the beginning of the relationship that led to their creating FitnessBlender a mere two years after getting married. Together, they’ve forged a shared approach to fitness that espouses there is no one style of exercise that is absolutely perfect and to achieve optimum levels of performance one needs to train in a combination of styles to attain strength, endurance, balance and flexibility, which will ultimately result in allowing one to move throughout life with ease and confidence, able to meet any physical challenge.

We feel really passionate about encouraging people to foster a healthy relationship with their bodies, urging them to put less focus on appearance & bodyweight and to lean more towards true health; we want to encourage people to appreciate their bodies, to nourish and strengthen their bodies.
-Kelli & Daniel Segars

Kelli and Daniel transforming their garage into the Fitness Blender studio.

Their message has clearly struck a chord as evidenced by their ever-expanding audience that has grown to a large community of followers all adhering to the ‘FitnessBlender Way.’ By watching the videos, printing out workouts, receiving tips via helpful articles and also availing themselves to the trove of recipes found on the website, their followers have found that Fitness Blender truly has become a one-stop hub for every resource imaginable to getting fit and living healthy. The fact that Kelli and Daniel have embarked upon their project without hope for glory, fame or fortune but rather to share their passion of what they have learned in the last 10 years as health and fitness professionals makes Kelli’s appearance as an MPG Messenger a perfect fit, a melding of philosophies, and everyone here on the MPG team is thrilled to welcome her as our first fan-voted Messenger.

Click here to see all of Kelli’s images and here for her video!

Screen shot of a typical Fitness Blender Workout Video.

Specific exercise videos, classified by target areas, found on Fitness Blender.

Articles on fitness matters found on FitnessBlender.com.

During our appearance at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in January of this year, we had the opportunity to meet and ultimately form a retail partnership with Ferrall Dietrich who, at that time, was in the midst of preparations to open an activewear boutique in Washington, DC. We’re delighted to announce that her store, Core 72, has recently opened to cater to the area’s active yet fashion conscious female clientele and will feature MPG!

The name, Core72, is a combination of the word ‘core,’ which evokes strength and power and 1972 is the year Title Nine legislation was signed into law in the US, creating equality between men and women in athletics. The essence of Core72 is strong, powerful, active and athletic women.

Core 72′s carefully curated and edited collections feature a wide range of apparel and accessory brands from the activewear market segment to include products especially well-suited for running, cycling, yoga/pilates, travel and lifestyle with a seasonal focus on stand-up paddling, swimming and/or skiing.

After learning Ferrall’s boutique would be located in a thriving urban setting amdist galleries, chic restaurants and fitness studios and also hearing her typical customer would be sophisticated and accustomed to high street shopping, we were able to tell a story using MPG merchandising that would reflect the feel and aesthetic that Core 72 would embody. We agreed that in order for her to stand out as a go-to retail destination we would mix groups and introduce tonal colors, texture and multi-purpose applications into each group, thereby providing the same service and selection as any high end designer boutique.
- Kathleen O’Connor, MPG West Coast Sales Representative

The principal philosophy behind Core 72 is one that we here at MPG wholeheartedly endorse and intrinsically share:

At Core72, we are passionate about the outdoors and the unstructured opportunities it affords us as women. We believe that the more often we step outside of our comfort zone, the stronger we become, the better we feel about ourselves and the more we empower those around us to do the same. We believe in tackling the unknown head-on and taking those risks that ultimately prove so rewarding, so fulfilling and that make life complete.

The individual behind Core 72, Ferrall Dietrich, is an avid sportswoman with a wide breadth of experience in hundreds of off-road races – from multi-day adventure races to ultra marathons to equestrian endurance rides. She spent months camping and trekking throughout Asia and the Himalayas with her husband Mike, and most recently racked up a total of 30,000 miles on the road, camping with her boys and dogs across the United States over three summers.

Drawing much of her inspiration and joie de vivre from the outdoors, and the exploration thereof, Ferrall can often be found on daily runs through the woods or on a 2-month camping trek, all of which she credits to keeping her young by allowing a reprieve from the day-to-day chaos of modern living.

Core 72 is the realization of her longtime dream of melding the serenity of the mountains with the energy of ‘urban playgrounds’ to create a local intimate retail environment that caters exclusively to urban women and their active lifestyles.

MPG is exactly the kind of company I hoped to bring to Washington D.C. when I dreamed of opening Core72 years ago — functional and technical activewear, founded on the premise that as women we can be athletic and strong yet be stylish and look amazing at the same time. I love MPG’s uniqueness, color palettes, edginess and willingness to push our boundaries a bit. And based on the reaction we have had so far, I think DC women are really ready for this incredible Canadian company.
- Ferrall Dietrich

MPG is proud to call Core 72 a retail partner and looks forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship.

During our MPG Messenger Search that took place on Facebook from December to the beginning of February, we were provided a fantastic opportunity to come into contact with a wide variety of individuals from a diverse array of athletic pursuits, all hoping to represent our brand in our Spring 2013 editorial campaign. The outpouring of enthusiasm was overwhelming and we were honoured by the response.

Unfortunately, there could ultimately only be one winner: Kelli Segars from FitnessBlender.com, who will soon be making her editorial premiere in the coming weeks. Our runner-up, however, has such an interesting story, we felt compelled to share:

Ryan Hamilton, from Beverly, Massachusetts, is an Iraq war veteran who discovered his love for fitness and muscle training whilst on tour in the Middle East and was prompted to enter the contest believing he represented both healthy living and in a larger, patriotic sense, America.

Ryan with his 110th MP Company, 759th MP Battalion – 1st squad 2nd platoon.

Ryan initially joined the army upon completing high school deciding academics were not for him but also intrigued by the concept of serving his country by becoming a part of Operation: Iraqi Freedom, though he concedes he was inspired by his younger brother’s decision to serve, as well. Both served as Military Policemen, coincidentally, in the same part of Baghdad and have both since been honourably discharged.
Embarking upon training for 21 weeks in Missouri followed by another 6 months in Colorado, Ryan was eventually deployed for a 15 month tour with the 110th MP Battalion, which was attached to the 10th Mountain Decision out of Fort Drum, New York.

Despite some decidedly harrowing experiences, Ryan recalls his experiences overseas fondly. Initially, acclimation to the heat proved challenging and required consuming massive amounts of water to stave off dehydration and of course, there was the requisite culture shock that comes with living anywhere new but the Iraqi people, he told us, were congenial and always friendly despite the strife that was taking place in their backyard. He was especially touched by their hospitality and generosity, specifically their willingness to share their last morsel of food.
Living in a warzone, however, meant Ryan was forced to endure rocket and mortar attacks on a weekly basis in Baghdad with the assaults doubled during his deployment in Ad Diwaniyah, located on the main rail corridor between Baghdad and Basra, for the last seven months of his tour. Small arms fire was also consistent nearly everywhere he was on patrol in addition to having to avoid ‘black’ roads that were classified as such due to the 95%+ chance one would take fire or encounter a roadside IED (improvised explosive device).

Ryan, pictured here first row, far right.

Being away from his family, in distressing circumstances, made homesickness an especially difficult challenge to overcome, especially during his grandmother’s illness. However, remaining on task and taking solace in his fellow soldiers provided Ryan the strength to stay focused and not let the distance between himself and his loved ones become a disability.

Participating in the Iraq war has drastically ‘opened his eyes,’ Ryan tells us, by illustrating how much he has to be thankful for and the security/safety many in the West perhaps might take for granted. Over there as a solider first, Ryan also acted as a goodwill ambassador at times by interacting with locals, distributing candy and soccer balls to children and training Iraqi police forces. Forming close bonds with the interpreters who were by their side at all times, Ryan was also able to learn about the intricacies and beauty found in Iraqi culture that is never shown on the nightly news.

Hanging with some children.

Ryan, pictured here at right, with a fellow solider and a member of the Iraqi forces.

Ryan admits returning to civilian life back in the States was an adjustment: Bereft of the security knowing his comrades were close by or the weapon he was never without left Ryan afraid of American life but with the help of family, friends and US veteran services, he was able to come down from ‘war mode’ to get back to normal life. No longer was danger a constant threat nor was every person he encountered a potential enemy.

Training whilst deployed.

A large part of that readjustment process has been Ryan’s continued adherence to training and concentrating on an active, healthy lifestyle. Having sworn off alcohol and maintaing a stringent routine provides Ryan a regimented lifestyle that, in part, echoes his experience in the army. Thankful to his trainer, powerlifting and bodybuilding champion and owner of Gym Warriors, a local gym in Peabody, MA, Pauly Desimone, Ryan is committed to his exercise and is on his way to earn his pro card.

Although he was unable to emerge triumphant in our Messenger Search, we are honoured to have had a war vet enter our contest and be willing to share his values with us. All of us here on the MPG Team wish Ryan the best of luck in his future endeavours and look forward to hearing back as he continues his fitness journey.

Check out his pics from the Messenger Search Contest below:

                  

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We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our much-anticipated Spring 2013 Collection that simultaneously hews to the trends we’ve been cultivating but also manages to delve into previously unexplored product categories, fabrications and print stories to culminate in a line of apparel that further adheres to MPG’s ‘My Performance, My Lifestyle’ approach to activewear.

Women’s Spring 2013

Seamless

While others continue to create seamless garments that are exclusively tight and form-fitting, we’ve gone in a different direction by including ruching at key points to add contour and provide concealment. The resulting product capsule features fluid silhouettes in fabrics with a luxurious softer hand feel.
The relaxed pieces, skewing towards lifestyle, deliver versatile layering options with or without a bra top and are perfect both during a workout or after.

Prints

Our python print story continues this season but has been limited to bottoms only, including our perennial best-seller, Avert. Spring 2013 will see the introduction of our geometric-patterened, chevron pique print which will imbue the collection with visually arresting textures in sheer, lightweight fabrics for tops and bottoms.

 

Organic Cotton

The exploration of organic cotton fabrication has resulted in a capsule of garments with a decidedly relaxed, lifestyle flavour. Soft drape and looser silhouettes have been combined with playful details such as cut-out shoulders and an oversized cowl neck for tops while our bottom, the Balance, has been executed in a wide leg flare.

Accents

Another exciting development we’re proud to announce is the inclusion of lace accents and panels on both active tops and outerwear, reflecting prevalent trends from the runways of fashion hubs around the globe. An extension of the captivating texture/fabric treatment story is the appearance of power mesh that is sheer yet remains highly functional.

Outerwear

Lastly, outerwear has been given an edgier, increased chic upgrade across the board with treatments such as waxed fabrications and ruching in striking silhouettes to continue MPG’s tradition of creating exceptionally stylish jackets for the inclement weather of the season.

Men’s Spring 2013

MPG’s men’s collection, skewed much more heavily to performance than the women’s, features the introduction of the aforementioned organic cotton fabrication to update the fleece segment, delves into antibacterial features, celebrates colour blocking and manages to push the envelope when it comes to breathing a fashion forward edge to the traditionally performance-inclined men’s line with slim pants and an active blazer.

Active

Tops in our Active capsule have been constructed in an antibacterial mini-stripe while the traditionally staid colour palette has been amplified with hues such as orange, wasabi and atomic blue to add an extra bit of pop.

Organic Cotton

Similar to the women’s organic cotton capsule, the men’s segment in the same fabrication offers cozy pieces perfect for post-workout cover-up, outdoor activity during cooler temperatures and relaxed lifestyle pieces well-suited for casual lounging.

Colour Blocking

Color blocking for men, this season, relies heavily on contrast panels that are both ergonomically flattering on some styles whilst strikingly fashion-forward in asymmetric permutations on others. Especially exciting is our Mondrian-esque style, Frame.

Standouts

The men’s Spring 2013 Collection, lastly, features some truly remarkable garments that elevate the men’s collection to an even higher echelon of fashion forward thinking. Our Imbue marks a long-awaited return to polo shirts, the Escape pant fuses casual pant construction to an activewear application and our ripstop blazer, Refine, featuring a snap-out vest, combines menswear tailoring with utilitarian functionality.

Accessories

The expanding MPG accessories product category continues to extend the brand’s ‘My Performance, My Lifestyle’ philosophy that aims to bridge the gap between active and casual. From yoga mats, fitness balls and headbands/hair ties in Fall 2012, Spring 2013 will witness the introduction of new items such as a braided headband, sash hip bag ideally suited for carrying keys, lip balm, cash or an mp3 player, a highly stylized and striking water bottle and a geo printed snap scarf that can be worn both casually with jeans and a blazer or during a jog in especially chilly climes.

Other developments include new pieces to the rapidly evolving bag segment. For an upscale, urban and sophisticated look, MPG offers its Black Series bag that features yoga mat and water bottle holders, waterproof zippers and a handy compartment to store a laptop. The Expanding Tote is an update of the resoundingly successful Slouch Tote from Fall 2012 that, as one might expect, offers even more storage in a compressible and compact tote.

MPG’s adherence to advocating the ‘My Performance, My Lifestyle’ sustains its ardent belief that both garments and accessories can be utilized in a wide variety of settings and applications.

We’re thrilled to announce the winner of our inaugural MPG Messenger Search Contest is video personal trainer, Kelli Segars! From an original field of nearly 100 entrants that was eventually narrowed down to a top 10, she managed to rally the thousands of followers she’s amassed as part of the husband-wife team behind video workout site, Fitness Blender, to ultimately emerge victorious.
The Fitness Blender website’s polished, professional appearance belies the fact that it’s been created by two avid fitness enthusiasts on a ‘shoestring budget’ as an extracurricular pursuit outside of their day jobs. With a spare bedroom as an office and a garage as their studio, Kelli and Daniel Segars have achieved something quite special, which is only further evidenced by the massive audience for their weekly videos.

From the Fitness Blender website, describing Kelli and Daniel’s approach to what they do:

In our dedication to those who use our website, we focus on providing high quality information that we have gathered from over a decade in the health and fitness industry. We believe that if you make a clean, wholesome diet and regular exercise a priority, your overall health and quality of life will improve, and your physical appearance will naturally reflect that, as well.

That is why we set the goal of providing sound fitness information and full-length workout videos for every fitness level, completely free of charge. This way, everyone has access to what they need to keep their bodies strong and healthy.

Given Kelli’s personal philosophy towards fitness and active living, we’re more than mildly confident she’ll make an absolutely fantastic Messenger and have already begun preparing her photo shoot, which we hope you’ll stay tuned for when her images and video go live.

Please see below Kelli’s pictures, and video, from our Facebook contest:

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We’re thrilled and delighted to announce the addition of two new individuals to the MPG team we’re confident will help bolster existing retailer partnerships and drastically increase new business in North America. Melissa McGlynn becomes our National Sales Director, which will include Canada and the US, while Kathleen O’Connor has been brought on to fill the role of West Coast Sales Representative.

Melissa brings to MPG over 20 years experience in the apparel industry where she has cultivated a passion for merchandising, planning and buying. Having worked in several different facets of the clothing industry, Melissa’s well-rounded background includes various positions at a department store, in sporting goods, at a mass retailer and with a major athletic brand. Her foundation in merchandising and planning has allowed her the opportunity to continually forge relationships on the sales side of the business that have lead to repeated partnerships of mutually profitable growth.

Melissa is the proud mother of two beautiful daughters (tweeners) who keep her busy with travel soccer, travel basketball, track, tennis and a variety of school. Her personal fitness regimen focuses mainly on yoga that she believes allows her to remain centred and find inner peace.

“It is an exciting time for the activewear marketing segment and my focus will be to increase MPG’s position therein and take the business to the next stage of development, while simultaneously bringing energy and enthusiasm I hope to share with the rest of the team.”
- Melissa McGlynn

From left, Melissa McGlynn, National Sales Director; Kathleen O’Connor, West Coast Sales; Karli Colpitts, MPG Sales Representative; and Tony Lavilla, Mondetta/Branding Director, at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2013.

Although Kathleen’s career path drastically differs from Melissa’s, she brings an unbridled enthusiasm to her new position here at MPG. Her past CV includes flight attendant, working in film, improv comedy, property management, runway modelling in Milan, restaurant management and achieving a degree from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising before officially entering the apparel industry working in wholesale and at several prominent labels while also running her own showroom over the past 15 years.

She’ll be leading MPG west coast efforts based in Venice, CA where she lives with her husband and two year old son, Charlie, and pursues an active and healthy lifestyle engaging in especially punishing workouts such as bootcamps or gruelling spin classes.

“I am excited for the next chapter of my career with MPG because I feel strongly about the organization and I personally love the product. I’m most looking forward to building relationships with existing distributors as well as forging new ones.”
- Kathleen O’Connor

The entire Mondetta Clothing/MPG organization warmly welcomes both Melissa and Kathleen and look forward to lots of great things to come!

MCF President and Chairman of the Board, Kish Modha, was in Uganda and Kenya over the recent holiday season officially on vacation with his family but whilst there was able to drop in on the beneficiaries of the MCF’s efforts, namely Kamwokya Primary School in Kampala, Uganda and the New Life Home Trust Orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya to check in on how things are going as well as take some meetings with some important contacts in anticipation of new initiatives looming on the horizon.

First up, the Kampala leg of the journey:

A day after arriving, Kish was at the Kampala City Council Authority meeting with the KCCA’s deputy executive director, Dr. Judith Tukahirwa, the director of education, Ms. Anna Galiwango, Chairman of the Kamwokya School Board, Dixon Kamukama, Director of Public Health Services, Dr. Daniel Okello, and other key team members to discuss what is to become of the dental equipment left at the school following the terminus of the past summer’s resoundingly successful dental mission. A proposal to move the equipment off-site, from where it currently resides, was quickly dismissed by Kish who asserted the equipment was donated to the school and as such, should remain where it is. The KCCA unfortunately responded by saying funds were not available to build an actual clinic on the school grounds that would both house the equipment and act as a resource centre where local dentists and dental students could come to volunteer their time. At the time of writing, the MCF is currently researching how it might make the clinic come to fruition that would eventually, in addition to providing dental care, also provide rudimentary medical treatment as well.

In addition to the discussion of a possible medical clinic, Kish also proposed the possibility of the MCF providing shoes, along with uniforms, to the students of Kamwokya, which was of course met with enthusiasm and zeal. It is his most ardent hope that the KCCA will be instrumental in providing the MCF with a tax-exemption ID # that would allow it to avoid expensive duties when shipping large quantities of footwear to the school.

The MCF, in recent months, has also partnered with the Rotary Club to embark upon a water collection and treatment program at the school to provide clean drinking water to the students of Kamwokya Primary School. The plan would witness 4 large industrial sized tanks installed on the grounds of the school but in order to maintain the integrity of the project, would also require a fence built on the periphery of the grounds. The local Rotary Club contact, Tex Tychion, with whom Kish met was able to provide invaluable insights and a pledge to ensure efforts to make the water project happen would continue in the coming months.

Lastly, Kish was honoured to be present at a very special ceremony wherein students who have been sponsored by benefactors here in North America were presented with their new uniforms. The students, along with their parents, gave Kish and his family a warm reception at the event where each student personally received his or her new uniform from the MCF chairman. Local journalists were on hand to cover the event and were integral in ensuring the heartwarming story made it to the evening news.

Kish sharing some remarks at the uniform distribution ceremony.

Kish with a beaming recipient of a new school uniform.

Kish and another student thrilled to receive her uniform.

Kish and wife, Divya, posing by the newly installed play structure at Kamwokya Primary School.

Leaving Kampala behind, Kish and family were then off to Nairobi, Kenya to meet with the founders, Clive and Mary Beckenham, and administrator, Guy Bastable, at the New Life Home Trust Orphanage. The NLHT orphanage in Lamu, Kenya, which the MCF directly supports, is a part of the network of homes that house and care for infants from 1 month to three years of age who have been abandoned, abused and/or living with HIV. The work being done at the homes is nothing short of remarkable.

These are but just a few of the meetings and developments that took place during Kish’s recent travels to East Africa. As the MCF continues to expand its efforts there, the nature of the projects embarked upon continually grow larger in ambition and scope which makes donations all the more vital. If you would like to get involved, please click the link below to make your donation today!