Tera Kaia, Llc

What Tera Kaia, Llc does

Tera Kaia, LLC is a privately held, women-owned outdoor apparel company founded in 2016 by Bridget Kilgallon (BK) in Bishop, California. Operating under the brand names Tera Kaia and Tera Kaia Basewear (formerly Arêt Basewear until April 2019), the company designs and sells 'Basewear' — technical outdoor underlayers that function as sports bras, swimwear, and underwear in a single garment. The product line spans three bra collections (TOURA, MARA, AURORA) differentiated by compression level and coverage, plus four bottom styles (Brief, Thong, Boxer, High-Waist), technical hiking shorts (TOURA Short), and a ReMade line using scrap fabric. Materials are post-consumer recycled, and the company emphasizes fit testing across hundreds of diverse body types.

The company's business model is a member-funded pre-order system with a one-time $110 lifetime membership that includes a free Basewear set, automatic pre-order enrollment for seasonal releases, and 20% off all purchases. Members fund production in advance, enabling small-batch manufacturing that matches demand and eliminates fashion waste. The company pivoted to this model in 2023 after a near-bankruptcy event, and as of late 2025 has transitioned to a fully member-supported model with no public restocks. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer via Shopify-powered e-commerce, supplemented by the TK Bishop physical storefront, select outdoor gear retailers, and event partnerships with Golden State Guiding for experience-driven marketing.

Tera Kaia operates with a small team (estimated under 10, with founder BK running the business largely solo in 2023), is bootstrapped with no external venture funding, and has approximately 370+ supporting members. The company has begun expanding into adjacent revenue streams including digital education (TK ReMakers sewing curriculum and business mindset coaching on Skool) and a repair services model. The business is sustained by a deeply engaged community of outdoor enthusiasts who participate in product development, color selection, and feedback cycles.

Name

Tera Kaia, Llc

Legal name

Tera Kaia LLC

Website

https://terakaia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tera Kaia is a bootstrapped, women-owned outdoor apparel company in Bishop, California that designs and sells multi-functional technical underlayers (Basewear) serving as sports bras, swimwear, and underwear under a member-funded pre-order business model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's Technical Activewear

NAICS

Apparel Manufacturing (315), Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing (3152)

SIC

Women's, Misses', Children's & Infants' Undergarments (2340)

akta.pro primary industry

Swimwear & Beachwear Cut & Sew (IMAOAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Outdoor Clothing & Footwear Retail (Camping/Hiking/Climbing) (CRAMAMAK)

Keywords

• Technical outdoor apparel
• Recycled fabric activewear
• Sports swimwear hybrid
• Membership apparel brand
• Sustainable women's underwear

Headquarters

HQ city

Bishop

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Program: One-time $110 lifetime membership fee that includes a free initial Basewear set. Members receive 10% off pre-orders and 20% off regular purchases, plus early access to new products and automatic pre-order enrollment for new seasonal releases.
2. Product Sales: Direct product sales of Basewear tops ($68-$78), bottoms ($27-$54), shorts ($79), and ReMade items ($115). Small-batch pre-order model with limited inventory.
3. TK ReMaker Digital Curriculum: Digital educational content including sewing curriculum ($35) and business mindset coaching curriculum ($350-$850), plus 1-on-1 coaching sessions ($350)
4. Basewear Repair Services: Repair services for worn Basewear items to extend product lifespan and reduce waste

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Tera Kaia designs and sells "Basewear" - technical outdoor underlayers that function as sports bras, swimwear, and underwear in a single garment. Products are manufactured in small batches from post-consumer recycled fabric and sold primarily through a member-funded pre-order model with limited public inventory. The company also offers hiking shorts (TOURA Short), ReMade items from scrap fabric, and a digital education arm (TK ReMakers) teaching sewing and business mindset skills.

Product overview

Tera Kaia offers a unified Basewear product line of technical outdoor underlayers that function as both sports bras and swimwear. The portfolio centers on three bra styles (TOURA, MARA, AURORA) differentiated by compression level and coverage, plus four bottom styles (Brief, Thong, Boxer, High-Waist) that work for hiking and swimming. The company also produces TOURA Shorts (technical hiking shorts) and operates a membership program (TK Membership) that enables member-funded production through pre-orders. Recent additions include a sustainability-focused ReMade line using scrap fabric and a digital education arm (TK ReMakers) offering sewing and business mindset curricula. The entire offering is unified under the concept of 'Basewear' - a single technical layer replacing multiple garments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TOURA High Cut Cross Back Sports Bra
• TOURA Low Cut Cross Back Sports Bra
• TOURA Crop Top
• MARA Athletic Crop Top
• MARA High Cut Full Coverage Racerback Sports Bra
• MARA High-Waisted Underwear (Basewear Bottoms)
• TOURA Brief (Basewear Bottoms)
• TOURA Thong (Basewear Bottoms)
• TOURA Boxer (Basewear Bottoms)
• TOURA Short (Hiking Shorts)
• AURORA Crop Top
• AURORA High Cut Sports Bra
• AURORA Low Cut Sports Bra
• AURORA Brief (Basewear Bottoms)
• ReMade TOURA Basewear Top
• ReMade MARA Basewear Crop Top
• TK Membership / Early Access Basewear Membership
• TK ReMakers Sewing Curriculum
• BK's 8 Phases Business Mindset Curriculum
• 1-on-1 Business Mindset Coaching
• Basewear Repair Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Zero fashion waste through member-funded small-batch production model
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Golden State GuidingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Ladies Weekend Out (LWO) outdoor experience events. Women-led outdoor experiences including hiking, climbing in locations such as Joshua Tree, San Diego, Colorado, Bishop, Mammoth, and Yosemite. TK provides Basewear for participants to test during activities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Title Nine: Women-focused outdoor and active apparel retailer with strong catalog and online presence. Comparable in targeting active women across hiking, climbing, and travel use cases similar to TK's Basewear customers.
• TomboyX: Gender-inclusive underwear, activewear, and basewear brand serving women and gender-non-conforming customers. Highly comparable to TK given AURORA's binder-effect products and TK's explicit inclusion of gender-queer customers.
• Hanky Panky: Women's underwear brand known for comfort, fit, and customer loyalty. Comparable in product category (intimate apparel/underwear) and the loyalty-driven 'only underwear I'll wear' positioning that TK's Basewear testimonials mirror.
• Summersalt: DTC women's swimwear and activewear brand with multi-functional products designed to transition between activities. Overlaps with TK's Basewear concept of one garment serving both swim and sport use cases.
• Outdoor Voices: Women's activewear brand built on community-led marketing and direct-to-consumer e-commerce. Closely overlaps TK in target customer (active women), category (sports bras, technical layers), and grassroots brand ethos.
• Carve Designs: Women's surf, swim, and outdoor apparel brand focused on versatility and active lifestyles. Direct overlap in target demographic and multi-activity swimwear/activewear positioning.
• Knix: Direct-to-consumer women's underwear and activewear brand with multi-functional product positioning (leakproof underwear, sports bras, loungewear). Comparable DTC motion, women's intimate-apparel focus, and mission-driven brand voice.

Broad incumbents

• Athleta: Gap-owned women's activewear brand with extensive sports bra and performance apparel assortment. Comparable target customer (active women) and product categories, though positioned as a mass-market incumbent.
• Patagonia: Established outdoor apparel leader with deep sustainability credentials and women's sports bra/swimwear offerings. Comparable in sustainability messaging and outdoor demographic, though it operates at vastly larger scale.
• prAna: Outdoor and yoga apparel brand (owned by Columbia) with women's sports bras and swimwear. Overlaps with TK in the outdoor-active women segment and in sustainability positioning, but at much broader scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/terakaia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tera-kaia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tera Kaia, Llc