Cassie Abel is the founder and CEO of Wild Rye, a B Corp–certified women’s outdoor apparel brand dedicated to inspiring confidence and community through beautifully designed, technical, and sustainable apparel. Since launching in 2016, Cassie has led Wild Rye from a bold idea to a nationally recognized brand, now sold in leading specialty retailers and loved by a fast-growing community of women who live, work, and play in the outdoors.
A lifelong skier, mountain biker, and 3x All-American lacrosse player at Colorado College, Cassie founded Wild Rye to fill a gap she experienced firsthand: high-performance, thoughtfully designed apparel made specifically for women. Under her leadership, Wild Rye has achieved rapid growth, landed on the Forbes Next 1000 list, and become a leader in purpose-driven business by prioritizing sustainability, inclusivity, and authentic storytelling.
Cassie is also the founder of Women-Led Wednesday, a national initiative encouraging consumers to shop women-owned businesses during the holiday season. She has been recognized as Outdoor Retailer’s Emerging Leader of the Year (2023) and was selected as a Tory Burch Foundation Fellow (2020). Before starting Wild Rye, she spent nearly a decade in brand strategy, communications, and marketing in the outdoor industry, working with brands such as Smith Optics and Black Crows Skis.
Cassie lives, rides, and skis in Sun Valley, Idaho, where Wild Rye is proudly headquartered.