Fake It Till You Literally Make It...Yourself: The Dirty Birdy Story
Sometimes “fake it till you make it” isn’t about confidence.
It’s about literally googling how to make a pair of pants…and then starting a company anyway.
Anna Meyers is back on Tarin It Up, and this time, we went deeper than our quick Title Nine Pitch Fest conversation. Dirty Birdy didn’t start with fashion school or a design background. It started with house projects, ripped leggings, and a thought most of us have had at some point: There has to be a better way.
🎧 Listen to the full episode below:
From Ripped Leggings to Real Workwear
Anna and her husband bought a fixer-upper during peak COVID. Like many of us, she was living in leggings. Unlike many of us, she was crawling around demoing, remodeling, using tools…and absolutely destroying those leggings.
When she went looking for durable women’s work pants that actually fit and flattered her, she realized the options out there just didn’t quite work for her.
There are strong women’s workwear brands doing incredible things — but fit, feel, and function are personal. And what she was looking for didn’t quite exist in the way she envisioned it.
So instead of shrugging and settling…she decided to build her own.
No apparel background. No manufacturing experience. Just a problem, and the willingness to figure it out.
Confidence You Can Zip and Button
One of my favorite parts of this conversation was the confidence piece.
Walking into Home Depot when you’re new to tools. Getting side-eyed. Feeling like you don’t fully know what you’re doing…yet, and doing it anyway.
“I want Dirty Birdy to be those pants that you pull on and be like, I can do whatever the heck I want.”
That’s the magic.
It’s not about vanity. It’s about empowerment. It’s about suiting up — literally — and becoming the person who builds things.
Because sometimes confidence isn’t something you wait to feel. Sometimes it’s something you put on.
The Two-Year Grind (And What No One Sees)
Here’s the part that doesn’t make the highlight reel: Dirty Birdy took two years from initial commitment to launch.
Fit was the most expensive part of development. Manufacturing delays happened. Inventory got stuck. Pre-orders stretched. Cash flow became a puzzle. Anna launched the brand with a one-year-old at home…while seven months pregnant with her second son.
And she still works a full-time engineering job.
After bedtime? That’s when Dirty Birdy happens.
This is what building something looks like in real time. It’s not glamorous. It’s scrappy. It’s exhausting. It’s deeply personal. And it’s brave.
What Dirty Birdy Offers (Right Now)
Current lineup includes:
Carpenter Pants (original)
Heavyweight Carpenter Pants
Utility Leggings
Bootcut Pants
Coming soon:
Expanded sizing (XXS–3XL)
Overalls
New pant silhouettes
New colors + fabric options
Hats
Fleece or flannel lined version of the Carpenter Pants
Fire resistant (FR) Carpenter Pant
The coolest part is seeing how women are using them — from construction sites to horseback riding to mountain bike trails. Learn more about Dirty Birdy’s Master Plan here.
Connect With Anna + Dirty Birdy
Website: heydirtybirdy.com
Instagram: @heydirtybirdy
Stay Connected With Tarin It Up
Instagram: @tarin.it.up.podcast
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