Our Story

Handana® was created by Katie Niemeyer as a solution to inefficient cotton sports wristbands she wrapped around her hands to wipe away sweat and nasal drip while running.

As a Stevens-Johnson SJS survivor, her eyes were very sensitive, and she found it difficult to focus on training for her first marathon while sweat was dripping into and burning her eyes. Hats, headbands and sweatbands helped, but in the Texas heat, sweat still dripped causing extreme pain and providing an excuse to stop her workouts. With the marathon a few months away, she needed a solution.

That’s when Handana was born. Her idea was to create a high performance, fashionable wristsweatband for running and sports that wraps around your hand allowing you to use both sides of your Handana hand to wipe sweat from your neck or forehand.

The idea went from idea to market in six months while Katie was training for the marathon. She finished the race in 4:09, and said “I could not have done it without my Handana. It not only served a purpose, but was a constant reminder of what I had overcome and that I had the strength to cross my finish line.”

Handana hit retailers, expos and the online market in the spring of 2012 and was recently picked up by Under Armour. But Handana does more than wipe away sweat and nasal drip. For all of us at Handana, it is a powerful reminder to persevere. The hope is that Handana becomes a symbol and an inspiration for everyone to cross their finish lines, no matter what they are, and empower others to do the same.