She walks fast (in 5” pumps). She talks fast (her cell phone never stops ringing). This week she has purple streaks in her hair. She is a hot interior designer who has worked on some of Sonoma County’s top commercial and residential interiors (Smothers Mercedes-Benz, Sonoma National Bank, Lanahan & Reilly law offices). It’s not enough. Donna St. Martin is applying her high-speed energy to a new venture: women’s fashions for sport motorcycle riding and road racing. Her new venture is called Animoto. The hot new line she is creating is a twisted cross between Japanese anime, fantasy games, and Victoria’s Secret. Sexy, smart and well designed, the soon-to-be-launched racing clothes are, in Donna’s world, just another expression of her true passion: design in all its permutations. “Design is design is design,” she tells us over lunch on a beautiful fall afternoon, just as a loud, fast Suzuki sport bike roars down Santa Rosa’s Fourth Street. She laughs at the coincidence, as we have just innocently asked, “Now, what kind of motorcycle racing is this clothing design for? And are women really into this?” When the roar of the motorcycle dies down, she lets us know in no uncertain terms that the time is absolutely right for this venture. The sport is growing in popularity, but with women the growth is exponential.

        The market is for women ages 17-40 years old who either ride on the backs of bikes with their male friends, or race themselves. There is a screaming-fast need for stylish clothing that can step off the bike and into whatever event or destination is at hand—with safety elements designed in. The industry hasn’t quite caught up with its female aficionados yet, with the hottest looking leather gear designed for men, or if designed for women, definitely not all that stylin’. Breaking all speed limits on this new fashion line, St. Martin says the first designs will be good to go in Spring of 2007. She has commitments from at least five boutiques, several Triumph dealers and some motorcycle racing shops. Seeking advice from sport shoe legend Tony Magnusson, she has her logo designed, has applied for her patents, and sourced manufacturing. Speed is in her blood. Her father raced cars in the 1960’s and ‘70’s for Alfa Romeo and Fiat. Not surprising that this mother of two teenagers is living life in the fast lane. As a marketing strategy she is sponsoring local racer Zenzo Tazawa, owner of CyclePro Motorsports, LLC of Santa Rosa. A top-rated racer, Tazawa is currently vying for third place in both the 600 Superbike and 600 Production championships. He can now add Animoto to his list of sponsors and count on high-energy, fast-paced support from Donna, who is planning a big launch event next year involving a fashion show in a jet hangar.

Hold on to your helmet — it will be a wild ride.