Comfortable shape: 5 current brands of sportswear
A new generation of sports brands refuses from calls for excellence: move forward and get better. The form, they say, is primarily comfortable clothing, in which it is convenient to do everyday activities not necessarily related to sports and achievements. They take into account the interests and those customers that major brands often forget - for example, people with disabilities and expectant mothers. We found five brands that promote inclusiveness, and in addition, an eco-friendly approach.
Live the process
PR manager Robin Barkley founded her brand in Los Angeles in 2013 after she decided to quit her job and become a yoga instructor. For two years she took a course in Bali, and when she returned she realized that she could not find a sports brand that would correspond to her core values: minimalism and environmental friendliness. Therefore, it uses only recyclable materials and packaging in its production.
As conceived by Barkley, Live The Process clothing should help girls in striving for self-acceptance and inner harmony, that's why the design doesn’t scream anything about aggressive sport: a minimum of details and no bright colors. Most of the items in the collections are single-colored, pastel shades prevail: pale blue, dusty pink, canary-colored, but there are also deep burgundy, blue and green. The assortment has a seamless body, loose T-shirts, sconces without a push-up, leggings and shorts - in general, everything you need for activity. But, unlike most sportswear, Live The Process can be worn on any other occasion, as suggested by the manufacturers. Prices are very different: from fifty to three hundred or more dollars.
Outdoor voices
The motto of the American brand Outdoor Voices is: people are just people, not superbeings. Her creator Tyler Haney played sports all her life and dreamed of getting to the Olympics, but she was confident that sportswear should inspire any activity — even a simple walk in the park — and not demand results. "With Nike and many other brands you strive to be the best, and with Outdoor Voices you stay healthy and happy," she says.
According to Haney, tight-fitting leggings, crop tops and bikinis can be worn by girls with any type of figure and feel confident without a killer challenge in the gym. Plus-size models and people with disabilities, such as the Mamma Kaks blogger, are participating in the Outdoor Voices advertising campaigns. And one of the first star fans of the brand was Lena Dunham. Today, people from Calvin Klein, Alexander Wang and Lululemon Athletica are working on the design in Outdoor Voices. And it is expectedly minimalistic - almost no details, but there are not only pastel, but bright colors. As indicated on the OV website, the latest technologies are taken into account: fabrics dry quickly, stretch well, and in addition, some of them are made by processing. Prices start at an average of forty dollars.
Girlfriend collective
The Girlfriend Collective is one of the few modern brands with a completely transparent production: the site describes in detail the entire process from collecting material for processing to obtaining the final product. So, each pair of leggings is created from twenty five plastic bottles for water. The founders of the brand, the married couple Kuang and Ellie Dinh, warn that unscrupulous factories may buy unused bottles to increase their own profits. However, the Girlfriend Collective vouch for themselves, because the brand is controlled by the Government of Taiwan, where materials are produced. In addition, the colors in which most things of the brand are made are determined precisely by the quality of the paint - therefore, for example, you cannot find neon shades in their palette.
The Girlfriend Collective has the same goals as the brands of their generation - to create comfortable, versatile and beautiful clothes that can inspire any girl to take an active lifestyle. Brand sizes range from XXS to XXXL, and prices range from thirty dollars and up.
Superfit hero
American Mickey Krimmel decided to open her own brand of sportswear after she began to practice roller derby. She realized how limited the range of big brands is: they do not take into account different types of figures, and things are also not intended for many sports in which women participate. Therefore, she interviewed hundreds of athletes in order to create high-quality and affordable clothing that is suitable for every woman, regardless of height and shape, based on their needs.
Confidence, self-esteem and self-acceptance are as important as a comfortable form, according to Krimmel. “Like most women, I had a difficult relationship with my own body for many years. But when I started thinking of myself as an athlete, my thinking completely changed,” she says. Krimmel notes that he does not focus on fashion trends: for example, the collection has classic black leggings and sconces without unnecessary details. Superfit Hero clients include runners, fitness lovers, heavy athletes and roller skaters. Size chart - from XS to 5XL.
Beyond Yoga
The concept of sportswear, which can be worn outside the room, was invented in 2005 by entertainment agent Jody Huber Brufsky. Then she was joined by fashion journalist Michelle Valere. Girls focus on eco-friendly production, controlling it at every stage - from growing cotton to the receipt of a product in an online store. Moreover, materials are checked in special laboratories for compliance with modern technologies - for example, absorption and stretching - and later a prototype is tested before ready-made clothing goes on sale. Interestingly, the founders included not only sizes up to 3XL, but also a separate line of sportswear for pregnant women. Also, the girls refuse to retouch photos that are posted on the site. The motto of the brand is to strive not for invented perfection, but for acceptance and love for yourself.
