Luxury sportswear labels find a new home at Style PB
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“Whilst I was working as an online stylist for SuperDry, I began training for the London Marathon and I started looking for stylish, yet high quality performance wear. Although I was able to find the sort of sportswear I was looking for, I found that there was not a single store or site that offered them all,”
As the UK sportswear market is slated to hit 5.8 billion pounds this year, a 17.9 percent increase from 2009 according to Verdict, its seems as if more and more fitness conscious consumers seem to be on the lookout for high performance clothing that is multi-functional, yet stylish.
“I think that it is good that this trend is emerging, because it encourages women to move more and be more active,” points out Dale. “When a woman puts trainers and a pair of leggings to go have a drink with a friend, then she feels more inclined to walk that extra distance. It is really encouraging women to work out more, get out more and do more exercise, which is only empowering for women.”
Style PB offers luxury, stylish sportswear for all women
With Style PB, Dale aims to offer women from all backgrounds a one-stop-shop for athletic wear that performs well, without having them compromise on their style. “I went to India for year to train as a yoga teacher, but when I came back to the UK this February, the idea to start something for myself was still there in the back of my head. I saw that no one else was doing it then, so I just went for it.”
“I wanted to do it alone, as I have my own money and just really wanted it to be something I created,” added the 28 year old former Stylist. “It's been hard, but well worth it in the end.” The website officially launched this Tuesday and was already shipping its first orders on Wednesday, which highlights the growing demand for stylish athletic wear in the UK.
The website offers a wide range of designer sportswear, ranging from British designer Charli Cohen, who tweeted that she was “So excited to be stocking #charlicohen” with Style PB, to US label Beyond Yoga and luxe legging brand Hey Jo. “I've had a great response from all the brands I have reached out to, they all seemed really keen to work with me. I want to offer the right brands and labels. Everything on the site has been handpicked by me and everything fits together so you don't have to worry if they match or not.”
With prices ranging from 36 pounds for a bra from Striders Edge to 280 pounds for leggings from Luca High, Dale hopes that her luxe sportswear offering is accessible to all women. “I wanted to make sure that there was something for everyone, no matter what their budget is. I wanted to give women, who may just be getting into fitness or who have a smaller budget for sportswear to have the opportunity to have something that is functional, good quality and yet performs, so they feel involved as well."
Style PB's launch comes at a time when a number of big online industry players, such as Net-a-Porter and Yoox are starting to move into the sportswear market. Is Dale worried about competition?
“I don't feel threatened by Net-a-Sporter or Yoox at the moment, but that is because we are not on the same level. Style PB is different from other websites because I only offer high performance, unique sportswear, it is just a store, nothing else. I also wanted to present the customers with a simple online store that is easy navigate, but features beautiful imagery and products.”
Dale admits that she is already looking into bringing other stockists on board over the next few months, even though the website just launched. “I wanted to offer stylish pieces, but with a high performance and quality aspect to them. I would love to expand and include mens sportswear in the future, but so far I have found that outside the traditional sportswear retailers like Nike and Adidas, that there is not much choice out there.”
Images: Courtesy of Style PB, Natalie Dale