Athleta, a US luxury sports and sportswear company owned by Gap Inc. which is best known for its yoga and pilates apparel, has developed a new women’s exercise line designed with unique textiles for high-intensity activity and created an eight-piece ‘Train’ line to “empower women through their most intense workouts” as it expands its focus to high-performance training.
The collection is the result of over three years of rigorous, comprehensive wear tests with a variety of women, including elite professional athletes and everyday consumers, as well as third-party lab tests to perfect the fit and design, which include shape retention, strength, pilling, snagging, breathability, and wicking.
The end result is a high-performance training collection utilising patented ‘PowerMove’ high-performance fabric made from recycled polyester produced from post-consumer plastic bottles, which reduces environmental impact.
According to the manufacturer, ‘PowerMove,’ created with a fine 50-gauge double-knit machine, features an interlock structure that is ultra-light, breathable, and quick-drying, as well as ideal compression with both vertical and horizontal compression for a supportive fit.
The fabric is cut on the cross grain to provide flexible compression, allowing for greater vertical stretch on the body and supporting explosive actions like box jumps and burpees, making it ideal for medium to high-impact exercises.
Athleta’s senior director of design, Casey Schumacher, stated in a statement, “Our innovative new Train Collection truly brings Athleta’s mission to empower women through movement.” With this launch, Athleta demonstrates its dedication to designing items for real women by paying meticulous attention to every detail.
The ‘Train’ line includes the Interval Tight, which has a unique waistband design that employs adhesive technology to conform to the body for an ideal fit, as well as the Interval Stash 7/8 Tight, Capri, Short (7-inch), and Jacket.
There is also an “unstoppable fleece” line for pre and post-workout requirements, which includes the Unstoppable Full Zip, Unstoppable Quarter Zip Vest, and Unstoppable Jogger. The pieces are composed of a new patented ‘Flex Fleece,’ a midweight technical fleece produced with recycled polyester fiber and spandex for stretch that is wicking, rapid drying, and breathable.
