Fashion Meets Function with ADAY’s Activewear
Elegant staples that perform from office to gym to dinner, thanks to technologically advanced fabrics
We’ve seen the rise of independent brands like Outdoor Voices blurring the line between gym attire and streetwear, and fellow newcomer ADAY sets the bar high for apparel that can perform, but also, not look like gym attire. In fact, a quick scroll through their webshop shows 11 pieces that don’t scream activewear, but could collectively be mistaken for a minimalist, contemporary fashion brand.
Short for “Another Day” or “A New Day,” ADAY was founded by Nina Faulhaber and Meg He. The two unlikely designers met in London working for an investment banking firm. “We had a similar life ethos: we both valued our experiences over our possessions and wanted to experience the most out of life,” He tells CH. Interestingly, at the time, they had pretty opposite approaches to physical activity: Faulhaber was a former competitive gymnast and had been extremely active her whole life, while He confessed that the first time she voluntarily exercised was in 2011, before finding the right balance between work and working out. “When I went to buy clothing to work out in,” she says, “I wanted to look like I did normally—in advanced contemporary and nuanced design.” Both felt that available activewear options failed to meet the demands of their lifestyles.
“Dressing appropriately for both the morning plane and hectic work days was difficult without having to change clothes in teeny-tiny airplane bathrooms,” recalls Faulhaber, as her job required travel around Europe. “When I was younger, I wore a lot of clothing that was easy to wear, clothing that made it so easy for me to be active and literally live in, not [just] activewear specifically. Given the lives that we lead today as modern women with on-the-go lifestyles, it seemed absurd that we had so many garments that were just plain beautiful—rather than clothing that fulfilled the dual-task of being useful as well.” This search for clothing to “live in” led to ADAY: “contemporary clothing with hidden active properties that we wouldn’t need to replace every year,” she says.
“We see ADAY as creating a new category of clothing that is active in design and composition,” says He. “We try not to compare what we do to existing sporty options because we would love our customers to take the clothing way beyond the gym and the yoga studio, to be staple clothing for their everyday. We’re most thrilled when people write in and tell us that they wore their jumpsuit to Barry’s Bootcamp last week and then to a rehearsal dinner that weekend.”
ADAY’s versatility comes from sourcing technologically advanced fabrics, which are then shaped through the lens of contemporary design. He noticed that “yoga pants were incredibly comfortable—there was some incredible fabric technology in activewear that just didn’t exist in the rest of fashion.” Their job is merging the two worlds of fashion and function together. What’s resulted are interestingly different pieces such as trackpants that look like leather, but are actually made from an incredibly practical, light active fabric that dries quickly and resists pilling. Complete with polished rose gold zippers that lock into place (so they don’t snag anything), these pants steer clear of sweats territory.
In contrast to those tight sports bras that choke the life (and sweat) out of you, ADAY’s version can be worn all day, fitted with mesh panels and an open back for breathability and flexible movement. The newest from the brand is a pair of monochromatic bottoms called Later Days. The silky shorts (made from a whisper-light blend of nylon and elastane) boast pockets, inner shorts, laser-cut perforation, flirtatious side slits, invisible branding—and they stay wrinkle-free. These aren’t your basketball shorts from childhood, that’s for sure.
Attesting to the quality is where they choose to manufacture: London, Porto and Los Angeles. “As we’re set up to do relatively small production runs with short production cycles, we have the ability to act on feedback and can therefore constantly improve,” says Faulhaber. Expect to see ADAY staples continuously tweaked and updated to be the best version they can be.
This is activewear without limitations, meant for you to get as much mileage out of it possible—not relegated to a specific drawer in your room to be used on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Overall, ADAY’s apparel adds a sense of preparedness to whatever the day might bring, be it a bike errand for groceries that turns into a coffee date, going straight to dinner after hopping off the plane, or saying yes to a spontaneous game of b-ball by sunset.
Shop ADAY’s tightly restrained collection online.
Images courtesy of ADAY
