In 2014, co-founders Vera Yan and Katia Santilli were calling their kitchen bench the Nimblewear Activewear “office”. Today, the homegrown business has an annual turnover of more than $5 million and has become the go-to brand for stylish, functional and sustainable activewear.
How did the brand evolve so quickly? According to Yan and Santilli, the label’s commitment to the environment, female empowerment and providing women with great products are all to thank for Nimblewear’s success so far.
Starting with sustainability, the co-founders say they’ve saved 300,000 plastic bottles from ending up in landfill over the past 12-months thanks to its use of COMPRESSLITETM fabric. The brand’s COMPRESSLITETM range reportedly uses a fabric that’s knitted from a yarn made from recycled plastic bottles, with each bra in the range using two discarded bottles.
“We’re proud to be a brand made by women for women that’s committed to making a positive change for our environment,” Yan said.
In line with the company’s ethos of female empowerment, the activewear label has also raised a reported $26,000 for charities that empower women in Australia and across the globe. These charities have included i=Change and the National Breast Cancer Foundation. In fact, through its partnership with i=Change, Nimblewear has helped support women escaping domestic violence by seeking accommodation at Women’s Community Shelters, educating young women in East Africa through the Akilah Institute and providing everyday essentials to Syrian refugees through CARE Australia. To assist in these initiatives, one dollar from every online purchase is donated to the causes close to Yan and Santilli’s hearts.
As an extension of its charitable ventures, Nimblewear Activewear looks to promote wellness and inclusion within its community of shoppers. As such, its two physical shopfronts in Armadale and Bondi double as ‘community wellness hubs’ where 2,000 women have attended events and workshops over the past 12-months.
However, at the core of the company’s success is its team, which has grown from two women with a shared vision into a close-knit group of nine full-time employees that are all committed to bringing stylish, high-performance activewear to market.
“What started as a need to provide women (and ourselves!) with activewear that’s not only functional but beautifully stylish too, has evolved into a global business our team are so proud of,” Santilli said in a statement.
Nimblewear Activewear will officially turn five on February 10, following on from the first birthday of its second bricks-and-mortar store late last year.
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