When Michelle and Judy Lei converted to hot yoga years ago, they knew it was love at first sweat.Although they looked and felt fabulous after each session, the quest for that perfect yoga outfit was never fulfilled.The sisters vowed to create quality active wear by infusing fashion-forward designs with high-tech, functional materials.
With their vision set on being a sustainable company, theyve embarked on a new campaign with the popular crowd-sourcing platform, Indiegogo.com. They aim to raise funds to bring forth a line of sustainable fitness wear made entirely out of recycled polyester (plastic waterbottles). Theyll also match each piece purchased off the Indiegogo campaign by donating an article of clothing from Light Activewear to the Vancouver Rape Relief & Womens Shelter.
They are currently just shy of their fundraising target of $10,000, with 15 days remaining at press time.
Hometown:
We were both born in Taiwan, and lived a fairly nomadic life living between Los Angeles, Chicago & Toronto. We settled in Vancouver 20 years ago.
What exactly was missing from the other clothing that you tried?
My sister and I were both avid Bikram Yoga Practitioners when we founded Light Activewear. We set out to find the perfect fabric that would withstand the heat and the humidity in the classroom while performing to our expectations. We wanted to create something that would help us while we train, not work against us.
In addition, due to having both a fashion design as well as a graphic design background, I wanted to design sportswear that reflected my design style simple yet sophisticated.
Which is your favourite yoga studio?
Michelle practices at Bikram Yoga Richmond and I fell head over heels in love with pole fitness at Tantra Fitness. This just shows the diverse types of sports our pieces are great for!
Describe the material you have created for your clothing:
Our Light Activewear signature fabric is developed with a proprietary blend of materials specifically made for our garments. Together, they provide the perfect amount of stretch and support while retaining the optimum level of comfort for our customers. We love that our fabric is smooth and cool to the hand's touch, while maintaining a light weight feeling when being worn.
Where is it made?
All the fabric development as well as the manufacturing takes place in Asia. We work with one of the best and most knowledgeable developers that also produces high quality products for Lululemon, Nike and Adidas. Everything is fair trade and abides by the industry standard.
What happens after the campaign?
The funds raised from this campaign will allow us to take these beautiful pieces into production. I have hopes to be a company that only carries styles made from sustainable material, but this needs to be done in small steps. Our Indiegogo campaign is the first of those small steps!
Why did you pick the Rape Relief Shelter as your chosen charity?
I find that rape is a topic that isn't openly discussed enough, and we really want to support the victims by improving their lifestyle. Studies have show that women that are active develop a higher self esteem, a lowered level of depression as well as decreasing their chances of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart conditions. We believe that a healthy mind and body increases your confidence and happiness.
Can you share some yoga fashion tips with our readers?
Everyone has those days when you just couldn't be bothered to hit the gym or go to a yoga class; I know I do! I like to pick out a really cute outfit that gives me a little extra boost of confidence and motivation. Don't be afraid to try new colours and prints you never know what you may fall in love with! Mixing and matching sets in different colours is a great way to keep things fresh and also add a pop of color in your active wear collection.
