In the pursuit of a life in balance, these local brands are merging fashion and wellness through activewear

This fashion feature is an excerpt from MEGA’s May 2023 Issue

CHÁRMÁ

For local brand Chármá, fashion in activewear is about giving good energy through their pieces, keeping in mind these four aspects: fitness, function, fashion, and free soul. 

“Wellness for me is making healthy choices every day to live a fulfilling life,” says founder Charmaine Palermo. “It’s a balance between all aspects—physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, social, and environmental. It’s having positive perspectives and values by which we live. And knowing our strong sense of purpose, then consciously taking mindful actions to live that everyday.”

A key factor for good activewear? The effortless transition from running on a track to running an errand. In every design, the brand integrates stretch with sleekness, breathability with boldness, and support with sophistication. And the heart of it all, the brand speaks with intention—to inspire, empower, and bring blessings of energy. 

RECESS

“Our design philosophy ties seamlessly with our brand ethos which is to get everyone into the practice of feeling good, in whatever way feels right to them,” says local brand Recess co-founder and creative director Paulina Ortega. “We want to make sure we design and create products that support this lifestyle and philosophy towards one’s well-being. There is no one-path solution to feeling good. It’s different for every person and we want to make sure our pieces reflect this.”

Each individual’s lived experiences informed the “why” and the “how” of Recess. Having felt that a lot of mainstream conversations on fitness and wellness tend to be one-dimensional, they wanted to help foster a culture that painted a broader, more inclusive approach to well-being.

“We don’t believe that style and practicality should be mutually exclusive,” says Ortega. “In designing sportswear, we always need to approach things with a certain practicality. We want people to feel good in these pieces. We want the pieces to function well for the activities they’re built for and infuse technical features that support their use—all these in the most stylish manner possible.”

MILLENNX

Promoting fashion development and innovation, Filipino athleisure brand MillennX aims to empower and spark every member of society to rise above adversity by reaching their fullest potential. Their goal? To ensure that aesthetics and functionality run parallel. They believe that everyone deserves not only to look their best, but also to feel their best while they perform at the highest level.

“We started MillennX because it meant taking a giant leap during that time,” says Glenn and Jamille Hernandez. “There was not a single local activewear brand, and taking a risk to step up and pioneer this industry was all we could dream of. When global brands were flooding the market, we took our shot and aimed for the stars.”

Because of the speed of technological advancements, a lot of people have shifted to the digital workplace. And so in order to make-up for the lack of physical activities, individuals are now more drawn to working out and making that a staple of their daily life.

Find out these brands’ secret to functional and stylish activewear in MEGA’s May 2023 issue, now available on Readly, Magzter, Press Reader and Zinio