Paris, France
If you live in New York and work out regularly, chances are you’ve heard of New York Pilates. Founder Heather Andersen opened her first studio in a West Village basement in 2013, and in six short years, she has not only upgraded her basement space into a modern, two-story location on Houston Street,
but has also opened two additional locations in downtown New York, one in Montauk, and another in Southampton. Suffice to say that with its pink-lit studios and array of beauty products to choose from in the bathrooms, the brand is essentially the Glossier of workout studios: simple, millennial, and with a cult following.
As such, New York Pilates has quickly become a favorite among the fashion crowd. Brands such as Vestier and ANDAR have collaborated with the studio on press events while editors and publicists alike frequent the studio for work and for pleasure. There is, like with any cool brand, plenty of cheeky merch that can be purchased at every location, too, from a baseball cap with a peach emoji on its front—it’s supposed to suggest a nicely toned derrière (from pilates, of course!)—to T-shirts that boldly read “What the Fuck Is New York Pilates?” But in the workout rooms there is little evidence of Andersen’s personal fashion aesthetic. Instead, attendees typically sport pastel leggings, coordinating sets from Outdoor Voices, or leotards from Live The Process. That’s all about to change, however, with the highly anticipated launch of NYP Tech Sport, a line of sleek activewear that serves as an extension of the already recognizable brand.
Andersen brought on her friend Elena Kibalchich to design the collection. An alum of Thom Browne, Kibalchich is well versed in feminine tailoring and worked hand in hand with the founder to create pieces that are “elegant, but not too loud, sexy but not too vulgar, simple, but not flat. Activewear that emphasized the body while hiding the unnecessary, unflattering bits.” In total, the collection consists of 14 pieces ranging from a ballerina-inspired bodysuit to bike shorts with a detachable chain detail. “Because I spend most of my day in activewear, I try to pick pieces that will make me feel beautiful, sexy, and still cool,” says Andersen. “When it came to designing my very own collection, I wanted to make sure that they could seamlessly weave in and out of the studios to the streets of New York.”
When it came down to the technical aspects of designing these workout clothes, Kibalchich found inspiration in the delicate lines of the human musculature. “I wanted to highlight the human form by accentuating the muscular lines,” the designer says. “I wanted the pieces to embody movement.” The earthy color palette complements the studio’s spare, linen-accented decor, too, with touches of pale pink, copper, and chocolate. “All the colors are easy to mix and match and looks great on all skin tones” Kibalchich continues.