Women On The Cutting Edge Of Success

Stacks of adidas shoe boxes and a rack full of samples sits in Bex’s office when we chat over Zoom. When asked if she has a favourite item from the range, she excitedly jumps up and grabs a few pieces, bringing them up to the screen to show off the details. A pair of white adidas Superstar trainers and a black hoodie, both with a bold blue, green, yellow and pink floral print from the first collection are firm favourites. The duo are also fans of the cherry print range, which consists of items such as shorts, bralettes and backpacks emblazoned with a striking graphic of the aforementioned fruit. “That print was so popular,” adds Helen.

Although Covid and the various lockdowns of the past year or more put a dampener on some aspects of the collaboration – such as throwing a launch party – they do feel fortunate that it was focused on an area within fashion that saw growth over a testing time. “The collaboration has allowed us to get through the pandemic without too much stress and opened up our eyes really to what we can do,” explains Helen. “It’s been a big learning curve for us. We’re a small business who are in control of everything that we do, so working with a global giant has been a real eye-opener. There’s so many levels to what they do.”

But that love for sportswear hasn’t always been the case, admits Bex. “I do feel like sportswear’s never been an appealing look until the last few years for anyone that’s got a curvy body or anything bigger than a size 8.” When at school, she recalls having hated wearing her sports kit: “I was terrified of it. I absolutely hated it and felt gross.” Helen says she felt similar, describing a pair of “horrible little sport shorts” she had to wear under her hockey skirt.

Fortunately, athleisure and sportswear offerings have improved over recent years with the fashion industry also waking up to the fact that activewear needs, and should be, modelled on a diverse range of bodies. “If I treat myself to a nice new pair of leggings, I think ‘ooh, I can’t wait to wear them’, whereas 10 years ago, that wouldn’t have been the case at all,” says Bex.

Speaking during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, they’ve both been inspired by the achievements of the female athletes they’ve watched on TV. “I wasn’t really into sport as much as I should have been as a child and teenager as I didn’t get enough encouragement,” shares Helen. “Maybe I’m naive to think that’s changing but I do think it is. If we can get involved with any form of change, we would love to because it’s so important.” Bex agrees: “It would be great to have that narrative [that boys sport is more important] changed.”

Certainly, it seems the world is their oyster. Going forward, Helen envisages the studio working on around four collaborations a year: some large money makers and some smaller projects. “We’re a print studio at the end of the day so it’ll always come back to print, design and female power but there are a million places where that could go.” We for one, can’t wait to see what’s next for this brilliant pair, who are sure to have a laugh along the way.