The Philly-Based Fitness Line That’s Empowering Girls One Pair of Leggings at a Time
Photos via b-activegirls
Have you ever noticed how fitness gear for girls is basically just fitness gear designed for boys then dyed pink? Or, on the flip-side, a bright pink tutu of sorts? Yeah, so did Jenn Claves and Mia Bloomfield, two Radnor moms, and the brains behind the Philly-based girls’ fitness line b-activegirls.
As Bloomfield, co-founder of the line — which you’ll note is almost entirely pink-free — explains, she and Claves started chatting about how their 10 and 11-year-old daughters, both athletes, were stressing about what they looked like in their fitness clothes, their only options seeming to be fairy princess-style or boys’ soccer shorts. So she and Claves decided to give their girls more options. “It’s ridiculous that girls don’t get to be who they are,” she says. “So we decided to make fashion-forward clothing for athletes that also makes you feel good about yourself, allows you to be who you are, the best you can be, and not just the stereotypical ‘girl.’”
The fitness line, made in Philly, features grey, blue and green leggings, shorts and tank tops that are designed to make girls of all sizes feel comfortable in their skin when they are being active. The pieces don’t feature your typical “small” or “large” labels — instead they use a honeycomb system for sizing. One honeycomb on the tag means small, two honeycombs equals medium and so on. That way, girls aren’t judging each other (or themselves) by the size of their leggings.
As Bloomfield explains about the design of the clothes, “The waistbands are a little bit higher so when you’re running, your pants aren’t falling down. It’s not that we want the girls to look perfect; we want them to feel comfortable. Nothing is worse than when you feel like you don’t fit into something.”
And the really cool part? Each item features a different word to give whomever is wearing it a little extra boost of confidence — words like “bold,” “different,” “smart” and more. When I asked Bloomfield how she and Claves chose the words, she explained they simply asked their daughters, “What is a word to describe you?”
Right now, b-activegirls gear is available online and at Swan Dancewear in Narberth. Eventually, Bloomfield and Claves — who created this line as a side project; both have full-time jobs — hope to have their own store. And we’re guessing the demand for their leggings and tanks will be pretty high. To put it in Bloomfield’s words, “We’re not going to have a million princesses walking around — we need to give our daughters, nieces and friends the ability to be what they want to be.”
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