In my pre-covid life I was in a dress every day, so my ongoing quest for cult leisureware brands has led me to my favourite company so far: Varley.
Varley call themselves ‘A wardrobe for a modern women’ with the aim of launching a function-first, affordable brand that not only lives up to the toughest workouts but also looks cute everyday and that mixes well with other things in our wardrobe.
The website is divided into key sections to shop, including ‘Leggings’, ‘Sweats’ and ‘Lifestyle’.
I have my eye on the matching ‘Maceo’ knit set, the ‘Vine’ zip pullover and the ‘Camrose’ cardigan.
The ‘Earl’ jacket in grey is perfect to wear with legging when the weather is cooler.
Founders Lara Mead and her husband Ben were both athletes and had even met while training for the London marathon. Lara started running at the age of 10 competitively and spent her childhood on the track and traveling around competing, so lived in activewear.
During a vacation to Los Angeles, walking along the beach in Santa Monica, Mead noticed the brightly coloured fitness gear women were wearing to both work out and go about their day. The athleisure revolution was taking off stateside, but she felt the neons wouldn’t work across the pond in Europe.
Launching a company together was born out of a shared love of exercise. The relaxed Los Angeles lifestyle was appealing to the couple, as at the time, both were employed in highly stressful careers in London — Lara was working as a talent manager and Ben was working in finance.
To explore the brand behind the scenes and read interviews, find recipes and customer fitness inspiration, the Varley blog provides a really insightful journey into this young but exciting company.
By Anna Bance
June 2020
