Not just for the gym: How Nimble jumped on the activewear fashion trend

Hailing from Melbourne, best friends Vera Yan and Katia Santilli are most comfortable dressed all in black.

But after moving to Bondi the pair embraced the area's lifestyle and found themselves attending exercise classes on a daily basis and getting around in their activewear.

"We saw activewear was not just for the gym anymore," says Yan. "There was a lot of technical apparel available like Lululemon and Nike but there was not the fashion option."

The pair saw a gap in the market for an activewear brand which featured fashionable prints, met technical requirements and was sold at an accessible price point and launched Nimble Activewear in 2014.

Within three years the business has grown to employ 14 staff, turn over $4 million a year and open two stores in Bondi in Sydney and Armadale in Melbourne.

Launching from the kitchen table

Yan and Santilli started Nimble Activewear on the side while still working and self-funded the business without any outside investment.

"Our office was our kitchen table and our warehouse was the hallway," says Santilli. "We see every step through ourselves – from the design process, to sourcing fabrics to the pattern making and manufacturing process." Read more