Striking a stylish downward dog in yoga or a perfect squat when working out needn’t only be about flexibility. Now there’s a selection of trendy and stylish active wear to inspire us at the same time! Yumi Active offers a range of uber-sleek, re-imagined performance gear. With active wear with gorgeous designs, bold prints and ethnic motifs, the brand is certainly getting us motivated with the right kit to get fit.
We had a chat with founder DIANA CHANG.
How did you come up with your brand name Yumi Active?
Yumi is a Japanese-inspired name; it refers to abundant beauty, and it reflects my image of a resilient, elegant and confident woman overflowing with beauty and an active zest for life.
What made you decide to open an online shop for stylish active wear?
After a health setback, I took up yoga for its health benefits and fell in love with it. Since then, I’ve been into long-distance running, hiking and various cardio workouts. I’ve personally experienced how staying active makes me a happier, more balanced and more energetic person.
Yumi Active is a result of my interest in exploring how to make high-quality, stylish active wear and yoga leggings with an exciting twist. I’m obsessed with quality. I envisioned a brand to inspire and thrill the discerning modern woman who values aesthetics, style and comfort.
I also wanted to create a refreshing brand with an Eastern touch, in a range of unique designs, made with top-grade sports materials for women.
How did you come up with the concept?
When I was conceptualising the brand in 2016, I mused over what a woman with abundant beauty feels like. I envisioned a woman who moves with a glow, climbing through life’s hurdles while keeping her wandering heart true. As she beats through challenge after challenge, she shines even brighter with quiet strength and beauty.
My goal was to invite all women to uncover this extraordinary beauty through Yumi Active, if they haven’t yet experienced it.
Yumi Active is also the result of my personal interest in exploring how to make active wear more exciting.
What are some of your favourite designs?
I’m a fan of our Yuga Mesh Leggings. They blend comfort, style and performance seamlessly into one. We infuse our signature ‘Heritage of the East’ designs onto mesh for a subtle gorgeous sporty look. It’s designed for ladies who love block colours with subtle touches of print patterns.
I also love our exclusive Yumi print inspired by the sarong kebaya (a traditional blouse-dress combination with Javanese, Peranakan and Oriental origins). We designed this print with a mesmerising floral pattern representing a delicate batik pattern.
How did you come up your Peranakan tile print?
The print was exquisitely designed for our workout leggings, inspired by Peranakan ceramic tiles, which are known for their colourful and artistic designs. The graphic pattern showcases an intricate motif distinctive of Peranakan heritage. We wanted our customers to be able to flaunt a little Singapore heritage during their workouts!
Give us a peek into the design and production process for your stylish active wear.
Beyond the beautiful designs you see, a lot of work also goes into curating premium quality technical fabrics for our users. From fabric selections, customisation and quality lab testing to the final product, it can sometimes take more than a year for us to launch a product we’re satisfied with, not to mention numerous designs that were axed along the way.
Our designers create our designs from scratch. We believe creativity should be applauded. Every clothing item you own from Yumi was thoughtfully designed by someone; but most of the time those creative talents are behind the scenes. We think it’s important to celebrate our designers, so we even place our designers name on our care labels.
Tell us about the materials you use.
We create our leggings using our in-house, customised, super soft and comfy performance fabric called miSkin. Apart from four-way stretch, and moisture-wicking properties that keep you cool, we go the extra step to add anti-bacterial finishing to reduce odour and the growth of microorganisms that can cause skin irritation after a sweaty workout.
Our fabrics are lab-tested for colour fastness and antibacterial effectiveness before we send them for production. We use testing methods from the American Association of Textile Chemists & Colourists (AATCC) to ensure product quality.
Do you have any exciting new active wear being unveiled?
We launched our Yuga mesh legging sarong kebaya earlier in the year and it was very well received, so we rolled out more colours (maroon, white, blue-grey) in the new Yuga series and also introduced our new Peranakan Tiles pattern.
What’s your vision for your brand?
My goal is to motivate women to embrace a positive, active lifestyle by making workout apparel and accessories desirable. My wish is for every woman to feel completely at ease with herself, fully appreciating the beauty, strength and confidence that she ought to be experiencing.
Find out more at the Yumi Active website.
Now it’s time to stretch and move! Why not start with our Pilates studios round-up?
