Born Living Yoga: from storing 'leggings' in the garage at home to becoming a reference in the textile sector

Behind the success of Born Living Yoga, a Spanish firm specializing in sportswear, are Arianne Puig and her son, Álvaro Roca: “I have been in the textile sector for more than 35 years working as a designer and manufacturing for other companies such as El Corte Inglés, Gocco, Trucco… I had always had the concern of undertaking my own project after so many years designing for others”, Puig tells S Moda from Barcelona.

That the brand was designed for the practice of yoga is no coincidence: the firm is the culmination of her professional experience and her passion for the sport. “I have been practicing yoga for 18 years. Outside of Spain it was easy to find many firms specializing in specific clothing, but here you had to buy general clothing brands”, she explains. But her final push came during a family trip to Miami with her husband and her daughter. "Yoga is practiced anywhere there and in general women wear a very athleisure look: even if they don't go to the gym, anyone looks super pretty in sportswear combining it with other accessories." Something that the Spanish market lacked and where she detected a business opportunity. "I started thinking about how to create the brand and my son Álvaro, who was working at another company at the time, joined the project and we started together." A perfect tandem, that of mother-son, by which they combined Arianne's experience in the textile industry and the world of design, with Álvaro's digital vision, and which in mid-2017 would give birth to Born Living Yoga, whose name sought to crystallize the fusion between the eclectic neighborhood of Barcelona with its fondness for the ancient discipline. “El Born is a spectacular neighborhood and very representative of the city. Taking into account its meaning in English (to be born), we were able to unite the two things”.

Arianne Puig and Álvaro Roca, mother and son and founders of Born Living Yoga. Photo: Dr.

True to its philosophy, "seeking well-being, being well with yourself, with others and with the world", sustainability is one of the firm's priority axes. “From minute one we have ensured that our products are sustainable both in the raw materials we use, as well as in the way they are manufactured and their later life,” she points out. The fibers present in the designs are recyclable, the type of polyamide they use does not release microplastics when washed, and their eco-friendly yoga mat is made from natural latex. Concentrating their forces on safeguarding the care of the planet, for a year they have promoted the #hoponthebornwave movement, with the mission of raising awareness in society about the urgent need to consume water responsibly, something that they echo in their way of production by leaning towards fibers such as polyamide. "A garment that we manufacture requires about 10 liters of water compared to the 2,600 liters that a cotton T-shirt needs," she tells us. Polyamide, in addition to requiring less water in production processes, also ensures lower consumption throughout the product's useful life. "It doesn't absorb stains easily (unlike cotton) and requires very short wash cycles," she says.

Just getting our resources together to represent the BDA and Let's Get Cooking tomorrow at Gillmoss Recycling Centr… https://t.co/Q5z4SJYoLx

— Lets Get Cooking Wed Aug 21 17:45:26 +0000 2019

After the months of uncertainty as a result of the coronavirus, Born has shown that it is possible to successfully weather a crisis and reinvent yourself at the speed of light. “We were very active on social networks from minute one of confinement. We started teaching yoga classes, but it didn't take long for us to include dance, fitness, cooking classes... People at home climbed the walls and thus they had the possibility to continue with their routine, "says the founder of Born. The result? Not only have they overcome the new scenario, but they have even exceeded -and by far- their expectations in terms of sales (its turnover last year exceeded four million euros). “It has been an explosion. The result of the year 2020 has been much better than the objectives we had”, she points out, “social networks are an essential tool with which to reach more people”.

Three years after its launch, the firm has 22 people on its team: "It makes me feel dizzy when I think about it, three years ago there were three of us and the warehouse was in the garage at home," recalls Arianne. Unprecedented growth accelerated by covid-19, which has placed the brand as a benchmark for both sports enthusiasts and all those who are inclined towards a relaxed aesthetic. “People who have been confined and telecommuting have seen how comfortable it is to dress more casually. More and more women are joining athleisure: you can go great dressed in sportswear, ”she emphasizes. Her designs, which fuse quality and design, have been designed to adapt to the fast-paced lifestyle and favor the female silhouette. “We are targeting an active, young woman who has little time for herself. A working woman who is in the world and who has to get a lot of juice out of her time, ”she says.

If we talk about entrepreneurship, Puig explains that it is not a bed of roses: "You have to have a lot of waist to adapt to what is emerging and overcome obstacles, because there are." And looking to the future, among its plans it prioritizes overcoming the barriers of the textile sector: "We do not see a ceiling for the firm, we want Born to be more than a sportswear brand, many more things and experiences linked to well-being that were stopped due to the coronavirus but we hope to start up as soon as possible”.