Active wear has become every wear. It is often stylish enough to make it by the velvet rope and if you are serious about working out and looking great, you have plenty of options that slim you down or keep you dry or simply support your exercises.
One of the new gurus in the active wear arena is Nathalie de Champlain, Founder of Caliloko. She made the sought after ingredient “compression” her main focus while injecting a high dosage of fashionista in her designs. Since she also knows a lot about fitness and nutrition, we felt compelled to direct some personal questions her way.
MSM: As a trendsetter in the active wear business, what do you see as the main trends for the coming season?
NDC: Since I am a competitive squash player, high-performance fitness athlete, entrepreneur and busy mom of two sons, I know how important fitness, style and comfort are to me – and I’m certain for all who include fitness into their daily routines.
As the fitness, health and wellness trend is increasingly becoming a key part of many people’s lives, wearing compression technology clothing to prevent injuries and reduce soreness is now added to the shopping list. However, technical wear has to be stylish, durable and very comfortable.
The coming season will continue to see new lightweight textures and fabrics as well as a lot of matching sets of long tights, capris and shorts with tank tops and sports bras. Tones are more neutral. Women will continue to wear their leggings with hoodies and post-workout lightweight layers.
MSM: In a booming but highly competitive active wear market, you saw a niche … tell us what you saw.
NDC: Over the past couple of years, after testing compression wear during competitions, long runs, recovery (including while sleeping) after a race or even when we travelled long distances, my husband and I realized that compression clothing helped us recover much faster, reduce soreness and prevent injuries.
However, the products available then in the highly technical active wear market were not fashionable and not always comfortable. I saw a unique opportunity to make technical more fashionable clothes by creating a premium range of high quality products — helping to boost performance and prevent muscle injury all while looking amazing.
MSM: What sets your brand apart from the others ?
NDC: Caliloko is different in many ways. We are technical with a fashion twist. It sets us apart.
Our designs are nothing like what we see out there. We bring the compression wear industry to a new level of experience and a more prominent part of people’s wardrobes.
We use body mapping to guide the technical drawings and created patterns and textures that are unique to our brand.
We sculpt the body and bring health benefits, with fabrics that are breathable, moisture wicking and anti-bacterial with UPF 50+ sun protection.
MSM: For those who just decided to get fit and dress the part, what work out routine and matching outfits do you recommend to get “started” ?
NDC: Fitness is so important for everyone so I recommend for newbies to start slow and gradually incorporate a fitness element as part of a weekly routine. Add fitness in your agenda and stick to it, treat it like a client meeting or an important presentation. I also recommend buddy training. It is way more motivating, fun and consistent. Caliloko is dress ready. You can wear our active tights under gym pants or as a single layer to tackle your leg day or any of your fitness activities such as jogging, running, cross fit training. Should you choose yoga, a long walk or spinning, our recovery long tights are perfect for you. You can also use them for your post-training recovery and some people even sleep in them to reduce soreness the next day. You look good on the street and in bed!
MSM: What’s your personal work-out routine?
NDC: As fitness and squash are part of my life, they allow me to channel my energy, and feel more balanced as a mother and business woman. I have built in strength, cardio and core training in my schedule and mix it with squash drills and matches. My husband is also very involved into fitness as an amateur triathlete and Ironman. We use compression daily and it allows us to get going and enjoy our high intensity workout routines. He even uses our recovery long tights through the night after a long distance run or bike ride. Since we travel a lot, we also use our long tights on planes and when we need to stand on our feet for many hours. It helps to avoid swollen muscles and reduces soreness.
MSM: Any diet secrets to boost the work out results?
NDC: We love to eat healthy at home. It is a way of life and it has become even more important when 10 years ago, we learned that my husband’s cholesterol level was too high. As the main cook of the house, I then started to control what we ate; avoiding processed food and red meat. I started to prioritize super foods, fish, grains, fruits and vegetables in our diet. Since then, my husband’s cholesterol level is under control and actually way under the harmful levels. And as part of our fitness, we regularly make our fresh juices (using a juicer) and smoothies especially within 20 minutes after a workout where your body absorbs fuels in the most optimal way. What boosts our workout results is the combination of our healthy eating habits, combined with proper hydration and enough hours of sleep.
For more information on Caliloko and their products, visit them today at www.Caliloko.com
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