Avi Woolman sat down for a nice chat with Gail Reisman, founder of RESE Activewear for a virtual cup of coffee and chatted about how RESE Activewear got started, some of Gail’s favorite pieces and whats in store for RESE over the next 12 months.
Hi Gail, great to chat with you today. We love RESE Activewear, specifically the fresh designs and fantastic quality fabric, it’s so soft! So, lets start! What was the inspiration behind RESE Activewear?
RESE Activewear Founder - Gail Reisman
I was inspired to create rese as a result of not being able to find workout clothes for myself that were flattering and functional. At the time, my children were young and I found myself working out and then staying in my workout clothes as I ran around doing errands, meeting friends and picking up my kids from school. Before I knew it it was 6 pm and I was still in my workout clothes. But I was unhappy with the workout clothes available. The tops were all very short and boxy or short and skin tight. I was constantly pulling my top down to avoid that gap between your pants and your top, you know what i mean. My friends were also complaining. I felt the workout clothes that were on the market were designed by men and adapted for women’s bodies and lifestyles.
I thought I could create something more feminine and representative of what women were looking for in combining the best fabric with great design.
How did you start your company? Have you always been involved in fashion?
RESE Activewear Erin Tank Top
Yes, I have always been involved in the fashion world. I grew up in New York and worked as a buyer for Macy’s before moving to Los Angeles and working as a buyer for the Broadway dept stores. In both jobs I designed clothes I couldn’t find in the marketplace that I thought my customers wanted. Then I started my own sportswear company traveling all over the world to create special designs for our customer. I really love that creative process of figuring out what the customer is looking for and providing it. In rese activewear, that customer was me. I focused on what I wanted from my workout clothes and found millions of women with the same needs.
Gail, I must ask, why activewear why not another fashion clothing category?
RESE Activewear Camby Shorts
I have always been very active enjoying a wide variety of sports. Over twenty years ago I got very involved in pilates before many people besides dancers were familiar with it. I found it a great compliment to yoga and cardio workouts. I love the way it strengthens and lengthens your muscles and focuses on your core muscles. In practicing pilates correctly I saw how difficult it was to access the correct muscles to be effective in your workout. I realized that there was no activewear available that built function into the clothes to help you workout correctly through the design of the garment. I decided to design clothes that helped you do the exercises correctly.
For example, I put the rese logo on the front of many of my pants to help women remember to pull their navel to their spine. I have several tops that have seaming below the bust to act as a reminder to activate your core and pull those muscles in.
Yoga and pilates compliment each other and I am a huge fan of yoga starting my practice when I was in college. So making sure my clothes worked well for yoga was important to me. I have since branched out to include tennis and running apparel in my line.
I think as my line reflects my interests it also reflects the varied interests of all women.
Recently you changed your name from RESE Pilates to RESE Activewear, why was that?
I changed the name because initially I started as a pilates clothing line but found the name
RESE Activewear Karen Capri
was too restrictive as my line was always intended for yoga as well. Then we continued to branch into other forms of exercise. I wanted my name to reflect this inclusiveness and didn’t want people to think it was for pilates only.
Where do you draw your inspiration from when creating your line?
I draw my inspiration from fashion. My background is fashion. I love it and try to incorporate what is going on in fashion and how that can be appropriate for an activewear line. I also want my line to reflect the busy lives we all live. I try to keep it simple and make the clothes work for your life.
What do you love the most from the RESE Activewear collection and why?
RESE Activewear Natalie Legging
My favorite pieces change all the time but right now they would be Natalie, my 3/4 tight legging and Kori, my ankle length legging.
Perry is one of my favorite tops now. I love the longer fit, the
RESE Activewear Perry Tank Top
princess seams that flatter your torso and the seaming under the bust.
And my Andrea jacket. I have to grab a jacket as the weather changes constantly in LA and it is the perfect piece to throw on after your workout – it covers you while still flattering your curves!
What’s on the horizon RESE Activewear?
RESE Activewear Andrea Jacket
Next for rese is a bigger tennis selection for spring and an extended lifestyle collection using cozy fabrics for those times you don’t want to wear supplex. We had offered some lifestyle last spring and the response was so strong I am excited to add more to this category.
Watch out for this fall when rese updates it’s logo and new hangtags. We are always trying to improve and offer our customer the best fabric, construction and style. We love the new logo and think you will too.
