I’m truly on a wellness journey with Bespoke Black Book, starting 2023 with a positive bounce in my stride literally and how is that There have been the most wonderful new and established brands that we have been reviewing, from sports kits to stay-put makeup, it’s all here.
Brazilian-born Carolina is based in London and is the founder of the activewear company Push Rio. Brazil, the land of A-list supermodels, is also home to an active fashion scene that dazzles for its daring yet sophisticated style. I’ve been a big fan since the very beginning so I really wanted to introduce Push Rio. The website showcases five exclusive brands; expect high-performance fabrics with a serious fashion aesthetic whilst still giving you a taste of Brazil’s vibrant lifestyle. Made using biodegradable fabrics and sewing threads, delivered in recyclable packaging, the company is pioneering Brazil’s social up-cycling and carbon offset programmes.
Push Rio handpicks brands that have their own distinctive personality but share a focus on design, performance and sustainability. They are the hottest fashion houses in Brazil and are all led by women. With years of experience, they know how to fit the female body to perfection.
The first of the Push Rio brands is Lauf. Enjoy a modern sportswear brand versatile enough to handle sporting performance, while making you look fashionable and confident. Then, WeFit’s sophisticated luxury outfits offer sheer fabulousness as you multi-task throughout your day in their racy yet classy designs. The third label DAO has created a line of unique tees, tops and leggings full of colour, femininity and style. The designer tie-dyes each fabric by hand making unique pieces with a Boho-chic look and feel.
The Candida Maria range transitions you effortlessly from studio to street through their easy-to-wear pieces. Combining the idea of modern fashion with function, they employ clever design to enhance your silhouette and show off your figure. Lastly, By the Beach stay true to their Rio de Janeiro roots, all of their items, including leggings, tanks, bodysuits and active essentials have been designed to give you freedom of movement without compromising serious style.
Next, let me introduce you to a high performance set, from a high performance brand. In 2012 Peloton brought the best talent in technology, hardware and production together to accomplish an ambitious goal: bring the community and excitement of boutique fitness into the home. They made it their mission to bring immersive and challenging workouts into people’s lives in a more accessible, affordable and efficient way, not content with covering the market in this respect, they are also clothing you for your workouts now too!
We are big fans of Peloton at Bespoke Black book, so as you can imagine the delivery of the Peloton Kit much appreciated! The Cadent bra is made of a performance double knit fabric- breathable, moisture wicking and designed for ease of motion while offering moderate compression. Durable enough for all activities. The Matching leggings were also made of the innovative fabric, perfect for classes and for day to day with an oversized sweater and trainers.
I’ve become more conscious over the past few years about what I’m wearing and purchasing, fast fashion will never have a place in Bespoke Black Book, and of course it’s not on my agenda any time soon. The kit I’ve included in this wellness overview has multiple uses as well as an ethical track record. This time of year, pieces like this are the perfect layers for skiing and other winter sports, as well as taking advantage of the athletic aesthetic, that; whether you like it or not is still holding strong.
On that note, I’ve been wearing more pieces from Vedra. Natalie the founder sources responsible and ethical brands for her wellness and lifestyle store, including brands such as Rains and PE Nation. Both labels have pieces that are made of recycled fabrics and she buys styles that do not date. I’ve fallen for the rains monogram puffers that she stocks, these are perfect for everyday and for skiing; as they are water repellent and super warm, they look perfect over leggings dressed down as well as on the slopes. The thing about Rains I love, is that their commitment is based on a holistic approach integrating both social, environmental and economic concerns into the core of their business.
They “refer to the international agreed upon minimum standard for responsible business behaviour including respecting labour- and human rights, protecting the environment and countering corruption”.
Next is Skin in Motion. Firstly, can I put it out there I thought I was never one of those girls who wore make up to the gym, however subconsciously there were times when I felt better ‘with a bit of bronzer’. When Gia, the founder of Skin in Motion, heard that 75% of women are put off exercise for fear of being judged over their appearance she wanted to change it. Gia is a London based celebrity and fashion makeup artist for clients including Hollywood actors and many fashion brands She is also a super keen marathon, yoga, adventure racing, cycling and dragon boating enthusiast. Utilising her expertise and know how in makeup and skincare, as well as understanding the therapeutic benefits of exercise both physically and mentally, Gia and the wonderful team set to work on creating Skin In Motion.
When Sophia Lahlou, a marketing professional with an illustrious 17 years at Unilever running £1bn beauty brands, joined the team, nothing could stop them from making the dream and purpose a reality. Their hydrating, sweat-proof and breathable makeup stays put all day long, taking you from work, to the gym and straight to evening drinks. It’s also the perfect holiday makeup, ready for the summer which for me as I love travelling this is a perfect addition to your makeup bag all year round. To conclude, this beauty brand has just created something that you never knew you needed, but you will totally be lost without it.
Another must have for those of you who have started new year with a renewed fitness and wellness vigour is Athletia. Featuring a texture-changing dual-layer formula ideal for massages as well as body skincare, it can soothe fatigue and boost circulation with a relaxing massage using this body treatment oil, it’s works as well as it looks. Wrapped in rather aesthetically pleasing packaging, the initial calming aroma of cedarwood, juniper berry and grapefruit is both relaxing and invigorating, it’s also perfect for post ski limbs, thus making it the perfect all round travel product for this time of year.
It consists of two layers containing natural ingredients. The oil layer contains seven different plant-derived oils including sugarcane-derived squalene, evening primrose oil and sweet almond oil. The water-based essence layer contains plant extracts including ashitaba, shiso, rice ferment filtrate (sake) and lemon fruit. Their unique combination of botanical ingredients brings moisture and suppleness to the skin. The lightweight oil spreads easily when applied. As you massage it in, feel it transform into a richer texture ideal for a soothing massage. It eventually leaves the skin smooth and hydrated without any greasiness, so you can get dressed immediately afterwards.
Lastly, the one thing we all use, but we have little info and we don’t think about it… and that’s deodorant. Say hello to AKT Deodorant. They spent three years researching, developing, and formulating, collaborating with leading experts in fragrance and cosmetic science with exacting standards and a whole heap of creativity. The Deodorant Balm was finally born. They have developed plastic-free packaging for AKT that’s fit for modern living. The Deodorant Balm is packaged in aluminium tubes ideal for their durability, portability, and recyclability.
Aluminium can forever be recycled without losing any quality when plastic caps that usually accompany aluminium tubes cannot. In response, they created bespoke aluminium caps to prevent more plastic entering our ecosystem. I only ever work with Vegan brands, and to be honest I’d never considered looking at something like this, and to be honest it’s something we put directly on our skin daily! I loved the packaging, the smell was incredible; I’m definitely converted.
To conclude, I’m pretty confident in saying the products included are not only items that are aesthetically pleasing, they are also where possible ethically sourced and do what they claim. Perfect to boost your winter wellness!
