Australian athleisure label, The Upside, has recently opened its first pop up store at Westfield Doncaster in Melbourne.

The pop up store is within Westfield Doncaster’s ‘InHabit’-  a standalone retail space that allows designers who are not otherwise represented within Westfield shopping centres to showcase their offering for a limited time. The store will feature until the February 21.

The Upside’s founder, fashion designer and model Jodhi Meares, says the brand was built to cater to millennials’ demand for athleisure apparel -sporting garments fashionable enough to be worn outside  gyms.

“People have turned their focus on being fitter and healthier, so naturally, athleisure wear has become a more important part of their wardrobe,” Meares said in an interview.

Meares says the partnership with Westfield InHabit was a good fit. “It’s tough to get into a good store in Melbourne with long wait lists, so we’ve been looking for a while and we’re excited to launch this residency at InHabit. We are keen to open a permanent, standalone store so we’ll definitely be here again in the future.”

The fashion world is now seeing more fashionable wear for the gym, says Meares, as more designers embrace the trend.

“My career is in lifestyle brands and The Upside was very much an organic process for me. I was spending an enormous time in New York City and I could see the athleisure market growing. I did my research and there was a real lack of strong, premium activewear and it’s been great to see it expand as rapidly as it has,” said Meares.

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