One of the absolute pleasures of running Yogipod is meeting others who also run small businesses. It’s always inspiring to hear their stories, particularly when so many of those I find myself in community with are female founders. In this series I’m going to introduce you to their businesses and most importantly the founders themselves.
Bronte set up SOS to create premium, long lasting pieces of activewear for you to feel great in either at the gym, brunch or lounging around at home. The planet is at the forefront of every decision, throughout the whole supply chain with transparency being integral to the brand
SOS Activewear creates timeless, sustainable activewear, what inspired you to design activewear and start your business?
SOS was created to power the planet and our customers simultaneously and was born from my love for both nature and fitness. I wanted to create pieces that can be relied on wear after wear that fit perfectly, are functional and durable and maintain a timeless style. We are living in a plastic crisis and creating a brand that allows you to shop thoughtfully without compromising on the style or quality is our goal.
Being kind to our environment is a key part of the SOS brand, why is that so important to you and why do you think activewear needs to play its part?
From a very young age nature and caring for our planet has been hugely important. I was brought up recycling and reducing waste as much as possible and to create a brand that didn’t support my own values just wasn’t an option. SOS reducing the amount of plastic in our oceans and creating a more mindful way for customer to shop and enjoy their fitness means we have a positive purpose. Every single brand needs to be dedicated to being better and reducing waste so I don’t think specifically activewear needs to play a role but all brands.
What do you think the best thing is about having your own business and running SOS Activewear?
I finally quit the day job last week and am focusing on SOS full-time. The best thing about building this brand has really been the reactions and feedback from customers, I can’t tell you have much excitement I get when I receive an order and reviews from my customers. I love being able to work on every aspect of the brand carving out where it sits in this world and how I hope for it one day to be a globally known positive change brand and community.
Conversely, what do you find the most challenging?
Building SOS on my own means I am pretty lonely and every decision big or small rests on my shoulders which often feels very overwhelming and a lot of mistakes have been made which I can only hope to learn from and improve next time round. I also really struggle with keeping on top of social media, it doesn’t come naturally to me at all but it feels like the only organic way to shout about the business without spending a fortune on ads.
You design and develop all of your own products, what does the process of developing a piece for SOS look like?
I don’t come from a fashion background at all so this was all very new to me and I have spent hours in Google making sense of it all. I don’t think I’ve nailed this process at all but it all starts with researching online to see what people wear and what I personally love, I then sketch rough ideas of what I want to create with a focus on the functionality of the product as opposed to the aesthetics which comes last. Finding manufacturers and pattern creators is the next step before getting samples made.
Creating a community around a small business is, I think, one of the privileges of running one. What five words would you use to describe what you would like your business to bring to the community around it?
Trust – Reliability – Balance – Adventure – Wellness
I know we aren’t supposed to have favourites but what is your favourite product you’ve ever created and why?
The Minke Bra was the original product I created from start to finish and it’s still one of our best sellers. The aim with this bra was to create a timeless style, remove the stress of taking it off after a work out with the handy hook and eye and give you confidence to tackle any workout. I’m so proud of the Minke Bra.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I have just started focusing on SOS full-time so this is still a little unknown for me but it will be 6/7 days a week to start with, getting up and heading straight to a gym class, I have recently started crossfit which is really exciting and it’s one of the only places I think of just myself and my health. I then come home, change, have a protein shake and start making my way through emails and my to do list which I try to prepare the night before. At the moment I am preparing for Christmas which for me doesn’t mean big sales or advertisement but instead will mean Christmas fairs and doing what I can to spread the message about SOS.
When running a brand in the wellness sector it can be assumed that as founders we have everything sorted, when it can often be the total opposite. What do you do to look after yourself or what would you like to do more of?
I would completely agree with this, I often look at other founders who look as though they have everything organised and have it all figured out but that is the problem with social media and only seeing the positives. I connect with other founders and where possible we meet up and have co working days which is great to feel in good company with those who have the same stresses as me and helps a lot with my mental stability. I look after myself physically with regular exercise but my nutrition could certainly be improved and I have started to cut back on alcohol and focus a little more on the nutrition I get with each meal but I am so far from perfect.
What does the future hold for SOS Activewear?
I would really love to launch the next collection flawlessly and start to gain some real traction in order to seek investment and scale the business to the next level. The future of SOS is both womens and menswear with a few retail stores around the UK and the hope is for global expansion and an amazing community of people who understand the balance between wellness and fitness and enjoying life to the fullest.
To discover the whole SOS collection and world for yourself follow them on social media or head to the website