y Nala, which sells through David Jones in Auckland, has already carved out a distinct niche in intimates by designing specifically for fuller busts, pairing engineering and comfort with a candid, body‑literate brand voice. When the team turned their attention to activewear, they saw familiar patterns repeating. “It followed a very similar pattern of what was missing in the fashion industry as a whole,” co‑founder Chloe De Winter told Inside Retail. “Where are all the well designed, carefully constructed sports bras that are actually cool? That don’t come in at $150 per bra!?”​ Customer demand made the decision to move into activewear feel less like a leap and more like a requirement. “Our customers were requesting sports bras from day one, they always tell us what they need!” De Winter said. Many were resorting to makeshift solutions. “From a fit perspective, many were resorting to wearing multiple bras stacked on top of each other just for that extra support,” she added. For a brand that positions itself as designing for “real boobs and real bodies”, ignoring that use case was no longer an option.​ Building Club Nala with customer data, not hunches Club Nala launches with three sports bras designed for different levels of impact, plus a seamless “No Show Sports Gee”, and supports C to H cups across bands 8 to 22. From a commercial perspective, the edit reflects Nala’s habit of solving specific customer problems rather than flooding a category. Early research pointed to a glaring gap in truly high‑impact support for fuller busts, so the team started there and built out from that core use case.​ Club Nala represents Nala’s most technical work to date, the result of 18 months of constructing, sampling, wearing and sweating through prototypes in real‑world conditions. The range was shaped by more than 300 test‑wearing sessions with women across sizes and activity types, a process De Winter describes as central to how the brand de‑risks new categories. “With all our products, our vision transforms over time with test wearing feedback. It’s a key strategy in our product design process and means the end result is functionally perfect. Our initial designs usually look very different to the end product!” she said.​ The High Impact Wirefree Sports Bra became the test case for that approach. “Our High Impact Wirefree Sports Bra went through many iterations – initially there was no support bar, then we added an adjustable one which was uncomfortable for some customers and then we landed on a soft one that reduces the boob bounce while feeling soft on the body. It’s a process!” De Winter said. Another style – a low‑cut V‑shaped sports bra – was completely cut from the lineup when it failed Nala’s performance benchmarks.​ That willingness to iterate, and to scrap designs entirely, is particularly important given the risk profile of the move. “It’s always risky going into a new category,” De Winter said. “While we are super confident in the range, it’s a huge financial risk to order thousands of SKUs in products with no proven performance. So we balance that with the sizes we want to offer our customers. As soon as we see something working we are very quick to offer it in as many sizes as we can!”​ MotionTech: material innovation as a growth lever At the centre of Nala’s activewear strategy is MotionTech, a new signature fabric crafted from 84 per cent recycled nylon and 16 per cent elastane. MotionTech is designed to be performance‑grade strong yet ultra lightweight, moulding to the body like a second skin while delivering the extreme support required for cup sizes up to an H.​ “Finding the right fabric for a range like this was super important. From a functional perspective, it needed to hold up – sweat wicking, quick drying but also, its performance needed to excel,” De Winter explained. “Support levels on a sports bra needs to be extreme, especially when you’re designing for cup sizes up to an H. But more than that, you need customers to feel the fabric for the first time and have an emotional response to it. They need to want it on their body! I think we nailed it.”​ MotionTech is also moisture wicking, quick drying and antimicrobial, and is free from harmful chemicals and toxins – a continuation of the materials strategy Nala has pursued with earlier innovations like Bio Butter and Better Than Cotton, now extended into performance wear.​ Doubling down on inclusivity and brand DNA Strategically, Club Nala allows the brand to extend its existing strengths – inclusivity, frank communication and community‑driven design – into a higher‑growth category. “We built inclusivity into our brand from the start,” De Winter said. “It extends to all areas of our business starting with product design – offering a wide range of band and cup sizes, and making sure these products are high quality as well as supportive and comfortable at all sizes.”​ Marketing and casting are treated as part of the product, particularly in a category where certain body types have long been framed as the ideal. “Everything is intentional, from the types of bodies we platform on instagram, to the models we choose in our e‑com imagery and campaign photoshoots,” De Winter said. “Moving into sports bras, an industry where certain bodies are platformed as ideal, we had to be even more intentional about these choices.”​ The tone is equally deliberate. “Breaking down existing cliches are Nala’s bread and butter! We lick our lips at any opportunity like this,” De Winter said. “The gym world has historically been filled with body shaming, when Nala has always been about creating products to make our customers feel good and never judge or comment on bodies. Club Nala follows suit – we celebrate bodies and make our customers feel empowered.”​ Setting up the next growth chapter As activewear cements itself as both performance gear and everyday uniform, Nala has designed Club Nala to work across both contexts. “We prioritised comfort of the pieces – nobody wants to feel like their bra is a straight jacket!” De Winter said. “So in our rigorous test wearing process, we ensured these pieces were comfortable enough to be worn all day. Plus, aesthetics of course! We think the pieces are pretty chic and will be showing them off.”​ Distribution will start with Nala’s own channel, with one Club Nala style launching into David Jones and ambitions to expand the offer in‑store as the category proves itself. Behind the colour names – Space OJ, Pickle Lavender Fizz and Licorice Snowcone – is a clear commercial intent: to turn pent‑up demand for better sports bras into a defensible growth engine in a market where support, inclusivity and authenticity are quickly becoming competitive essentials. Further reading: From startup to standout: Nala’s rapid rise as an inclusive lingerie powerhouse