manchester has certainly been doing its very best to shed any notions that it’s always raining up north, and has instead blessed me with some pretty glorious sunshine during my first few months in the city! i’ve always been a firm believer that the best way to explore new surroundings is on foot, and while i’ve definitely been pounding the pavements of the city a fair amount over the last eight weeks, i’m thinking it’s high time i step it up a notch and actually start running jogging outdoors again and explore a little further afield.

of course, a gal needs the right outfit if she’s going to embrace the illustrious sporting culture of this fair city, right?

here are a few of the new-to-me activewear brands i’ve discovered lately: 

1 / designed to wander, made to roam. i love the sentiment behind passenger clothing, an independent surf lifestyle brand based near the new forest on the south coast of england. inspired by the outdoors, travel and music, their designs are peppered with escapist slogans such as roam to the sea, born to wander and (my fave) roadtrips & ocean dips. as a brand rooted in natural spaces, surrounded by waves and trees, passenger believe in spending as much time as possible in the wild outdoors, which is why they decided to give something back by planting a tree for every order they receive. now if that isn’t a reason to pop that cute little slogan tee in your shopping cart, i don’t know what is!

2 / jogha luxury sportswear was created for modern fashion-conscious women who do not want to compromise on technical performance or style when it comes to their sports wardrobe. available in the uk through stylishly fit online boutique fashercise, the cult dutch activewear label is the brainchild of aranka van der voorden, of fitgirlcode fame, who wanted her aesthetic sportswear ranges to empower and connect strong women worldwide. each collection is built on fashion forward prints that can be mix and matched to suit your own personal style. i’ve definitely got my eye on the urban rose muscle tank – i love the tough luxe feel of dainty florals paired with bold geometry.

3 / since open water swimming is a thing i’ve actually witnessed my fellow mancunians doing at the quays (!), i’m wondering if maybe this is a new active pursuit i should consider embracing.. although perhaps not until the water temperature exceeds its current 11°c! but if i do decide to participate, i’ll definitely need to invest in a swimsuit from newly launched davy j. describing themselves as a swimwear brand designed for open water life (you know, to survive a dive, pull off a cliff jump or handle a waterfall), davy j swimsuits have a double lined, high elastane composition which provides extra strength, durability and shape, with a hidden rubber edging and cross back design to ensure you emerge from the water in the same condition as you entered it. their first collection is also unique in that it has been produced using 100% regenerated nylon yarn from waste, including spent and ghost fishing nets. did you know that every year, an average of 640,000 tons of fishing nets are left in the oceans, and for every ton of waste nets collected there is enough nylon regenerated to create more than 10,000 swimsuits – wow!

4 / beautiful clothing. transformed lives. sharehope leggings are not only hi-tech premium quality, with long-term shape retention, gentle compression and a handy phone pocket; when you buy a pair you are also helping to create safe jobs and fund life-changing health and education programs for haitian garment workers. sharehope subscribe to a sustainable, effective, transformative model that isn’t charity, but instead better business. so far their activities have created 1,700 jobs in haiti by bringing in garment manufacturing work and facilitating the design, production, and delivery of those products. owned by a non-profit foundation that runs a number of social programs for their workers – including health training, factory clinic improvement, high school completion, sanitation and waste management, and a deaf and hard of hearing workers’ program – sharehope leggings really are pants with a purpose.

5 / new england-based tracksmith describe themselves as “an independent running brand and champion for the running class” and its this sentiment that first drew me to the brand. their designs are straightforward and understated providing an authentic style that has me nostalgically recalling my younger years as a cross-country runner; how i wish i could channel that long distance champion in me again! i’m also just a little bit in love with their hand-drawn mascot eliot the hare, by legendary british illustrator gary chalk, which was chosen as an animal that relies upon its speed, not as a predator, but as a survivor.

the hare is a runner’s runner. the timeless object of the chase. in folklore and mythology the hare is often portrayed as the trickster: quick-witted, outsmarting his opponents at every opportunity.

6 / when icebreaker was founded in 1995 the majority of outdoor performance clothing was made of synthetic fabrics from petrochemical plastics. their goal was simple: to work with nature to develop performance clothing for outdoor adventurers, inspired by merino sheep that could thrive through freezing winters and scorching summers. icebreaker’s natural, raw material is super fine merino wool that is not only biodegradable and annually renewable, but also ethically sourced and 100% natural. describing themselves as ‘the polar opposite of fast fashion’ icebreaker’s goal is to provide purposeful clothing that responds to your body’s active needs, available in a casual cut for travel and an athletic cut for working out. when i’m out running along the ridiculously blustery waterways of the quays, i think i’ll be in need of one of their windbreakers for sure!

like my style?  discover more of my exercise and activewear inspirations by following my pinterest board:

[pin_board url=”http://www.pinterest.com/fabricofmylife/move” size=”custom” image_width=”100″ board_width=”900″ board_height=”250″]