In the spirit of New Year’s resolutions and getting fit in 2010, we had the opportunity to chat with ION ACTIF’s designer and co-founder, Josey Iannotti.  ION ACTIF is an up-and-coming women’s activewear brand that emphasizes form AND function, featuring clothes that are comfortable during your workouts and fashionable inbetween.  Here’s our Q&A with Josey – leave a comment if you have any other questions!

Q&A

beso: Of all the fashion concepts out there, why did you decide to get into activewear?

Josey Iannotti: It’s funny I get asked that a lot.  I’ve always been somewhat of a gym rat…not in a hardcore kind of way, but always thought that exercise is an important part of living.  When I lived in New York, our office gym provided uniforms, so everyone looked equally blah.  After moving to Los Angeles I found I had to squeeze my workout in between running errands, so wanted clothes that were both performance oriented AND street smart.  At the time, most of the stuff in stores were either of the swooshy/striped variety, which are a little too athletic, or the famous terry jumpsuit (read: too loungey).  Outside of a few really high-priced brands, there seemed to be a real dearth of clothing that fit the profile.  Needless to say, I thought I could do better than what was out there.

b: So, what does ION ACTIF offer that really transcends both street and activewear?

JI: One of our most popular pieces is our Jean Pant. It has the look of a pair of jeans with back pockets, stitching details, and cut to really “accentuate a woman’s curves” just like your favorite pair of jeans. But for ION ACTIF, form has to follow function. The Jean Pants are made from a strong Supplex/Lycra fabric which enhances stretch and recovery.  The fabric goes through a special air-twisting process which creates a feel much more like soft cotton than the more slippery (can I say cheaper?) polyester pieces that are more common at our price range.  We also incorporate moisture wicking fabric in all the right places (i.e. the gusset).

Add to that, pieces like our cotton-modal Short Sleeve Hoodie or moisture-wicking Running Pullover with foldover cuffs to keep your hands warm while outdoors, and you can just as easily and comfortably run a 10-K as push a stroller through your favorite farmers market.

b: You only make women’s activewear right now.  Are there plans to expand the collection?  Perhaps into men’s activewear also?

JI: We are currently planning on expanding into more basics for women as well as trying to add more eco-friendly fabrics such as cotton-modal for the spring and bamboo for the fall.

We’ve definitely gotten requests for men’s clothing.  I know it’s not fair to the guys — and I’m gonna generalize here…but there just isn’t as much demand for creativity there. They all seem to have a dress code of ratty old t-shirts or really basic muscle shirts and a pair of black or gray shorts. And they feel just as comfortable going into a restaurant in them as bench-pressing.  That said, we are looking into creating a small collection of men’s basics for yoga, since a lot of our current customers are yogis.  Maybe some shorts in black or gray.

b: I’m generally more of a pilates/yoga person. What would you recommend I wear for my workout?

JI: Honestly, I design the clothes to cross over into many different activities/sports.  Like our Running Capri, for instance, is just as great for running as it is for yoga or pilates because the fitted style is so versatile.  One of my favorite tops (and most popular) is the Halter Tank.  It is made from the Supplex/Lycra fabric which is really comfortable. It has a CoolMax® shelf bra for wicking and support.  And the sexy halter front styling has a t-back for added support while allows for full range of motion in the shoulder blade area.

b: What aspect of ION ACTIF are you most proud of?

JI: You know there are a lot of things I am proud of with ION.  We don’t skimp on fabric quality.  Everything that is performance based uses INVISTA branded Supplex and Lycra.  They’re the ones that invented stretch fabric (elastane) back in the ’50s and they continue to perfect it today.

We don’t skimp on production quality. We try to do as much flat-stitching as possible to provide added comfort and reduced chafing.  We are committed to manufacturing everything in the United States.  Even though it may cost us more, we can oversee production DAILY to make sure that the quality of the construction is up to our standards.

But most of all, I’m proud of our focus on the details that make our clothing even more functional and durable, therefore a better value to the user. We make many of our zippered pieces with zipper garages so the zipperhead doesn’t chafe under your chin while running in the cold. We add fold-over cuffs on our Running Pullover so you can cover your hands while outdoors. We add inside pockets to many of our workout pants so there is a place to keep some cash, keys or a credit card. Our new tank tops and bras have removeable cup liners to avoid headlights in the cold (you know what I’m talking about, ladies).

b: Thanks for chatting with us, Josey.  I’m sure our readers will beso excited to try out ION ACTIF activewear in 2010!

Want to buy?  Check out ION ACTIF products at City Sports, Bodywear Boutique, and Paragon Sports.

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Here’s a look at more ION ACTIF products from the Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 Collections:

Want to learn more about ION ACTIF? Check out these sites:

• ION ACTIF website
• Buy ION ACTIF products at City Sports, Bodywear Boutique, and Paragon Sports.