While traveling between cities for weekend trips, work placements and/or romantic getaways (hey, taking care of yourself is essential for being the best you at work...right?!) can be exciting, it’s also stressful. And that’s before we even think about fitting workouts in. Enter LIVELY - the modern woman’s answer to activewear that moulds to your lifestyle, whether you’re running from your ClassPass session or to the farmer’s market. Travelle talks to founder Michelle Cordeiro Grant, Victoria’s Secret alum and bona fide girlboss, on living the #entrepreneurlife in ‘leisurée’.
We love how LIVELY, founded by Victoria’s Secret alum Michelle Cordeiro Grant, caters for the modern traveling woman from work to workout. Tell us about the brand and ‘leisurée’.
What initially inspired me to create LIVELY was a desire to deliver what I always thought was missing from the lingerie category... a brand that delivered on what it means to be sexy today... smart, healthy, active and confident.
We saw a void in the market for bras and undies that delivered on an aesthetic inspired by authenticity and “real life”, and really found that we could not find a brand that delivered on HIGH STYLE and ULTIMATE COMFORT in one place. We wanted something that we could live in for 14 hours day, and not compromise on style or comfort. We no longer wanted to choose.
So, we wiped the slate clean and just took our time pulling together elements of high style, function, femininity and comfort that we personally just loved. We found ourselves tapping into three main categories. Active/Athleisure because we find ourselves now living in these pieces, swim because we throw a drapey tank over our bikini tops all summer (instead of our boring bras), and lingerie of course for function and femininity. Because we were so authentic in our concept and design process, we all of sudden realized we created a whole new product category. One that blurs the lines between active, lingerie and swim. It is a new aesthetic that consumers are really responding to as it correlates back to the explosion of athleisure....we call it LEISURÉE.
Which bras work best for an airport to post-flight?
While we feel like our styles are versatile enough to work across all activities in our busy, dynamic lives – work, after work drinks, yoga, beach vacations, etc- we definitely hear from our girls on their favorites for each LIVELY moment. For an airport to post-flight moment, the Geo Lace Bralette is a major go-to. The breathable geo lace and mesh lining coupled with the striped sport band is key here. Depending on how much support you’re looking for, the Deep-V No-Wire also works really well. The striped band on both of these styles make them a natural fit.
Can you recommend specific LIVELY products for a city work trip?
For a city work trip, versatility is the name of the game and for us, that means a T-shirt bra. It’s the style you look to when wearing tees, racerbacks, dresses. It is your every day go-to! Since it lives with you for most of your moments, a good T-shirt bra should have the perfect balance of high-style, ultimate comfort, and functionality. Front adjusters and J-hook convertible back are top on our list to keep this piece in rotation. It should act as the first layer that makes you feel your best, empowering you to totally kill it on that work trip.
Can you recommend specific LIVELY products for a beach vacation?
So much of our inspiration came from swim and how we naturally lived in our swim tops and tanks all summer! The Mesh Trim Bralettes are perfect for a beach vacation as they live like a swim top with the function of lingerie. The cool-handed fabrics, bold prints, and colorblocking make these bralettes an essential for a getaway.
Tell us about the craftsmanship and design behind LIVELY products.
My career has allowed me to travel the globe to meet with world-class manufacturers and truly understand the importance of building a QUALITY product- no smoke and mirrors. Bras have 25-40 components. It is one of the most complicated products to make; therefore, to make a quality bra, you need a team with experience and expertise. Our team has more than 60 years of experience in lingerie manufacturing, and we dig deep to source the best components and materials in the industry. We partner with amazing factories dedicated to the finest workmanship and passion for their craft.With all of this in place, we are able to work hand-in-hand with our team to ensure quality and ongoing development. In design, Leisurée combines elements from active, swim, and lingerie. From active, we have pulled in wide sporty elastic bands and breathable mesh, from swim we are pulling in cool handed fabrics, bold prints and colorblocking, and from lingerie, we draw in the best components of function and femininity: front adjusters, j-hook backs, and gorgeous geometric laces.
Interviewed by Kate Cheng