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No one is happier than us about the ath-leisure trend that’s been popular over the last few years. Who doesn’t love comfortable, stylish clothes that look and feel good? Just about every major designer has added activewear to their repetoire, but when it comes to a one-stop shop for cool workout clothes, Carbon38 is killing it.
Founded by former ballerinas and Harvard alums Katie Warner Johnson and Caroline Gogolak, Carbon38’s insanely well-edited selection of sportswear is everything a busy woman who wants cool workout clothes has been wishing for. Shopping the site is so simple because everything is amazing–you can’t make a bad purchase! Even better, the site has amazing trainer tips and secrets. We’re so into everything Carbon38 is doing now, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get to know Katie and Caroline better. More from them below.
SHEfinds: How did you ladies meet?
Both: We were both ballerinas and met each other through the ballet when we were 15. We reconnected at Harvard and the rest is history!
SF: What inspired you to start Carbon 38?
Katie: I was a founding instructor at Physique57 in New York and then switched coasts to open the Los Angeles studio. Prior to my career in fitness, I worked as an analyst at Deutsche Bank in Capital Markets.
Caroline: I worked at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs but I’ve always had a passion for the fashion industry and wanted rebrand sports apparel as fashionable and sexy.
Both: We recognized the emergence of “the new woman.” She’s an entrepreneur, a mom, and likes to take care of herself. There was yet to be a sector of the fashion market that offered the clothing she was looking for. She needs a transitional wardrobe that can take her from the boardroom to boxing class and then to drinks with friends. We wanted to make that available to her.
SF: What goes in to deciding which brands/items you’ll include on Carbon 38?
Caroline: We keep our offering to the point and curated. All of our product combines both performance and style. There are constantly new brands coming to market and we try to choose based on gaps in our product offering.
SF: What’s your go-to workout and workout outfit?
Caroline: I go to Tracy Anderson 5 days a week and I love it. My go-to outfit is a pair of printed leggings from The Upside, Heroine Sport X Bra, and a Good Hyouman tank.
Katie: I have a personal trainer at Equinox and I love hiking in LA. My go-to outfit are the Stardust leggings from Michi and a Lucas Hugh Cropped Sports Bra.
SF: Any fitness trends we should know about for 2016?
Katie: Boxing. It must work–we always see Gigi Hadid doing jabs on Instagram.
SF: What’s next for Carbon38?
Both: Growing our team and continuing to explore ways to stay innovative within e-commerce and retail. We have a lot of exciting things to announce in 2016!
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