SLINKII is the cool as hell athleticwear brand that is sweeping Australian gyms. But designer Pia Muehlenbeck never intended to start a fitness revolution, or even begin a label. “Originally, SLINKII was a blog. I was studying Law at University, and I needed an escape.” That wish, combined with a love of training and fitness, is how SLINKII was born. “I would force myself to take breaks from studying so I could try new workouts, recipes and shop for training gear, and record them on my blog. When I left University and got a job in a law firm, I realized quickly that the rat race wasn’t for me.” Since Pia had fairly good traffic coming to SLINKII, she made like a boss and decided to monetize.
Soon, Pia found her niche. “I loved yoga, but I realized a lot of mats were made from unhealthy substances. It seemed very counter productive to be training to be healthy, with products that themselves were not actually too healthy. So I decided to make my own eco-friendly mats. From there it sort of snowballed,” she said modestly. “Next I made a range of supplementary gear: pants, tops and bras. Now, I’m working on my second collection which is gonna be way bigger.” The second collection will include menswear and a wider range for women.
Despite her descision to become a workout wear designer, Pia has retained some of the blogginess of the SLINKII site in order to stay connected with her customers. Take the 30 Days Of Happy Challenge, for example. “Each day we challenge our readers to complete a different task, from going for a walk, to having a picnic with friends, or even simply meditating. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in day to day living, that sometimes you actually forget to live. The 30 Days of Happy Challenge is meant to encourage people to spend a few moments of their day doing something out of their comfort zone while engaged in a positive and fun activity. The aim of the challenge is to share some good vibes and reinvigorate people.”
Next to her focus on staying zen comes her focus on remaining an environmentally friendly brand. “Taking fitness out of the equation, I actually think as we all get more and more socially aware, environmental consciousness is a must. If we are honest with ourselves, there is no point in getting ahead at the expense of animals and environment.” That’s also why running is Pia’s favorite workout (second to yoga, of course!) “It’s a great opportunity to clear the mind while enjoying the beauty of nature.” Now when you shop on SLINKII, there is a feature that allows customers to plant a tree for only a dollar extra on checkout. “We’ve just planted our 300th tree!”
