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The LA activewear brand guide

In LA, activewear isn't just for working out; it's the all-day uniform from Pilates to coffee to Erewhon to meetings. A lot of what Angelenos wear actually comes from brands born here. One brand per page.

Translated from Jasmine’s original Chinese. The illustrated slides are on the interactive reader.

Key points

Full text

  1. Learn to pick first: 5 keywords

    Buttery soft, compression/sculpting, high-waist, seamless, squat-proof: before you buy, do a squat in the fitting room >_< Different fabrics from the same brand vary a lot, so remember the fabric name.

  2. Alo: the logo born in LA

    Founded in LA in 2007, with its first store opening in Beverly Hills in 2016, a store, café and yoga studio in one; I've been to Alo's headquarters. The Airlift legging is $134; to buy, wait for the Aloversary.

  3. SET ACTIVE: dreamed up in a Melrose Place coffee shop

    The founder took no outside investment, and the brand blew up through limited colorways and fan-voted colors, with its store on Melrose Place; leggings are $74–76. For the color you want, follow the drop times on IG.

  4. Beyond Yoga: XXS all the way to 4X

    Founded in LA in 2005, built from the start for every body type; Levi's bought it in 2021, and its first store is on Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade, where even the sofa is Spacedye fabric.

  5. Year of Ours: cut, sewn and printed in-house

    Founded in 2016, with its office and factory in El Monte, and the website says 80% is made in the US; its signature ribbed line looks like real clothes, the Veronica legging is $125, and older colorways often go 50% off.

  6. Splits59: designed in LA, made in LA

    Founded in 2009 and all over Pilates studios; Airweight is light and thin, Rigor is supportive, leggings from $108. Revolve carries it, and the website's final sale is often half off.

  7. SKIMS／NikeSKIMS

    Founded in LA in 2019, with its Sunset Blvd flagship opening in April 2025, and NikeSKIMS, with Nike, launching that 9/26; leggings are $88–128, and Mel's is right next to the flagship.

  8. Vuori (San Diego, not LA)

    Started in Encinitas in 2015, originally menswear only, and LA guys very often have a piece in their closets; there's a store on Abbot Kinney. Joggers with a T-shirt: that's a SoCal guy's weekend.

  9. Two more from LA

    Electric & Rose is made by a couple living in Venice, and the stretch fabric in their early boardshorts came from Taiwan; Aviator Nation is '70s rainbow stripes, more the loungewear you throw on after a workout.

  10. Shopping map

    Alo in Beverly Hills → SET ACTIVE on Melrose Place → SKIMS on Sunset → Beyond Yoga in Santa Monica → Vuori on Abbot Kinney: one afternoon of shopping all the way to the beach.

  11. When to buy for the best deal

    Alo's once-a-year Aloversary, November's 11/11 and Black Friday (11/27), with free Alo Access members often getting in early; Year of Ours and Splits59's website sale sections often have older colorways at half off.

  12. Two-city mirror

    In Taipei, workout clothes go in your gym bag and you change when you get there; in LA, you put them on in the morning and wear them all the way into the evening. 'In LA, leggings are formalwear.'

In this series

Read it with the slides →

An original JSLALALAND field guide by Jasmine Chang (@jslalaland).