Sweaty Betty bags activewear design award at WGSN

The awards were presented at a star-studded, exclusive gala event at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

The premium British sportswear and lifestyle brand started in 1998 by London based Tamara Hill- Norton, Sweaty Betty will this year be adding to its portfolio of 33 boutiques and three concessions in Selfridges and Harrods by opening the doors of the first retail store in New York.

Hill-Norton has grown the brand through her own passion for sport and fashion and now boasts a brand with global recognition and a strong visual identity and core DNA which runs coherently through the collections: swim, yoga, Pilates, run, outdoor training, snow, beach sport, triathlon, dance, cool down and spa.

The head office team now counts four in house designers as well as growing team in buying, marketing, merchandising and e-commerce, all of whom have a strong British handwriting combined with a huge passion for sports. Fusing gear that is both functional and fashionable is a tough challenge, stretching the design team to individually live and breathe the brand and product.

Sweaty Betty continues to work with innovative fabrics and techniques for AW13 – the first UK brand to work with Italian performance brand Sensitive, an ultralight, supportive and sweat wicking quick dry fabric, Sweaty Betty works closely with the factory in Milan to ensure the products are fit for purpose and feature the technicalities the customer expects to see in a Sweaty Betty garment.

Other innovations include flatlocked seams integrating reflective tape, seamless compression wear, softshell ski wear, and the design team endeavours to push the boundaries with contemporary print on fabrics. The design team knows that function is key to the customer and ensures every detail is well thought through for end use, be that a zip pocket and breathable mesh for running pants or knee pads on outdoor training trousers.

WGSN