3. OGP
A
s the dark room
slowly fills with
Million Dollar
Baby french plaits,
I begin to wonder
what on earth I have got myself
into. The music starts to blast
heavy bass and the strobe
lights flash against the black
walls; this is definitely more
nightclub than fight club. 45
mins later I emerge, covered
in sweat, slightly worse for
wear, but by no means beaten.
I must admit, the sense of
euphoria and camaraderie is
intense. Is this what the fuss is
about? Is this what has got the
fitness, and fashion, world in a
frenzy? There is something to
be said about
feeling the
intensity of
the workout
the next
day. My first
e x p e r i e n c e
at Rumble,
the latest
offering from
1Rebel, leaves me feeling
worked, pushed, and,
dare I say it, pumped.
The boutique fitness studios
scattering the capital are a far
cry from mindlessly running
on a treadmill for hours.“Gone
are the days of slogging away
for hours on a spin bike,” says
Pip Black, a founding partner
of Frame, one of the more
recent locations to launch in
London. “It’s all about getting
strong, lean and toned through
functional training, and having
fun.” The classes provide a
continuous, no holds barred,
workout, and one thing is for
sure: no excuses accepted. The
change in approach to the
classes coincides
with a wider
trend in the
strive for fitness
over wanting
to simply lose
weight, the
strongnotskinny
mentality.Scores
of models, Gigi
“It’s all about
getting strong, lean
and toned through
functional training,
and having fun.”
Fired-Up
VOGUE
FITNESS
Boutique Boxing, sophisticated spinning,
exclusive exercise. Is this the new face of fitness?
Orla Pentelow investigates the studios changing the
landscape of London’s growing fitness industry.
and Ken
heading
to hone
these clu
proclaime
Goulding,
session at
Bootcamp
has been
their high
The inc
boutique
a signific
way the i
approach
thestructu
with the
co.uk surv
that Br
£37m a y
membersh
year on
according
scenes rem
Where Ch
the Gym
card shap
the wallet
non-gym-
we can
entrepren
wind of t
curve tha
the well i
January, a
we becom
a positive
glass of M
It may h
direct de
recession
membersh
of 13.4%
“It’s quit
the press
Brito
£3
in u
me
Vogue Article
4. OGP
S
ng,
ess?
the
try.
“We deliver
experiential luxury
in the fitness space.”
and Kendall included, are
heading to similar classes
to hone their silhouettes in
these club like gyms. Self-
proclaimed fitness addict,Ellie
Goulding,recently ran her own
session at the infamous Barry’s
Bootcamp last month, and
has been known to frequent
their high intensity sessions.
The increase in so-called
boutique studios also marks
a significant change in the
way the industry looks at the
approach to both fitness and
thestructureoftherelationship
with the customer. A crunch.
co.uk survey in 2011 suggested
that Britons squandered
£37m a year in unused gym
memberships (up to £500 a
year on average individually
according to Which?) With
scenes reminiscent of The One
Where ChandlerWants to Quit
the Gym and a membership
card shaped hole singed into
the wallets of well intentioned,
non-gym-goers everywhere;
we can sympathise. Fitness
entrepreneurs have caught
wind of the motivational bell
curve that reaches its peak in
the well intentioned month of
January, and peters out when
we become reacquainted with
a positive bank balance and
glass of Merlot come February.
It may have been the first
direct debit to go once the
recession hit, but now, gym
membership is at a record high
of 13.4% of the population.
“It’s quite hard to reinvent
the press-up,” admits James
Balfour, co-founder of gym
start-up1Rebel,whichlaunched
in 2015.“But the way we service
our customers can change.”
This change is a most visible in
the structure of membership.
Unlike standard one size
fits all gym subscriptions,
which lock customers in on a
monthly or annual basis, the
new approach offers tailored
pay-as-you-go model. The UK
fitness industry, now worth
£4bn, is in a state of flux and
current thought on everyone’s
mind is value for money.
Boutique fitness studios offer
just that; a sweaty glow and a
sense of financial satisfaction.
So will this turning point
be short lived, or it this the
future of the fitness industry?
The success of the formula
says the latter. Take 1Rebel
as a starting point. Their
most recent fundraising
campaign on Crowdcube, the
crowdfunding platform, for
£1.5m, overfunded by 100%,
making it the fastest business
to hit £3m in just 22 days.
Balfour claims the two City of
London branches of 1Rebel
have a combined customer
base of 22,000. “This model
is the future. The old model
will die.” Balfour tells me.
These are not gyms as we know
it. “We deliver experiential
luxury in the fitness space.”
Balfour explains.You can forget
bad showers, dirty changing
rooms and broken lockers,
these gyms have set the bar
high, with no expense spared;
exclusivity is no longer reserved
purely for celebrity lifestyle.
These boutiques offer an all
round exclusive experience;
venues are chic and unique;
members are clients, known
by name and not by number;
classes are smaller, more
intimate; 80s dance hits are
replaced by genre themed
evenings or even live music
in some classes, plus curated
playlists from top DJs.; only the
best juices and post workout
snacks stack the shelves of
the on site juice bar. Once you
get a taste of the lifestyle, why
would you want to go back?
Britons squander
£37m a year
in unused gym
memberships
Vogue Article
(cont.)
5. OGP
Shopping Page
(Vogue)
T
atatus, expla velitat renissi ncillaudi
blaborrum ipidunt utas sam que
moloreperum nonectaquas dem. Ut ma
volorereicia conse sus doloreste latem
vendi ut eaqui utem velic tem eliquae dustore qui
aliciis molupta temque solupti scidunt eturem
qui doluptaspe cum, cusdae volorrovid quunt
aute volorate prata vel ipisquunt labores nitiorrore
res acerum fuga. Ebitaquam, aborporrum
ium volutem eaquatqui andam earcid quidunt
eumquam sumque preptibus elit qui nonecus
nimosto tatur, quis incta debis moluptam
exeratint latquos andit, non non ne non
On Your
Marks
8. OGP
Press Releases
For ImmedIate release
Christian Dior
30 Avenue MontAigne
PARIS
75008
ChrIstIan dIor at BlenheIm PalaCe
Press release
“Since 1947 and the New Look revolution, the same creative energy, the same love for fine
materials and beautiful craftsmanship are what drive us all. ”
Sidney Toledano, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
ParIs, 3rd
marCh 2016. - Christian Dior are proud to annouce that the show for
the Spring/Summer 2017 Cruise Collection will take place at Blenheim Palace,
Oxfordshire on 31st May 2016.
Part of Christian Dior’s longstanding relationship with Blenheim Palace, the stately home first played
host to Christian Dior in 1954, when the designer was invited by the then Duchess of Marlborough
to present his couture collection there. Yves Saint Laurent later presented a collection there in 1958
after Christian Dior’s death. The ready-to-wear and couture collections will be created by the in-
house design team.
More details of the upcoming Cruise show will be released shortly.
Press Office Contacts
PHONE +3 3 ( 0 )1 4 4 1 3 2 2 2 2
EMAIL contactpresse@christiandior.fr
@christiandior
@christiandior
www.facebook.com/christiandior
www.blenheimpalace.com
9. OGP
Zara, the flagship brand of the Inditex Group, will open is first line of technical
sportswear on March 14th 2016. With 36 initial items, the collection will be for
both men and women, and include a small collection of accessories on launch.
The collection will show the latest brand image based on Zara’s four principles:
beauty, clarity, functionality and sustainability. The line’s design will emphasize
simplicity alongside great technical ability. Material and colour concepts
will keep the collection minimal, with a high-end technical sportswear feel.
As part of Zara’s ongoing mission to facilitate direct contact with the customers,
the launch will provide a pop-up store with free, bookable, fitness classes with
esteemed bloggers, AJ Odudu, Zanna Van Dijk and Faya Nilson of Fitness on Toast.
About Zara:
Zara welcomes shoppers in 86 markets to its network of 1752 stores in
upscale locations in the world’s largest cities. Its international footprint
proves that national boarders are no hindrance to a shared fashion culture
Zara’s approach to design is closely linked to its customers. Each
store’s non-stop flow of information conveys the shoppers’ desires
and demands, inspiringits 200 person srong creative team. Zara is
owned by Inditex Group, one of the largest fashion retailers in the world.
Contact:
07289 180 491
press@zarainternational.com
S P O R T
Press release
release Date: MonDay 14th March 2016
Press Releases
(cont.)
