Sweat sustainably with EYO Active
“I was growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of sustainability. I wanted to create a company that matched my personal morals and wasn’t hurting the planet.”
Our interview with Lucie
EYO Active is a budding business that emerged out of lockdown. Bringing energy and vibrance to activewear, EYO’s founder Lucie Halley shares her success with the start-up of her company.
Lucie was left unable to walk following an incident falling down a fire escape exit, tearing ligaments and breaking multiple bones. This largely inspired the creation of Lucie’s activewear clothing with the brand’s ethos of rebuilding yourself. The message from EYO Active is to conquer and come out on top through challenging times.
We spoke to Lucie for some top tips and advice for going it solo and breaking free from the traditional 9-5.
Twill: Why did you start EYO?
Lucie: I was designing fast fashion in New York for seven years and was growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of sustainability, so I made the decision to move back to the UK and build my own sustainable business. I wanted to create a company that matched my personal morals and wasn’t hurting the planet.
Lucie’s sustainable activewear business idea is innovative through creating a sustainability change in the fashion industry. Her clothing is high-quality and made to last with the mission of eliminating waste. A sustainable shipping logistics process is an important environmental consideration too.
Twill: What does the day-to-day running of your business involve? Where do you export to?
Lucie: My day-to-day normally involves packing up and shipping goods using freight shipping services, emails, zoom meetings, more zoom meetings and marketing using social media. We are currently focused on growth, so there is a lot of discussion and plans for the future happening around cargo shipping internationally. We are currently exporting all around the UK, as well as ocean shipping to the USA (predominantly NYC and LA), Australia, Hong Kong and Tokyo.
Twill: What’s the importance of EYO Active’s mission statement?
Lucie: Sustainable activewear for everything you overcome. We're really passionate about empowering women to overcome their physical or emotional trauma using exercise, yoga and meditation. So we create beautiful, sustainable activewear for women to feel inspired to keep going.
Not only are the fabrics used for EYO clothing sustainable, but the message behind the brand echoes the notion of sustainability too. The sustainable fabrics are durable and tough through hardship and endurance, just like the customer of EYO – activewear for Everything You Overcome.
Twill: What is the key selling point of EYO?
Lucie: Activewear that makes you feel empowered, made from ocean and landfill waste.
Lucie’s background in fashion design exposed her to the industry of fast fashion. Wanting to make a change, her activewear promises longevity through the use of high-quality materials to create clothing made to last.
Twill: What have you learnt going it solo? How capital intensive is it?
Lucie: I believe that with enough hard work at the start you don’t need a big amount of capital behind you to get your idea off the ground. I researched for years before I made the decision to create EYO, and because of that research I was able to start EYO using my own savings with zero investment.
Twill: Did you face any challenges in the making of EYO Active?
Lucie: Challenges are ongoing when you have your own small business. There is always something that comes up that I don’t know the answer to or how to do it, but that is all part of the journey. We are here to learn. You can’t be put off by what challenges you’re going to face; that is where the excitement comes in.
Twill: What advice do you have for other budding entrepreneurs?
Lucie: Do your research - create a pitch plan for yourself as if you were an investor. After all the research into the market, if you still believe that your idea is worth it then go for it with everything you’ve got.
