If you are – or have ever been – pregnant, you’ll know all too well the dreaded moment when Absolutely. Nothing. Fits. Whether it’s at two months, when your belly looks a little more like the result of a buffet than a baby, or at six months, when even your stretchiest pre-baby yoga pants are digging into all the wrong places. Or, perhaps you’re familiar with that post-baby tummy that none of us really like to talk about (so we’ll stop right there)...
Sydney-based mothers Mel Bryden and Amy Hahn had experienced it all first-hand, so after being relegated to months of ill-fitting leggings and oversized track pants, decided to take matters into their own Vegemite-laden hands. (Thanks to four children under 3 between them.) Enter The Ten Active. A gorgeous range of leggings made specifically for pre, during and post-pregnancy, when a mother’s body really needs an extra dose of love. While they are designed as activewear, The Ten Active’s range is so versatile and chic that you’d be forgiven for dressing them up for mocktails. We spoke to Amy and Mel about the range. Go to www.thetenactive.com.au
Can you talk us through your career paths and what inspired the launch of The Ten Active?
Amy: I have a journalism and marketing background, working mainly for international corporations before the birth of my first son. After Isaac was born, I started taking on freelance clients, and began working with some incredible brands including Barre Body, where I’m now the marketing director. I live in gorgeous activewear, love being immersed in business, and have always loved the idea of creating a product that I could touch and feel (not like a communications strategy!). So The Ten Active ticked all my boxes. Mel: I am a primary school teacher, and I came to Amy when I was pregnant with my second baby, Annabel, and desperately asked where all the gorgeous pregnant women at Barre Body found their activewear. The pants I knew and loved had begun digging in all the wrong places, were making me feel awful. Amy replied with, “Oh, I get asked that all the time … Just go up a size in your usual brand. They won’t be perfect but they’ll do!”. It was then that the lightbulb went off in both our minds. We were used to such beautiful, luxurious activewear in our everyday lives, that buying ill-fitting or poor quality maternity leggings simply wasn’t an option. And that’s where The Ten Active was born! While neither of us have a background in fashion, we are scrupulous in our style, and have connected with some of the best fashion brains in the industry to make our ultimate maternity activewear.
To shop, go to www.thetenactive.com.au
Can you tell us about some of the key pieces and what’s special about them?
We have launched with three leggings – The Connie, The Kim and The Ally (named after our amazing machinist, pattern maker and designer!). All three styles are in beautiful grey marle, which is super flattering and versatile. We’ve worn them with a loose silk Equipment shirt and Valentino sneakers while running errands, through to Birkenstocks with a white bassike tee on the way to yoga. You’ll see there are some clever little design tricks in the pants to make them really flattering for when women need it most. Whether it’s the dark curved side panel in The Ally, or the light grey contrast in the centre of The Connie – they’re designed to make women feel beautiful. We then followed up our launch collection most recently with a black range – The Anna and The Charlie (named after our youngest babies!). These leggings are a little more dressy and have a great inner panel that is often mistaken for leather. This means women are wearing them throughout their entire days, rather than just while they’re working out (or planning to!). Most importantly, all our pants have all been designed specifically to grow with the pregnant body, and feature our signature stretchable belly band that supports the body pre and post pregnancy. (In fact, “The Ten” refers to the ten months we expect women will wear our leggings! Not confined to the second and third trimesters, they flow through to the months postpartum when our tummies need a bit more support.) We’ve also selected the finest, most luxuriously soft fabrics we could get our hands on, which are also highly functional. With a focus on being comfortable, supportive and light, they also absorb moisture and move with the body. One thing we were passionate about was supporting the Australian fashion industry. Also, as mothers (and just humans, really), we want to feel proud of and comfortable with where our clothes come from and how they’ve been made. So all our pants are designed and made in Australia – right down to our labels and swing tags. To shop the collection, visit www.thetenactive.com.au