Ever since the announcement of the new athleisure brand co-founded by Beyoncé: Ivy Park, members of the Bey Hive have been preparing themselves to run the world, or at least to Topshop in order to purchase this highly coveted attire.
The collection is marketed as enabling people to look stylish both on and off the field. The campaign makes this clear through slogans such as ‘you don’t have to choose what kind of woman you are’, which means - good news! Regardless of whether you’re an exercise fanatic or if you see meditating on the sofa as a daily workout, this collection is for you.
The campaign does however have a stronger focus on exercise. The promotional video sees models indulging in all kinds of sports from running, dancing and swimming, to more unusual forms of exercise such as skipping and roller blading. Beyoncé’s poetic voiceover seems to promote exercise as a time of contemplation and self-discovery whilst on the website a more direct route is taken with strobe flashes screaming imperatives such as ‘SLAY’ and ‘RUN’ in the manner of a high school PE teacher gone feminist.
The idea behind this dramatic message is influencing customers to buy and gain confidence from Beyoncé approved leggings thus promoting exercise as part of a healthy and stylish lifestyle. Who knew that was all it would take to get people more active? Despite the collection’s popularity, there have been complaints regarding the collection, as although it claims to encourage inclusivity of all sizes, the largest size is an XL. That said this is probably a result of Topshop sizes normally only going to a 16 and not a decision by the Ivy Park brand.
The variety of the collection means that everyone’s needs are catered for, although there is clear divide between conceivably wearable and what needs more than a bootylicious body to feel confident in
The variety of the collection means that everyone’s needs are catered for, although there is clear divide between conceivably wearable and what needs more than a bootylicious body to feel confident in. For example the slightly high price tag of the plain t-shirts and tracksuits branded Ivy Park is justified by the soft material which means you will surely wear it, even if they are verging on the side of merchandise, the mesh parkas, hoodies and vests and patterned running shorts are also style steals. Whereas the so called ‘high rise dance pant’ or bodies I struggle to imagine wearing, as by high rise you can read full Brazilian necessary!
Nevertheless the majority of the range has been praised for wear ability and comfort. The collection is generally affordable with a few exceptions such as the full length body which at £160. Unlike a lot of other sportswear, Ivy Park does not assault the eyes with a whirlwind of colours and patterns, rather the collection uses primarily black, grey and white with the welcome touches of pale pink or electric blue. Colour however is not the key selling point of this collection, it is the range of textures that have left people most impressed. Piping and applique add a new dimension to the clothes and texture also seems to mark the division between the ath and the leisure, with mesh, jersey and cotton catering to your casual wear needs and elastane, polyester and nylon accelerating sports performance.
Overall popularity in sales and positive reviews prove many customers have fallen Crazy in Love with the line.