Empreinte Enters the Activewear Market with IN-PULSE

From hitting the gym after work to a weekend powerwalk in the park with friends, keeping fit and doing sport has become a routine part of our daily lives. And naturally, we want to look good doing it. We want sportswear that is both chic and functional and will hold up well to the rigors of regular exercise.

French lingerie brand Empreinte has been fine-tuning its fit and support since 1946 – a timeline that includes 12 years of expertise in seamless lingerie – and now it’s taking that savoir-faire and channeling it into the brand’s first-ever activewear line, IN-PULSE.

“Empreinte has always been focused on women’s well-being through its lingerie that provides both a unique fit and a style infused with French elegance,” says Empreinte North America’s Marketing Coordinator Josie-Anne Le Diouron, “Our know-how combined with our desire to offer women the freedom to move as they want in their everyday life naturally led us to explore the activewear segment, a segment that is no longer only reserved for sportspersons.”

INITIALE, the debut IN-PULSE range, comprises a seamless sports bra, a shorty, and matching leggings for a perfectly-coordinated look. The three pieces are available in a choice of graphite grey or light and rosy pink. Incorporated into the designs are metallic panels and shimmering stripes, for a contemporary ‘sports chic’ vibe.

IN-PULSE is the culmination of three years of development, research, and rigorous testing. “We transferred our expertise into the activewear world with new fabrics, functionality, and accessories resulting in a range that offers exceptional performance,” says Josie-Anne.

The INITIALE sports bra is underwired, but you wouldn’t know it from how it feels. “We made the choice to have wires on our sports bra as in a regular bra,” she adds, “since they give extra support and help with creating a beautiful separation of the breast. However, these wires are integrated into the structure of the bra so that they cannot be felt on the body during activities.”

Support With Shape

The bra, although designed to be lightweight, significantly reduces bounce even for fuller busts, and even for high-intensity sports. Many sports bras have racerback or crossover straps for added support, and the INITIALE includes that option. It has discreet clasp fastenings where the cups join to the straps, allowing you to easily convert them to a crossover style without taking the bra off.

The wiring keeps the breasts separated and lifted, rather than flattening them as some cheaper, compression-based sports bras do. Available in C-H cup sizes, the INITIALE sports bra will keep you feeling both confident and comfortable, whether you’re darting across a tennis court or powering through a kick-boxing class.

Function & Fashion

The range also uses fabrics that are soft to the touch, with the cups made from a spacer fabric for breathability and rapid drying. The shorty has flat seams and a chic-but-comfy wide elastic waistband. While the leggings use durable EMANA fabric that boosts comfort and provides SPF 50+ UV protection for your outdoor workouts.

Overall, INITIALE is a fantastic entrance into the activewear market from Empreinte – it’s functional, which is the most important thing in fitness wear of course, but clearly an equal amount of thought has been put into making it attractive. The leggings especially are something you can put on for the gym and then keep wearing as stylish athleisurewear afterward.

IN-PULSE launches in stores in December 2019, with RRPs of $205 for the bra (available in 32-40D, 28-40 E-F, 30-40G, and 30-36H), $85 for the shorty (available in XS-XXL), and $170 for the leggings (available in S-L).

Information courtesy of thelingeriejournal.com