Posted on August 08 2022
It’s been a minute since we caught up with our wonderful founder, Mary Moran. A lot has been happening at ILU Fitwear lately - an exciting pivot, events gone by and on the horizon, plus shoots galore! Mary is the life and soul of this brand, so we thought we’d ask her a little about how the brand has come to be what it is today, as well as her hopes and dreams for its future.
Hello Mary! We’d love to know, do you remember the exact moment that you decided to create a start-up?
Oooh. It was a gradual decision actually. Like many founders, starting from a need which I experienced myself, as a consumer. About 10 years ago, I had trained as a PT, was into fitness and couldn’t find what I wanted to wear. And a voice kept whispering…could you not create something. Until I did.
What did you envisage being the founder of a women’s activewear brand to be?
A lot more glamorous than it is! Lol. The truth is, I knew so little about the whole manufacturing side of things, all I focussed on was the design and the end products! And factories are NOT glamourous places. Fact. But I did sense the pride, the passion, and also acknowledge the stresses that the founder role would bring. I knew I would enjoy the creative side of things. It’s been all of that and more.
The recent pivot to becoming Inclusively Adaptive, what inspired this exciting change?
I was helping friends who were setting up a headhunting business placing people with disabilities in the mainstream job market- actually looking at some of the legal issues. One of them asked whether ILU catered for customers with adaptive needs… that was the lightbulb moment! From thinking actually…we don’t at the moment…do others….could we…should we… and then YES! When I realised the scale of the issue, the lack of options to suit adaptive customers. The concept of inclusively adaptive- meaning integrating adaptive friendly/adaptive options with mainstream clothing came to me a little later, when I started to think in more detail about how to cater for this market.
Finally, how do you want each and every woman to feel when she tries on an ILU piece?
I just want every woman to feel a million dollars! To feel like a woman, beautiful, confident, happy and comfortable. To feel GOOD!
