Rese Activewear

As a Pilates, yoga and fitness enthusiast, Gail Reisman knows that there is a long checklist to remember during a workout, from focused breathing to making sure that the back is in correct alignment, all while simultaneously performing a motion or holding a position. Reisman’s Rese Activewear line aims to make it easier for gym rats to remember to engage their core abs and to see if their hips are straight through strategic contrast stitching, logos and contrasting panels placed on the clothing.

Reisman shows the first top she designed, which has a wide tonal panel under the bust line that was inspired by practicing Pilates.

“When you do Pilates, one of the things that you need to do is access those muscles behind your ribcage,” Reisman said. “I found for myself one of the hardest things was to isolate them. So people need visual cues because you learn not only from hearing things but seeing things. A lot of instructors have told me that it really helps because when they have their clients wearing this top, they can just sort of point to this [panel] and say, ’Pull in those muscles in your ribcage.’”

Building on the idea of functional activewear, Reisman employs a contrasting stripe waistband on pants and contrast color stitches that follow along the side seams of tanks to aid in visualizing straight hip or back alignment.

Rese Activewear is a return to the apparel industry for Reisman. In the early 1990s, she co-owned a line called Pazzo in New York, which was sold primarily through department stores. Her new endeavor was inspired by the California lifestyle of women that “can easily be in your workout clothes all day long” as they jet from fitness class to a lunch meeting to picking up their kids at school.

“I worked out in New York, but once I came out here, I started to work out more. I just fell in love with the California lifestyle: hiking, spinning, yoga, Pilates,” Reisman said. Rese Activewear is sold at upscale gyms such as The Sports Club/LA, resort hotels such as Canyon Ranch Resort and Hotel in Tucson, Ariz., and various yoga and Pilates studios.

Retail prices range around $50 for tank tops, $74 to $98 for outerwear jackets and $46 to $78 for bottoms. Reisman uses performance fabrics such as Supplex nylon/Lycra, which provides compression support and wicks sweat away from the body, and a breathable mesh that helps keep the body cool for outdoor activities.

For more information, call (323) 461-3801 or visit www.resepilates.com. —Rhea Cortado