California Apparel News

When designer Ilana Kugel moved from her native Brazil to the United States, she was surprised to see how women here dress to work out.

“I came here and I saw girls wearing basketball shorts and T-shirts and I thought, ‘You don’t look cute,’” Kugel said. “In Brazil, you want to look sexy and cute.”

The self-described “very active” designer first launched a resort and swimwear line called Koral Swimwear (pronounced “coral”), which came to the attention of Peter Koral (pronounced “corral”), the Los Angeles–based co-founder of 7 For All Mankind and current owner of Koral Los Angeles, the denim line he founded in 2012 with his son, David Koral.

“When starting Koral Los Angeles denim, we came across Ilana’s collection, which was also under the name Koral,” Peter Koral said. “We met with Ilana and really loved her designs and the direction she was going with the Koral Activewear collection. We then decided to join forces with Ilana and bring the Koral Activewear collection under the same roof as Koral Los Angeles.”

Koral Activewear uses high-end and high-tech fabrics from Italy, Japan and Brazil to create activewear pieces that can easily be worn outside the gym.

There are laser-cut details, pretty strapping on the back of tops and inset mesh panels on the leggings. A zip-front jacket has an attached scarf that can also be worn as a hood. And Kugel included a few sexy jumpsuit styles, as well. “Jumpsuits are popular in Brazil—they’ve been wearing them forever,” she said.

The designer also includes plenty of technical fabrics and details to help the wearer get the most out of her workout. There’s a quick-dry compression fabric, and everything is designed with support and comfort in mind.

Wholesale prices range from $25 to $56 for tops, $27 to $39 for sports bras, $25 to $54 for bottoms, $57 to $81 for jumpsuits and $80 to $119 for jackets.

For more information, contact the Cohen Showroom in Los Angeles at (213) 627-8851 or the 810 Showroom in New York at (212) 398-2092.