An Australian activewear brand made of perfect sporting garments and with attentive care for all sports lovers. Horizon Athletic, the latest addition to our pop-up shop, is the definition of creative and comfortable. We sat with the brain behind this innovative line, Marlena Gabriel, who told us more about the inspiration behind her collections, her challenges and future aspirations…
What inspired you to create your brand?
My desire for fashion started at a young age. I come from a family of dressmakers. Furthermore since I was 5 years old, I have been participating in a sports. I started off dancing, ice skating, swimming, gymnastics, weightlifting, powerlifting and currently marathon running. I decided to turn my two passions into a dream by creating my own brand called Horizon Athletic with authentic values; ethics, sustainability, athleticism and women empowerment.
What sets you apart from other athletic apparel brands?
Athleticism, which is part of the brand name (Athletic) together with Horizon, represents a boundless new world. We have developed every collection based on a historical female athlete, this really embraces female empowerment which is what we want our customers to feel when wearing our brand.
“Sustainability” is a hot topic in the Fashion industry currently. How do you incorporate it into your designs?
The brand was built on sustainability it is one of the and I would say the most vital value of the brand. As a swimwear and activewear brand you can feel the natural connection to the environment. Most sporting activities are performed outside, whether it would be a run in the forest or a swim in the ocean automatically a person is connected to the environment and enjoying its beauty therefore it is so authentic for the Horizon Athletic to uphold that love and respect for our planet. Each collection developed has a story behind it and that is where the inspiration for that collection comes from. Our latest collection Topography was created to draw awareness to the glacier recession we are currently facing. We designed the collection from feedback we received from our customers. We kept it minimal and comfortable. We make our garments from high quality sustainable fabrics. Our production is always manufactured with ethical factories. We have an ethically factory for our swim in Australia and our activewear in produced in Europe.
Based on your experience and observation, how has athleticwear evolved over the years?
Activewear has taken a new category in fashion. Activewear is now a style of clothing incorporated in every day fashion trends.
As an online shop, how do you create the real feel for your clients?
The only way to connect with customers online is to create campaigns that really tell the story of the collection and ensure the images and videos are of high quality.
What are the biggest challenges you face as an athletic apparel brand?
Pre pandemic there was much more space for Activewear, as there was only really activewear brands and now post pandemic all fashion brands have introduced their own activewear lines which has increased the supply of activewear on the market and this has made it more competitive.
Now that your items are available on Fashtory, how important is it for an Australian brand like you to have an exposure in the GCC market?
Expansion into international markets especially GCC market is crucial for any brand because GCC is evolving and there is a growing demand for activewear in the GCC market.
In your opinion, how does the GCC market differ from the Australian market?
GCC are more into fashion trends than the Australian market they are also more open to high quality clothing.
Where do you see your brand five years from now?
We hope to have expanded adequately in the GCC, European and American market. We also would like to expand into menswear.
What is your message to new athleticwear brands who are trying to make it in a competitive market?
You must have a competitive advantage to distinguish yourself from our brand and you must be authentic.
Find Horizon Athletic’s latest collection in our pop-up shop…
