Husband-and-wife team Ben and Lara Mead launched their London-based activewear brand Varley after taking a vacation in Santa Monica more than four years ago.
Now the couple is heading back – for good.
While the co-founders used the California lifestyle as an inspiration for the line’s look of contrasting prints, the connection will mean more once the company moves its local headquarters, which should be relocated by August.
Lara Mead, Varley’s chief executive, said the change will make it easier to manage its wholesale business, which accounts for most of its revenue.
There’s also another, more practical reason.
“When we ran the American part of the business from London … my day starts at 5 a.m. and goes on until midnight,” she said. “Being in California allows us to have a little bit of a life.”
Activewear sales have received a hefty boost as a result of the “athleisure” trend – a market estimated to be at $44 billion in the United States, according to research firm NPD Group – and a growing number of retailers such as fast-fashion giant Forever 21 have been beefing up sportswear offerings.
Varley will also be expanding its line in November in an attempt to evolve into a contemporary lifestyle brand by introducing pieces such as zip-up hoodies, sweats, and T-shirts. And it’s developing an accessories line consisting of cosmetic and gym bags to launch this fall.
“Varley really is a hybrid between California and laid-back style but elegance,” Mead said. “The (fall line) stuff you can wear with jeans as well as work out in.”
Benjamin Matz, director at financial consulting firm Conway Mackenzie’s downtown L.A. office, said many traditional sport retailers are struggling but Varley’s offerings help set it apart.
“The traditional concept of sportswear and activewear and retail in general hasn’t been performing well,” Matz said. “But Varley is more boutique. It’s very geared to fashion-forward women and very on trend.”
He added that it’s also uncommon for a young brand to find success with national high-end retailers early on.
“If you look at where they’re sold, it’s not the average retailer,” he said. “E-commerce has been a great thing for a lot of startups (but) being sold in national high-end and well-known retailers – that type of opportunity is not typically available.”
Stretching out
Varley got its start as a swimwear brand in 2012 but transitioned into an activewear label two years later. It has a staff of nine across both offices.
Lara previously worked as a talent agent for celebrities and athletes for James Grant Media Group in London. Her father, Timothy Parkin, is a former professional soccer player.
Ben, Varley’s creative director, worked as a trader in London before the pair launched the clothing company.
During the couple’s first vacation in Santa Monica, they caught the entrepreneurial bug and decided to build a company themselves. Lara declined to state startup costs but said they were significant.
“We did sell our four-bedroom family house in prime London to fund it,” she said. “So, it’s been a substantial investment.”
Lara’s father-in-law, Peter Mead, serves as the company’s chairman. He’s the founder of London ad agency Abbott Mead Vickers and chairman of Omnicom Europe.
The company’s first collection piqued the interest of Nicole Odenwald, former national sales director for retailer Wildfox, who has since founded downtown L.A. showroom Nicasa Los Angeles. Within a month, she was able to snag distribution deals for Varley with Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Planet Blue, Revolve, and Bandier. Varley is now sold in 300 stores in more than 30 countries.
Its clothes are manufactured in Portugal.
The company releases four collections a year, with staples including compression tights, such as a white python print owned by model Alessandra Ambrosio, sports bras, and T-shirts. Prices range from $55 for a sleeveless hoodie to $110 for tights.
Varley also plans to launch a core collection in July featuring basic colors such as black, white, and navy blue that will be available year-round.
Lara said the company has grown quickly in the two years since it launched its first collection on the active and swimwear e-commerce site Carbon38.
Though she declined to disclose revenue, she said she didn’t anticipate the company’s wholesale business to grow faster than its e-commerce site. The company redesigned its website last month and hopes to increase its online sales this year.
“I knew (activewear) was an emerging market space and a rapidly growing one,” she said. “It’s all happened so quickly. I haven’t had a minute to sit down and think, Oh, wow, look what we achieved. But we are proud of the brand.”
