AKINN 3.2 inspirations: Alicia Pan

INTRODUCING ATHLESTYLE

Redefining athleisure. Rethinking sophistication. Reclaiming comfort.

Conventional athleisure is defined by athletic wear with an aesthetic touch - looking and feeling good with the same pieces in and outside the gym.
Athlestyle by AKINN elevates the notion of athleisure and reshapes our ideas of what it means to have versatility in sports utility. Stylish, refined looks that are befitting of the new office environment, featuring curated premium sports fabric present in top sports brands with quick dry and wrinkle resistant properties so you can grab and never go wrong.
Think occasion-ready dresses in stretch fabric; sharp utility pants with ergonomic features; and classic, chic tops with moisture wicking properties.
Etched in durability and breathability, fashioned in sophisticated styles, Athlestyle lends from what you know and love in activewear and extends the same performance to your amped up days.

ABOUT THE COLLECTION

AKINN 3.2: Athlestyle is all about paying homage to the adaptable woman.
Freedom that meets the ever-flowing, ever-moving active woman on the go.
It is about embracing wellness in fashion. Confidence in going from a workout straight out to cookout. A meeting. Family time. Alone time.
A single form that converges the demands of living, working, and playing, giving balance to the hectic lifestyles of the modern woman.

Experience the collection here.

Round Neck Twist-Back Knee Length Dress in Stone

AKINN INSPIRATIONS: ALICIA PAN

Yoga studio co-founder, singer-songwriter, and mother.

Through Singapore's interconnected music and fashion world, AKINN’s creative director Wykidd Song has known Alicia for over a decade. Starting as a singer-songwriter and with mutual friends in the creative space, Alicia’s musical performances and Wykidd’s fashion line events were places these two would chance upon each other. With a deep respect for each other's craft, they would coexist in the creative space and continue pursuing their passions. With the formation of the Yoga Movement @yogamovement, a thriving yoga studio for all experience levels, it is needless to say that Alicia’s pursuits did not stop at music.

With grit and vision, Alicia and her then-partner, now husband, Peter, proudly amassed eight physical locations to date. From the studio’s humble beginnings, Alicia has consistently and diligently built a space that has become a lifestyle for many, now fondly known as the “YM Life”.

With working out, and owning and running a business being such a big part in her life, her day-to-day tasks can be relentless. Furthermore, though a large portion of her time has been taken up from work, Alicia also believes balance and a routine is key to keeping herself family-oriented. Having two young children herself, and only so much time in a day to juggle everything, Alicia’s number one focus is function.

With customer-minded goals at the heart of AKINN, we saw the importance of incorporating functionality and versatility in utility with the introduction of Athlestyle. Whether what a person wears befits their ever-changing environment and when they need to simply grab that fit that never goes wrong. During the chat with Alicia, she talks about how she fulfils the duties of her different chosen roles in life, how she balances them just right, and how she needs her skin to breathe when there is just no time to settle down. Her daily lifestyle, from working out at the studio to joining semi-formal meetings to coming home to take care of her kids, was a massive inspiration for AKINN 3.2: Athlestyle.

Lounging casually at the Yoga Movement Orchard Flagship, Alicia openly shares how her slow but profound growth of love for Yoga and her dream to forge her own path intertwined. Alicia also gladly shares what makes the latest AKINN 3.2 functional and fashionable for her own lifestyle.

Tanktop with Inserts in Blue Fog and Utility Pants with Elastic Band

A glass door gift from her father, an empty studio, and a loving partner

That was all that Alicia had with her at the start of her Yoga studio business. With a goal in mind and a killer sense of frugality, Alicia and Peter worked hard to create the youth-lifestyle concept focused on Yoga accessible to the common man.

“Back in the day, I felt Yoga was an activity that I found people felt intimidated by… So we wanted to remove the barriers to entry.” She smiles.

Unsure at first about trying out Yoga, Alicia’s friends persuaded her to try the relaxing activity. Over time, she saw the physical and mental benefits of Yoga and eventually became, for the lack of a better term, ‘addicted’. Coupled with the knowledge from her own first doubts about Yoga and how others may feel the same, she marched forward with her dream in tow.

For many within the ever-competitive Singapore, perhaps trying something new and out of our comfort zone may be daunting. But communities like the one Alicia has made have created opportunities to be unabashedly open and unrestrained in exploring different activities we are curious about. Key learning point? Feel free to be unapologetically versatile.

Overlap Back Halter-Neck Dress in Olive

Function and Fashion intertwined

To Alicia, functionality is priority numero uno. At AKINN, that’s what we care about too. We believe in having our customer base in mind for every design made. To us, designing apparel for the modern woman means creating apparel that allows mobility for folks on the go and dealing with tropical weather. To create a look that helps Alicia be fashionably functional wherever, whenever, whatever she’s doing.

After trying out various looks, Alicia's absolute favourite in the collection is the Overlap Back Halter-Neck Dress in Olive (pictured, above). The classic feature of AKINN wear she loves most is the pockets. No surprise there.

Alicia’s story is one that exemplifies the busy, demanding lifestyle of the modern Singaporean. It is important to pursue excellence in different aspects of our lives, but to also find a balanced flow between settling for comfort and pursuing sophistication. Letting our personality be expressed in the way we dress, yet being practical and comfortable enough to tide us through the demands of the day.

After all, what use is fashion without comfort for the active woman?

View the full collection here.