About Us
Running Bare bear icon

About Us

In 1983, with sparkling sand under their feet and warm rays on their skin, my parents - Corin and Brian Powell created Running Bare. They set out to produce elevated activewear inspired by the place where it all began — Bondi Beach, Sydney — so women all over the world could own a piece of this iconic stretch of sand. Forever staying true to our Bondi roots, Running Bare is masterfully designed, crafted, and produced locally.

Wooden ladder on a beach

Our Culture

Since 1983, Running Bare has been privately owned and operated by the Powell family with my mother, Corin and myself at the helm. As lifelong Sydneysiders, and women in business, it is very important that we continue to support our local community — just as we have done for almost 40 years of being in the activewear trade. All activewear fabrics are cut on site at our headquarters in sunny Sydney, Australia, while just one suburb over, garments are being crafted and sewn. Being so close to the action means we can personally check production at a moment’s notice. At Running Bare, we are on a mission to keep it local, which not only guarantees exceptionally high quality, but also boosts our local economy and gifts people from all over the world a little slice of iconic Sydney.

Framed bear pictures hung on a wall

Our Operations

The production hub of Running Bare is the Operations team. From testing zippers through to warehousing, our Operations team are driven by a desire to deliver Running Bare garments to the highest level of quality & sustainability. They are the engine room that keeps Running Bare headquarters flowing seamlessly. Running Bare products are intimately connected to our own community & country. We actively pursue sustainability across all key areas of our brand: our fabric mills; our factories; our cutting room & our operations. All our stretch items are manufactured locally & we pride ourselves on the high quality garments that are consciously crafted at our factory in Sydney, Australia. At the heart of everything we do is our heritage: we are Australian born & bred, Australian owned & Australian made, creating premium products of which we are proud.

Dinning room

Our People

The Running Bare team are a diverse collective, originating from all over the globe and all walks of life. We are proud to call Sydney home and to be a part of our local based community. We employ a team of creative individuals across several disciplines from design, sales, marketing & finance to cutting, production, quality control & sewing – all under one roof at our headquarters in Rosebery, Sydney. We believe that everyone’s voice should be heard, and collaboration is one of the cornerstones of our long-term success as a brand. We take pride in the fact that much of our team have built their careers at Running Bare and we like to think of ourselves as an extended family. We understand that it truly takes a village.

Running Bare crew standing near fabric

Our Craftswomen

The Running Bare all-female design team is a collective of in-house designers, pattern makers & machinists who work together to create garments of the highest level. Working with stretch fabrics, we have always understood the importance of the perfect fit & flawless patterns – these are keystones of our longevity & success. Our pattern makers are the craftswomen who create the perfect Running Bare silhouettes, to compliment every woman’s shape from sizes 8 -22 in both classic and petite fits. Having perfected our pattern blocks over decades, our pattern makers expertly customise and craft our designs specific to fabric, function, size & fit. Every garment design is tested, re-tested & then tested again, to ensure we deliver the perfect Running Bare fit for which we are now famous. We want you to live in our products, so we make them to last. The ability to control every step & to focus on the detailed aspects of the manufacturing process is at the heart of everything we do at Running Bare.

Sports bra on mannequin

Our Mills

At Running Bare we believe it all starts with beautiful fabrics. We search the globe, to source & develop innovative, eco-friendly, and luxurious performance stretch fabrics. With a focus on wearability & durability, we select only premium quality fibres that will stand the test of time. We knit our fabric with the best textile mills in the world, from Brisbane to Italy. Collaborating at this level has allowed us to innovate sustainably produced fabrics using organic & recycled products such as: seaweed; recycled plastic bottles; discarded fishing nets; ocean waste; biodegradable polyester & Econyl – just to name a few. Curiosity, an eagerness to experiment, and a constant striving to create the most luxurious and eco-friendly products for our customers is what drives our dedication to research & development. Over 4 decades, we have built long-lasting relationships with our textile mills, who also share our vision for a better, more sustainable, future.

Textile mill

Our Cutting Rooms

All stretch fabrics are cut on-site at our Sydney headquarters, with our in-house team of cutting masters (aka “the boys”). Our mission to keep it local extends into every aspect of our business, including machinery: our Pathfinder automated fabric cutting machines are proudly manufactured in Melbourne and also happen to the best machine of its kind available in the world today.

Fabric cutting tool

Our Factories

As the largest local manufacturer of activewear in Australia, we are enormously proud of the manufacturing network we have built in Sydney. Our capacity to locally produce as many styles as we do, all within close proximity to our headquarters, is one of the major contributors to our success and our key differentiation to any other Australian activewear brand.

We are also proud to work with a handful of trusted partners offshore who specialise in cotton production. We have always believed in using specialist factories, because we know this delivers a quality end-product & enhances the longevity of our (your) garments. All Running Bare garments are ethically manufactured by our female-led teams of machinists, many of whom have been partners with us since our beginning back in 1983. They are an integral part of our extended Running Bare family & we could not achieve what we do without them.

Activewear factory

Our Quality

At Running Bare, we believe in quality over quantity; and making garments that are masterfully crafted and conscientiously manufactured. In other words, garments that last a lifetime.

Activewear on hangers

Our 40-Year Long Mission

Our passion for craftsmanship, timeless design & innovative luxurious fabrics is at the heart of everything we do. We combine these elements to create the character & soul of our brand, that has become synonymous with the longest running activewear house in Australia. We believe it is our social responsibility to protect our environment & its people in whatever way we can. But we are aware that there is always more to do, and we are just getting started.

We invite you to #followthebear #runningbare
#consciouslycrafted #insydney #since1983

Fabric blowing in the wind on a beach