Mind, body, spirit. At its core the practice of yoga is about looking within ourselves for harmony and connecting with the energy of the world around us. So it’s no surprise that yoga and lifestyle brand VYAYAMA is rooted in those principles. Launched four years ago, VYAYAMA has been designing and manufacturing yoga wear with the belief that mindfulness should inspire quality, beauty and joy. The brand stays true to those values by offering a collection of yoga essentials with TENCEL™ lyocell made fabrics that are beautifully crafted and a natural alternative to the synthetic materials used in most yoga wear. Derived from renewable wood sources using sustainable production processes, TENCEL™ lyocell fibers offer many benefits to athletic apparel including: thermal regulation, efficient moisture absorption, enhanced breathability and color retention.

As VYAYAMA’s Director of Design and Innovative Sustainability, Anette Cantagallo is charged with ensuring that VYAYAMA sources natural, sustainable fabrics and partners with likeminded companies that adhere to the strictest policies in garment production, dying and working conditions.

It was Cantagallo’s past experience with Lenzing and their TENCEL™ Active collection of sustainable fibers that made an impression with the founder of VYAYAMA. Today VYAYAMA uses TENCEL™ branded lyocell extensively throughout its product line; “We have been working with TENCEL™ fibers since I joined the company and it aligned perfectly with the founder’s vision. We now develop our own custom TENCEL™ lyocell made fabrics,” says Cantagallo. As an example of the brands innovative design process, they collaborated with their fabric partners in Portugal for a year developing a TENCEL ™ lyocell made fabric that achieves a balance between softness and compression.

Cantagallo believes that being a sustainable company is something that should be the norm not the exception. In fact, it’s so important to VYAYAMA’s founder that the company is totally transparent with its supply chain and has been featured on sites such as Who Made My Activewear.

VYAYAMA currently offers four distinct collections of yoga wear and a small line of TENCEL™ Intimates. The brands approach to design is simple, to make the wearer feel good about herself. “It all starts with the material, we want to offer our customer something innovative and exciting as well as beautiful and thoughtfully designed,” Cantagallo exclaims. And who is the VYAYAMA customer? “She’s a woman who cares about fashion and style and acts mindfully toward the planet,” she adds.

Based on the company’s ecommerce sales and its partnership with Selfridges Department Store in London, the VYAYAMA brand is hitting its stride fusing fashion and performance with products that are sculpting, flattering and lightweight. “The fact that our workout clothes don’t smell bad after a class is just fascinating,” Cantagallo proclaims. From how the garments feel on your body to their incredibly soft touch VYAYAMA has created a unique position in the yoga market.

“TENCEL™ Active is making it possible for VYAYAMA to align fashion with ethical and environmental values without compromising beauty and that is long overdue in our industry,” states Cantagallo. The team at VYAYAMA believes it has been able to deliver something truly unique to the market by using TENCEL™ fibers and innovative knitting techniques. The brand delivers a product that looks fashion yet is high-performance, hypoallergenic and non-toxic as an alternative to synthetic activewear.