More than Activewear: A Glimpse into Kosha Fit
More than Activewear: A Glimpse into Kosha Fit
By: Emma Greene
Kosha Fit activewear is designed from the inside out. Dedicated to “connecting you to your trust essence,” this female-founded brand is transforming the nuance of activewear. Kosha Fit sets are designed to be worn beyond the workout. With the hustle of everyday life in mind, their goal is to help customers find alignment with their authentic selves, helping them to transform self-doubt into self-awareness.
Jordan Artman founded Kosha Fit in September of 2020. She wanted to design the clothing she wished for, as she believes showing up in clothes that make you “look good and feel good” set the tone for your day, and by extension, your life. “If I wake up and put a workout set on I’m naturally going to feel more inspired to eat healthier and make decisions based on my well-being, like working out,” Artman said. “I wear my sets all day — I’ll wear them to brunch, to work, to workout — whatever it may be. I always feel put together in a matching set.”
The brand’s aspirational message promotes more than clothes, Kosha Fit promotes a lifestyle. Artman hopes her brand and the resources they provide will inspire and help other women to find the alignment she seeks each day. “Something that I always struggled with throughout high school, and even college was truly finding confidence within myself,” Artman said. “At the time, I didn't realize that I was building my self worth around external validation. Post-grad, I was enrolled in an immersion program where we did the inner work to discover our authentic selves.”
The program, Quarter Life Calling, is where Artman began her ongoing journey toward healthy living and alignment in all aspects of life. This alignment is based on the Taittiriya Upanishad, an ancient Vedic text which explains the five Koshas, or layers of being. These are Anmamaya, the physical body; Pranamaya, energy and breath; Manomaya, the mind; Vijñänamaya, discernment and wisdom; and finally, Anadamaya, or bliss. These ideals are represented in the five horizontal lines which make up Kosha Fit’s logo.
“My mission in starting Kosha Fit was to bridge the gap between the ideology that completely transformed my perspective with the ideals of modern day society,” Artman said. “We're all trying to find balance and well-being in our lives, which is difficult to do with distractions like social media and comparing ourselves to others.”
To help customers along the journey to alignment, Kosha Fit provides their community with resources across social media and their website’s blog. One of Artman’s favorite resources is the “Mindful Minute,” which is sent to customers each Monday, giving advice and motivation for the week ahead. Kosha Fit furthers their dedication to mental well-being by donating three percent of each sale to NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Artman wears many hats, including designing products and testing them. “A lot of my designs come to me through meditation," Artman said. “I'll sketch them out and then create digital mock-ups of them. After that, I send them out to our supplier, and we begin the sampling processes.” When creating a new line, Artman turns to her customer base first. Through Instagram polls and within her own fitness community, Artman decides the best colors and designs to release.
Artman and her team were kind enough to send me a set to try. The first thing I noticed when putting it on is how smooth the fabric is. Buttery and slightly compressive, Kosha Fit’s leggings provide a smoothing effect, even in the light blue color I tried. The bra top is also supportive and flattering. These sets are comfortable and stylish, making the perfect ensemble for a casual busy day. At $74 for the leggings and $48 for the bra, I would say Kosha Fit products are certainly worth the money. The quality and comfort which Kosha Fit provides easily compares to that of activewear brands with much steeper pricepoints.
While they manage to actively engage with Artman’s involved audience every day, the Kosha Fit team is much smaller than you may think. Her team is made up of only one employee and the help of several freelancers. As a small business owner, Artman has found that keeping a tight schedule is vital to her life and work. “I love to time block," Artman said. “I think it's really important to have that structure because I'm not working for anyone else; it all kind of falls on me.”
Artman’s days typically begin at 5 a.m. She’s off to a workout class within an hour and after, she takes the time to meditate and journal. After that, she’s off to the office to package orders, answer emails, create promotional materials, and interact with her audience online all by herself, and all before 7 p.m.
Once her workday is done, Artman enjoys walking her dog, Kaia, practicing yoga, or going to the beach with friends in their hometown of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
“I try to be done with work and really shut off by 7 because it can be hard to just be going, going, going, without boundaries,” Artman said. “When owning a business, it's all on you, and you feel like you should always be working, but it's really important to find that balance in your life and take time away sometimes.”
Though keeping a healthy work-life balance can be challenging, Artman is constantly reminded of how much she loves her work.“Whenever I see people wearing the sets that I design, I just feel fulfilled and proud of myself,” Artman said. “I think knowing I'm making an impact, not only through the clothing but also transforming people's mindsets and their lives and sharing a message that I'm passionate about always helps.”
This passion that Artman has found is key when starting and owning a business. “Make sure you can stay authentic to yourself and your brand message. You’re going to have to put a lot of time and effort into building a business and community,” said Artman.”Even though it's easy to hop on trends or compare yourself to other brands, staying true to your message and your story is the only way. That’s what makes showing up for your brand each and every day really fulfilling.”
No matter the journey, be it in business or personal development, Artman believes that staying true to one’s self is the key to happiness. “When you discover your true self, you feel empowered, you feel confident,” Artman said. “Then, you can show up authentically, no matter where you go.”
Kosha Fit was built on the strong foundation of women empowering women. Promoting balance and self-awareness instead of unrealistic expectations of fitness and outward appearance, the sets are designed to make us feel good about ourselves, whether or not we are working out in them. Kosha Fit’s ideology sets an example, not only for their customers but for other brands as well.
A special thank you to Jordan Artman for sharing your inspiring story with us and for allowing us to try out your products! You can shop Kosha Fit here and can find them on Instagram @koshafit.
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Photos courtesy of Kosha Fit.