Women’s activewear brand Sweaty Betty, a division of Wolverine World Wide, Inc., is rebranding itself with a new campaign focused on ending toxic narratives surrounding women’s workouts.
Sweaty Betty’s new look aims to empower women with a new, healthier and inclusive “Don’t Sweat It” message, ditching the “push-hard” rhetoric and purplewashing within the fitness industry in favor of self-love, sisterhood and to give up individuality.
The activewear brand commissioned London-based creative agency Fluoro to develop a rebranding campaign that speaks to women’s changing relationship with exercise, who are increasingly prioritizing health, wellness and ability over conforming to body ideals.
This is brought to life with a refreshed brand identity that highlights Sweaty Betty’s new mission: “To embrace our bodies and what we can do with them,” along with a new ethos of “Don’t Sweat It.”
Melissa Mullen, Sweaty Betty’s global brand president, said in a statement: “It’s important for us to ensure that the message we put out into the world is not about what exercise makes the body look like, but about how what it makes us feel and what it can help us with. Women face enough pressure as it is without someone else defining the ‘right’ way to exercise.
Fortunately, a shift in thinking about health and self-realization over pure aesthetics is beginning to emerge. We want to be at the forefront of this movement. Fluoro understood our mission from the beginning, and we are thrilled with the way they have brought it to life with a new brand vision that we know will inspire and engage our global community.”
Sweaty Betty is rebranding with Fluoro to inspire women with a healthier and inclusive ‘Don’t Sweat It’ message
The new brand aims to redefine the way women view exercise and their body image. It is a response to faux-feminism and faux-empowerment in women’s activewear and presents a series of advertising campaigns designed to inspire women. It also shows a new look for advertising, shops and clothing.
The creative agency’s research, whose other clients include Adidas, Ivy Park and RAD, has uncovered problematic messaging norms that either capitalize on women’s insecurities or undermine the empowerment goals they claim to promote.
In the sports industry, advertising has been found to be dominated by a “push harder” rhetoric that disguises bullying language and a focus on physical appearance as motivation. The lifestyle sector adopts messages of empowerment and feminism and claims to embrace all body sizes and shapes while promoting sportswear designed to lift, shape and conceal “problem areas”.
In response, Fluoro has worked closely with Sweaty Betty to create a renewed brand identity with a series of advertising campaigns showcasing an inspiring, diverse group of individuals selected for their attitude, energy and story.
Sweaty Betty’s new identity is embodied by three pillars designed to “uplift women”: “Shaped by our sisterhood”, driven by the spirit and ideas of the women who wear the activewear brand; “Crafted to create joy” by designing clothing that creates a rush and encourages people to express themselves; and “We sweat the small stuff” by taking the time to perfect everything to highlight the attention to detail.
Tim Smith, creative director at Fluoro, added: “We wanted to reassess Sweaty Betty’s offering and core values and redesign them for today’s world. The message of empowerment has been watered down, abused and completely distorted in the wider market for far too long , and Sweaty Betty is the perfect brand to challenge that, as they are the OG of female activewear. Sweaty Betty has an authentic and important story to tell, and we’re excited to help them do it.”
This translated post previously appeared on FashionUnited.com.