Rebecca Minkoff Gets Physical!

To showcase her ubersporty endeavor, on Tuesday Rebecca Minkoff partnered with AOL BUILD and InStyle for a livestreamed (and instantly shoppable) show for her new athleisure line at AOL headquarters. Things to love: mod sports bras, breathable leather outerwear, bright-colored everything, and—best of all—looks that don’t necessarily need to be worn whilst working out. The audience (and your Daily) watched live, and Minkoff answered a few pressing questions from InStyle and audience members…

What was the inspiration behind your athleisure line?
I’m lucky that I work with almost 120 incredible strong females in my office; these girls want to work out and they want to look chic. They want to be able go to the office a little more casual—they don’t look like they worked out, maybe. How do we make a line that talks to her? She could be stylish, but feels like she could go work out and really celebrate this new movement of casualwear.

What catches your eye when you’re looking for color?
I think anything with a great texture or a great pop of color. There’s a lot of pops of neon or ombre where an orange fades into a red. I think it’s really fun and it’s a way to have color without being too bright or shiny.

Did you have a workout uniform before this collection?
Me and the girls in the office definitely gave it a test run, but prior to that I needed a workout gear intervention…it was small T-shirts and some sweatpants. [The collection] is fun and you get to celebrate working out, or not and just looking like you did!

Did you have a particular workout in mind for the athleisure girl?
With Class Pass now, you can take all different workouts. A girl can find something for Crossift, she can find something for dance class—it’s for the girl who wants to try it all.

What do you value the most from your workouts?
Mental clarity and feeling like I’ve just completed something that’s intense.

What is your favorite piece and what advice do you offer to shoppers?
That’s tough—that’s like choosing which child is my favorite! I think the opening one and the closing one are some of my favorite key items. So the jacket that you saw opening the show is convertible, and at the end of the show, the leather jacket, but we did it in a beautiful ombre fabric. It’s breathable and really great.

How do you feel walking around and constantly seeing strangers wearing your clothes?
I feel extremely proud! When I first started seeing it happen, I actually ran up to a girl and said, “That’s my bag!” and she was like, “No, it’s my bag!” I obviously don’t do that anymore because people might think I’m crazy, but I’m really proud and I smile and hope that they’re enjoying their bag.

What would you say contributes to your success the most?
I think it’s hard work; it’s surrounding yourself with an incredible team…you can’t do everything by yourself.

Plus! A backstage moment with Minkoff

How athletic are you?
If I could be more athletic, I obviously would be. The only time I can carve out is about two days a week. I’d love to work out more but that means not seeing my kids as much. If I had a perfect day or a perfect schedule, I’d work out five days a week.

Did you ever play any team sports?
I played soccer [in high school]. And I was a dancer.

Varsity?
No, not that good! I was defense, and then for a minute I was goalie and that’s when I quit. It wasn’t enough action for me! It was a lot of pressure. If you’re the goalie and you let the ball through, then that’s on you.

Is there a sport that you’re really bad at?
I’m terrible at tennis. I’m probably bad at a lot more sports, I just don’t have the opportunity to play them.

What are your plans for fall?
We opened our L.A. store, but our big party, which we collaborated on with Donald Robertson, is on the 27th, so I’m going to that. And Hawaii—Bloomingdale’s is opening their Anohana store, so they were like, ‘Come to Hawaii!’ And I was like, ‘Noo, I can’t go to Hawaii!’ [Dramatically twists own arm]