Black velvet isn’t a material usually seen in active wear or lingerie. It’s sensual, a bit mysterious and it moves with the body. For those reasons, it was perfect for MISFITSTUDIO and Fortnight Lingerie’s first-ever collaboration. The Toronto-based movement studio and lingerie maker teamed up to create a line inspired by the fit and feel of lingerie combined with the flexibility of activewear.

The collection includes four pieces: a cut-out bodysuit, a longline bra, fold-over high waist bottoms and a racer bodysuit. Each is made to look good inside and outside the workout studio. Christina Remenyi, founder and designer of Fortnight Lingerie and Amber Joliat, creator of MISFITSTUDIO, had been looking to collaborate for years. They’re both friends and entrepreneurs, and both have built brands focused on helping women feel comfortable in their own skin.

We spoke with Christina and Amber to learn more about their first collaboration. 

On the collection

Christina: “Athletic wear isn’t something we’ve ever really done before. But Amber has a really interesting sense of style and how she embodies her brand, she has a really unique vision for that fusion of dance wear, lingerie and swimwear.” 

Amber: “Everything I’ve worn up to now has been something that, even if it fits well, as I move I find I have to adjust myself to make sure my breasts aren’t falling out or that it hasn’t risen up too far. And [the collection], because it’s based on hugging the lines of a curvy body, everything fits into place so there’s no need to readjust during class. You can really let loose in class and go wild and know that you’re being held by the pieces.”

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MISFITSTUDUO x Fortnight cutout bodysuit  Image by: MISFITSTUDUO x Fortnight

On working with black velvet 

Christina: “With this one, we wanted to try more lingerie, more pieces that fit and form and contour the body instead of just being a compression piece, and seeing if those pieces in unconventional fabrics could be something special for your workout and enhance the way that you experience the classes. Black velvet was one of the things [Amber] presented right in the beginning of the collaboration. We tested them and we were so amazed with the results. They feel so beautiful and luxurious and firm on the body but they still have that level of flexibility that allows you to feel so present in all your movement.”

Amber: “When you put on an old ratty t-shirt and an old shitty pair of tights, and you don’t feel good. I think when you put something on that you feel good in, you feel strong and you feel like your real self can show up, it affects your movement. It affects your state of mind and it affects your mood.”

On styling the pieces

Christina: “You can wear them so many different ways and really make it your own. You can wear it with a skirt out of the gym. You can layer with tanks underneath or tanks overtop. The sky’s the limit.”

Amber: “They’re machine-washable so you can wear them in a class with leggings over top and then you can wear that same piece and wear it with a beautiful chiffon skirt and a pair of ballet flats and feel just as elegant at night.”

The MISFITSTUDIO x Fortnight collection launches June 15. The pieces range from $68-$168 and are available at MISFITSTUDIO’s two locations (88 Ossington Avenue and 761 Queen Street West) and online at fortnightlingerie.com.