How 3 Emerging Activewear Brands Built Global Success Through Smart Manufacturing
Introduction
When you scroll through Instagram or TikTok, it’s easy to think new activewear brands are blowing up because of influencers or sleek branding. But what you don’t see? The manufacturing strategy that powers their rapid growth.
In our experience working with dozens of brands, those that scale from startup to multi-million in sales share one trait: they treat manufacturing as a strategic weapon, not just a production task.
In this article, we’ll explore how three rising activewear brands—AYBL, Set Active, and Bo+Tee—used clever production strategies to launch, scale, and dominate their markets. If you're building your own activewear line, you’ll want to steal a few of these ideas.
1: AYBL – How Low MOQ Helped Them Test and Win Fast
Founded: 2018 (UK)
Main Market: Europe & US
Positioning: Affordable, fast-drop activewear for women
Challenge: Limited startup budget. High inventory risk. But they still wanted to drop new styles monthly.
Manufacturing Strategy:
Partnered with low MOQ activewear manufacturers in China & Turkey (starting from 100–200 pcs)
Launched "Pilot Runs"—small batch drops to test demand
Used ERP system to track hot-selling SKUs and trigger fast restocks
Built a “responsive supply chain” that scaled production only when products showed traction
Results:
AYBL grew from a 3-person startup into a \$30M+ brand with loyal fans across Europe and the US.
Keywords to note: low MOQ, pilot batch, restock model, flexible supply chain
2: Set Active – Building a Brand on Color Consistency
Founded: 2017 (Los Angeles, USA)
Core Idea: Limited color drops & complete sets
Audience: Millennial & Gen Z women obsessed with aesthetics
Challenge:
Their product concept required perfect color matching across leggings, bras, hoodies, and even socks. Color inconsistency = brand disaster.
Manufacturing Strategy:
Partnered with vertically integrated factories that offer dyeing, knitting, cutting, and stitching all in-house
Used Pantone-standard color swatches and pre-production shade cards
Performed fabric colorfastness and shade approval tests before every production run
Ran small-batch samples in local LA factories before greenlighting large overseas production
Results:
Set Active’s iconic color drops often sell out within hours, and their visual identity has become instantly recognizable on social media.
Keywords: color-matching manufacturing, vertical integration, color drop, LA activewear brand
3: Bo+Tee – Private Label Power + Shared Resources
Founded: 2020 (UK)
Background: Created by the team behind Oh Polly
Vibe: Sexy gymwear + influencer-driven designs
Challenge:
As a sub-brand, Bo+Tee needed to scale quickly without rebuilding everything from scratch.
Manufacturing Strategy:
Leveraged Oh Polly’s existing supply chain: design teams, sample makers, and production factories
Created rapid design-to-sample workflows: sketches → samples in 3–5 days
Ran performance-based production: Only styles that performed well on Instagram ads were mass-produced
Used private label sportswear manufacturing with custom branding & packaging to reduce development time
Results:
Bo+Tee became a Gen Z favorite within one year, with over 1M followers on Instagram and millions in annual revenue.
Keywords: private label activewear, shared supply chain, influencer design cycle, fast sampling
Conclusion
Great branding grabs attention. Great manufacturing keeps the momentum.
From AYBL’s pilot-run flexibility, to Set Active’s strict color matching, to Bo+Tee’s shared production system—these brands prove that behind every trending product is a smart production playbook.
If you’re launching or growing your own activewear brand, remember:
You don’t need the biggest budget—you just need the smartest strategy.
Call to Action
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