Punk fashion pioneer and New York Fashion Week stalwart Betsey Johnson launched her first-ever line of women’s activewear, coined Betsey Johnson Performance. The collection retails between $49 and $120 and is available at better department stores and online at Betseyjohnson.com.
Johnson described the line as “the perfect mix of performance, prettiness and punk.” The fashion-forward performance line marries gear like high-stretch spandex leggings, heat-retaining fleece lined zip-ups, shapewear pants and moisture-wicking T-shirts with the designer’s punchy design signatures. Micro fishnet textures, jacquard prints, bows and corset piping details are sprinkled throughout the range. Peplum shapes and cutouts lend a sportswear influence.
The plucky 72-year-old designer, known for ending each one of her runway shows with a cartwheel, is no stranger to high energy, athletic feats. During her Fall/Winter 2013 runway show called BJ Kicks A, Johnson led a charge of models dressed in colorful leggings, hoodies and crop tops, in a workout routine complete with branded yoga mats and champagne bottles standing in for dumbbells.
Up next, Johnson will be a contestant on the dance competition show “Dancing with the Stars”—an ideal stage to showcase the new activewear collection.