Lexie has been a friend of Models 1 for a few years now and we thought we couldn’t keep her amazing sportswear line to ourselves much longer, so we took Abi Fox for a work out in her favourite pieces and sat the designer and founder, Lil Rice, down for an interview.

It’s a new year and we’ve all promised to get fit so why don’t we start with looking good from the outside with this innovative and brilliant female sportswear collection…

§  How was Lexie born?

The idea of Lexie really came from a combined frustration of not being able to find the kind of sportswear I wanted to wear and from the annoyance at how women were often portrayed by the media and other brands in sport.

 

§  How would you describe the lexie brand?

Lexie designs and creates aesthetic sportswear that looks as good ‘off pitch’ as it does in the gym!

 

§  How did you get into sportswear?

I studied at Central Saint Martins and then decided to specialize in performance sportswear design. This came about by matching my two passions of fashion and sport (I have hideous memories of wearing gleaming polyester football shirts that were cut for boys when I was about 7!).

§  Who do you think is a Lexie woman?

The Lexie woman isn’t about the way your body looks, it’s about your attitude and the way you enjoy life and sport, so we love women who embody this. We have a few Lexie girls who test who our kit doing everything from climbing mountains to performing gigs! The brand has a lot of attitude so we love models like Coco Rocha, Ben Grimes, Cara D and Suki Waterhouse.

§  What do you think there is a lack of in womens sportswear?

I think women’s sportswear can often be either highly sexualized or very boring. There’s nothing wrong with sexy images of women but it depends on the kind of sexy. Women’s bodies should be celebrated for sure but I think there are certain ways to do this that mean the imagery appeals to women (who are the actually customers) rather than men.

 

§  Explain your involvment with the TV show ‘Be Your Own Boss’?

I previously worked at Umbro designing football kits, but as it was mostly menswear I knew I wanted to try something new. I left my position and heard an advert for a TV show that was looking for people with business ideas to try and gain funding from Richard Reed, who founded innocent smoothies. I applied, got accepted, filmed for 6 weeks and then gained the money and Richard as an advisor! It was a great opportunity!

 

§  What would you like to work on in the future/ where do you see the brand going?

I’d love the brand to become a recognized name and for it to make sport cool for girls and women. There’s been a noticeable drop in the participation of women in sport around the college age and the biggest reason girls site for not wanting to take part is embarrassment at how they will look, we hope Lexie will change this.

 

§  Have you always been a sports fan?

My Dad is a huge football fan and took me to my first game aged 4, all my earliest memories are football related. I started playing at about 6 and did so quite seriously. I’ve always been interested in trying new sports and recently found I love boxing! At the moment I’m trying a new bootcamp thing which is killer!

 

§  Where can our readers get their hands on Lexie pieces?

Lexie is sold online at www.lexiesport.co.uk and you can find links to all our other stockist there.

 

§  What are your most popular pieces?

It’s so hard to choose! The Veronica Shorts have been pretty popular with the press recently so they’re really flying out!

§  Which models support your brand/ do you have any celeb clients?

Well obviously we get a lot of love from Abi Fox which is great as she’s so into her sport and health. Kaya Scodelario (who played Effy in skins) loves the kit, as does TV Presenter Cherry Healey and Millie Mackintosh. 14 x Womens World Muay Thai Champion Julie Kitchen is a big supporter too!

 

§  What kind of press have you managed to spring up?

We’ve been really lucky with press, which I think goes to show that there was a need for our type of kit! So far we’ve been seen in Vogue, Elle, Drapers, Health and Fitness amongst others!

 

§  What has been the highlight of your career?

It’s always the best feeling when you see someone in your kit and it being used. That’s a major highlight!

§  What advice would you offer to budding fashion designers?

Work really hard and take every opportunity because if you don’t someone else will! I’m still learning so much and trying to take it all in! Oh and be nice!

 

We can’t wait to get back in the gym looking the best in Lexie… x