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This story is published in cooperation with Willamette Week and by Revive Athletics.
Any second-hand shopping aficionado knows the feeling. You head into one of the Rose City’s many vintage stores, and all you see are statement pieces. Deadstock band tees. Glittery “going out” tops. Bold leather jackets. Funky flare jeans.
And sure, if that’s what you’re looking for on any particular day, it’s great. But what’s a second-hand-loving girlie in need of basics—or, dare we say, activewear—to do? That’s the question that Laura Halley, founder of Revive Athletics, set out to answer.
Opens in new windowBig-name athleisure brands tend to cost a lot, and, well, good luck finding a cute, in-mint-condition, matching workout set at Goodwill. Revive Athletics, however, sells those same well-loved premium brands, but at a fraction of the cost. And, crucially, their pieces—everything from Nike to lululemon—are not wreaking havoc on the planet.
“I [used to] give no thought to where clothes came from or where they went when I was done with them,” says Halley.
Halley, once a self-described “shopaholic,” was working a corporate sales job when she picked up Fashionopolis by author Dana Thomas.
“[The book] explores the harsh reality of clothing and the exploi88tation of the industry on people and the planet,” she says. “Having been a topic that I’d never thought twice about before, I was shocked and horrified.”
Halley decided to minimize her impact by prioritizing secondhand shopping in her own life. But whether she was secondhand shopping online, at a budget thrift, or at a high-end consignment store, Halley consistently found one area to be lacking: The activewear and athleisure section.
“Initially, when I chose to focus [my business] on activewear and athleisure, it was based on personal need and want,” she says. “But once I started, I realized that others were looking for this same thing, a place to shop and sell gently used activewear.”
Opens in new windowAccording to Halley, those looking to sell their secondhand activewear to curated consignment stores are often turned away—even if their items are only gently used—because many of these stores don’t focus on athleisure. Point being, no one should be saving up a small fortune to spend on a new, brand-name workout set when there’s so much of that clothing circulating out there already.
“We focus on the premium brands, and part of our mission is making it more accessible for more people to enjoy,” says Halley. “Health and wellness already prices many people out, we should all have access to these things.”
Revive Athletics—both the original location on Alberta Street in Northeast Portland, and the newest location in Lake Oswego—feels as if Lululemon and a hidden gem of a resale store had a baby. It’s as if the tiny activewear section at Goodwill quadrupled in quantity, and got more love…like, a lot more love.
For anyone who still may be hesitant about shopping for athleisure secondhand, Halley emphasizes that Revive has a strict quality control process to ensure that everything is in very gently used condition before they take it in. Plus, she adds, that because people are wearing athleisure all the time now—not just at the gym—many of the items Revive sells probably haven’t even been sweat in before.
Opens in new windowBeyond being an activewear re-sale store, Revive also partners with other local businesses to curate events that help movement enthusiasts find one another. After you’ve grabbed yourself a like-new pair of lululemon leggings, take them for a spin at a Positive Movement Event or Revivalists Meet-up.
“If I, a shopaholic from Dallas, could change my mind about shopping secondhand, then I [realized that I] could help others do so as well if I created a more curated shopping experience,” says Halley.
Visit reviveathletics.com, check out their Instagram, or drop by one of their storefronts to learn more.