Made for a movement that is dependent on you and your moods, Recess is the break you will want to back to time after time.
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No matter what type of student you were in school, recess was something one looked forward to. Whether it was for a mid-morning munch or an afternoon break from math, science, and history, this time was a moment where anyone and everyone could just be with zero pressure—adults included. Needless to say, this often-joked favorite subject has graduated to pockets of respite in our responsibility-laden grown-up years. While the bells no longer ring, nothing gets one quite going than the promise of break time.
These are the same parallels that the female-led unit of Anne Curtis, Isabelle Daza, Roxanne Farillas, and Paulina Ortega has operated on with their distinct and decidedly diverse line of activewear called, Recess. While in development for a while, the production and eventual introduction of the brand has been stalled due to the persistence of the pandemic, forcing their band of sisterhood to recalibrate and refocus their efforts across time zones spanning from Australia, Hong Kong, and Manila. Despite the stress and strains of the reality we all had to face, the girls of Recess zeroed back in to their core, which is to espouse a relaxed approach to activewear.
Coordinating the progress and logistics was no easy feat, but at the end of the day, Recess was all about enacting and encouraging a movement beyond the rigors of activewear. Meant to be settled in and lived in, they like to see themselves as life-intervention-wear. “We’re what you wear when you need to be good to you, when you need to take a moment for yourself to recess—physically, mentally, emotionally, etceterally,” it reads on their Instagram. More than fitness, the brand operates on the function of well-being across different activities and different stages of life and fluctuations of the body, which was the jumping point of this undertaking from Anne, Isabelle, Roxanne, and Paulina.
It certainly makes the most sense to debut an unassuming brand of activewear in the middle of quarantine and self-isolation, with uniform consisting mostly of anything and everything comfortable that is repeated day in and day out. Low impact but often high compression, the pieces are clean-cut and comes in an assortment of colors that fits in your personality whether it be straightforward in neutrals or sassy in sorbet shades. Allowing for a range of motion of your own decision, the collection is designed from scratch with immense consideration for fabrication and sizing, with bra sizes accommodating cups AA-DD and the rest running a range of a size 1-6. In the debut, you can slip into the mood of your day with the Personal Best set, which is a soft and breathable cotton fabric that lends itself well from lounge to activewear in leggings, tees, and tanks; or Do Everything segment, which is rendered in a more lightweight, medium-compression, sweat-wicking fabric for the active set’s need for more support. Other standouts include the Future Is Here maternity leggings, the Going Places Crop, and the Tricolor Athlete Bra. Fun fact: its colorful pipings are made from leftover fabric scraps. So, yes to a sustainable consciousness.
It is quite auspicious that in the days leading up to launching this foray, finally, the ladies would remind themselves to stop for a moment and just breathe. And don’t we all need that point in the day to just answer to the ringing of the bell and just be, just like we were in between subjects in school. Nothing really changes, you see. The responsibility multiplies, but all that stands between going bonkers or blazing through it is recess. This time, however, we can do it in clothes we actually like to work and while our time with.
Recess is available on Zalora.
