how lucie halley is creating a community of empowerment through her activewear brand eYO
When her life was turned upside down after a profound accident, Lucie Halley set out to create something more than just a brand.
Interview by Sasha Wardrop
Four years ago, whilst living in New York, Lucie was left with two broken feet, a dislocated kneecap, and numerous torn ligaments after a freak fall down a fire escape. Unable to walk for months, Lucie had hit the lowest point in her life with much more than physical injuries affecting her.
As she set out on her long road to recovery, slowly learning to walk again and joining the gym for the first time, Lucie felt very alone and scared. It wasn’t until a girlfriend of hers was in a car accident and left disabled that Lucie recognized that she was not alone.
“It’s so interesting that, after my accident, I was immediately and unknowingly placed into a community of women that had suffered trauma, whether that be physical or mental”
Lucie realised that there were so many other women recovering from something similar, whether that be a physical accident like her own, childbirth, divorce, or anxiety. All of these women had stories to tell of what sparked a change in their life and started their journey with exercise and mindfulness.
This is where EYO began. Short for Everything You Overcome, Lucie’s vision for EYO is for the brand to be so much more than a place you to buy activewear.
“It’s not just about creating the perfect product, there are already so many brands out there trying to do that. What I want to do is to create a community for empowerment, to let women know they are not alone in their battles”
EYO is a symbol to unite all the women overcoming something in their lives and empower them on their journey. EYO aims to inspire and support, by sharing the experiences of women in the community and how they overcame their battles. Most importantly, through EYO, Lucie wants to normalize making yourself vulnerable.
“If I had this community when I had fallen, I would have felt far less alone and scared”.
EYO’s entire collection has been designed to support women on their journey. The collection has been designed for the regular woman’s body, using fabric that has built-in compressions that aids in faster recovery and is certified Factor 50+ UV protection, to protect your skin whilst you are working out.
Lucie has also gone above and beyond to make sure EYO has the smallest possible impact on the earth. Having worked in the fashion industry for eight years, Lucie has experienced first-hand just how unsustainable the industry is.
As an official partner of ECONYL® and the entire range is made out 100% regenerated nylon fiber made from discarded fishing nets and other ocean waste. The debut collection alone has used a total of 55.7 Kilograms of waste which saves 373kgCO2eq of greenhouse gas emissions and 3.945 MJ of primary energy requirements.
From EYO’s first collection you can expect beautifully soft basics that have been designed with every detail in mind for the perfect fit
The factory that Lucie is working with has a similar ethos. Located in Bali, they use certified earth-friendly dyes, only work with recycled material and pack goods in Bio-degradable packaging. They donate any left-over fabric scraps to local charity-based groups who remake them into saleable goods. On top of that, they meet all of the Indonesian government’s ethical standards, pay their employees double the minimum wage, provide them with free healthcare and two meals a day. The factory also donates monthly to a local charity in Bali that focuses on helping underprivileged mums and children and works towards stopping human trafficking.
Be sure to get your hands on EYO’s beautiful collection and become a part of their community of empowerment.
