When I say NOIR has been five years in the making, I really mean it.
I launched Lola Starr activewear in 2021 with just three pieces and a very clear idea of how I wanted women to feel when they wore them.
Confident. Supported. Comfortable.
Five years later, I've learned so much. I've listened to customers, changed fits, altered patterns, made pieces myself, tried things that worked and things that didn't, and kept refining what Lola Starr is.
NOIR feels like all of that coming together.
Our Signature. Refined.
Why NOIR?
Black has always been a huge part of my own wardrobe. I love how timeless it is and how you can wear it in so many different ways.
But the inspiration for NOIR went much further than just creating another black activewear collection.
I've always loved the 90s. The fashion, the music, the supermodels and that effortless, minimal style. Plus its the era i started my career in textile and manufacturing.
One of my biggest references for the collection and campaign was George Michael's iconic Freedom! '90 video.
Those incredible supermodels. The attitude. The simplicity. The confidence.
That was the feeling I wanted for NOIR.
Not activewear that only looks like it belongs in the gym, but pieces that can be styled and worn as part of your wardrobe.
For me, that's where Lola Starr sits.
Performance through a fashion lens.
Five Years of Refining the Fit
The Signature Leggings are probably the best example of what I mean when I say five years in the making.
They haven't stayed the same since 2021.
I've continued to work on them, listen to women and refine the fit.
Today, our high waisted leggings have a 13 panel construction, a double layer waistband, that, shapes, supports and enhances your natural figure Two deep side pockets and a fit designed to sculpt and support without restricting you.
They're made from premium Italian technical fabric ECONYL® which is soft, breathable, sweat wicking and squat proof, with that lovely supportive feel that holds you without feeling uncomfortable.
We also offer three leg lengths and a custom length option because women aren't all the same height or shape.
It sounds simple, but those details matter.
I want you to put a pair of Lola Starr leggings again and again, and feel AMAZING.
Designed in Liverpool. Made in the UK.
Being a UK made activewear brand is something I'm incredibly proud of.
My own working career started in a Liverpool factory in the mid 90s when I was 16. I, worked my way up and spent 11 years developing skills that I still use today.
It's funny looking back because I don't think I realised at the time how important those years would become.
Now I'm designing Lola Starr in Liverpool, working with British manufacturers and still making some of the collection myself.
Keeping our manufacturing in the UK isn't always the easiest or cheapest route, especially as a small independent brand, but it's important to me.
We produce in small batches, focus on quality and make pieces that are designed to last.
Know Your Worth
And then there's the message behind it all.
Know Your Worth.
This has become such an important part of Lola Starr.
As women, we can be so hard on ourselves. Our bodies change, life changes and confidence can come and go.
I've never wanted Lola Starr to be about having the “perfect” body or looking a certain way.
Quite the opposite.
I want to design for real women.
That's why fit matters so much to me. It's why we offer different leg lengths, a bespoke service, where you can alter the waistband height. It's why I'll adapt something for a customer when I can. And it's why I listen when women tell me what they need from their clothes.
Activewear should work around women, not expect women to fit one standard shape.
Real women. Real fit. Real confidence.
That's what Know Your Worth means to me.
Liverpool at the Heart of It
We shot NOIR here in Liverpool at Love Lane Wellbeing Studio, a beautiful independent studio and another local business.
That felt important too.
Lola Starr is a Liverpool born brand. It's where I started my career, where I design, where so much of the brand has been built and it's a part of our story.
I love being able to work with and support other independent businesses as Lola Starr grows.
Our Signature. Refined.
NOIR isn't me starting again.
It's me looking at what I've built over the last five years and saying, this is Lola Starr.
The signature leggings. The sports bras. The shorts and capris. The new Peek a Boo Base Layer. The black on black details, gunmetal hardware and those little touches that you might not notice immediately, but I know are there.
It's more refined. More confident. And probably more me than any collection I've created before.
There are still so many things I want to do with Lola Starr, but I also think it's important sometimes to look back and realise how far you've come.
From three activewear pieces in 2021 to where we are today.
Five years of designing, making, learning and refining.
And we're only getting started.
NOIR. Our Signature. Refined.
Designed for life. Made to move.
Know Your Worth.
Kate x
