How Denise Lee built Alala into a leading athleisure brand loved by Hollywood

“Chris is very well known in the New York retail circles for being somebody that’s a little bit out of the box. He thinks a little bit differently from your traditional merchant or CEO. From him, I learnt to … see if there were more efficient and more creative ways to do something,” Lee shares. The most lasting lesson: Start with an exceptional product. “I’m sure you’ve noticed that some brands focus heavily on marketing—everything is flashy and [attention‑grabbing]. But when you buy the clothes, they’re not of a very good quality. Chris instilled in me that the product has to be excellent first, and then you build the brand around it,” she expounds.

It was during this time that Lee started training for triathlons, an experience that would inadvertently inspire her to start Alala. “Through that experience of training, having this fashion background and living in New York, I felt there was an opportunity to take a more modern approach to activewear,” she says. “I saw some white space for more creativity—maybe a little more fashion in the active space.”

When she launched Alala, Lee put in place an omnichannel strategy of selling both online and through retail partners rather than relying solely on direct‑to‑consumer sales. “I knew from the beginning that if Alala were to survive the first few years—the most difficult ones—we needed scale from the start. We couldn’t launch as a tiny, online‑only brand. We needed bigger clients to place factory orders, ship products, make sales and keep going,” Lee shares. “To go omnichannel was a little bit outside of what was cool at the time … but it was necessary for us.”

Now, more than a decade later, Alala has refined its focus. “We’ve established ourselves in this very interesting space of catering to the more sophisticated woman. I’d say that she’s a little bit on the more mature side, maybe in her 30s, 40s or 50s,” says the 42‑year‑old Lee. While many activewear brands put their focus on a younger, social media‑driven audience, Alala speaks to women who prioritise quality, versatility and timeless style over fleeting trends. “It’s also a reflection of me and my team being in that age group as well,” she quips. Lee notes that Alala’s growth mirrors the broader shift in athleisure. “Now, athleisure brands, including us, sell a wider range of things,” she says. “What ties [Alala’s] collections and pieces together is a sense of classic, sophisticated versatility. You can wear them to the gym or outside the gym—[the look is] casual but still put together.”

Among Alala’s bestselling collections is the Barre Seamless, known for its second‑skin comfort and environmentally friendly production, and with “tons of colours and designs” to choose from, says Lee. “[Each piece is] knitted on a stocking or a sock. It knits on a machine, which is eco‑friendly because there’s not a lot of wastage. The machine just knits what it needs for the piece,” she explains, adding that Barre Seamless pieces, being “so soft”, are “great for yoga [and] low‑ to medium‑impact activities”.

Lee says that Alala is also known for its sweater sets and The Club Collection, which features pieces such as tennis dresses and skorts. Designed to meet the growing demand for racquet sports‑inspired apparel, the latter caters for the rising popularity of tennis and pickleball. Run by a small team of less than ten people, Alala is expanding its focus to hospitality partnerships, aligning the brand with luxury hotels and private clubs. “[Rather than just] working with department stores like Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus or Macy’s, we [hope to] work with Hilton or The Ritz‑Carlton, or some of the big country clubs. There are some interesting hospitality opportunities for us coming up that could be great for the brand to get in front of the right customer,” Lee enthuses.

Despite Alala’s steady rise, Lee admits there is one thing she would have done differently: Be more vocal about the brand’s journey early on. “Something I’ve learnt, especially as an entrepreneur in the US, is how important self‑promotion is. Americans do it well—they talk about themselves, put their work out there and get opportunities. When I started Alala,” she shares, “I didn’t want to be front and centre of the brand. I wish I had been more active as Denise, the founder of Alala, sharing the [brand] story.” Lee notes that many Asian American entrepreneurs feel the same. “I’ve spoken to others who were raised to be humble, to not talk too much about themselves,” she says. “Meanwhile, you see other founders constantly sharing their business journeys. I think there’s a nice balance to be found and today, it feels much more natural for people to talk about their businesses online and [own their stories].”

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