The business with legs
A MUM who launched her own sportswear business has had to increase production to meet the demands of lockdown.
With many people working from home and determined to fit some exercise into their day, Deborah Todd says business is booming. She set up Manchester city centre-based Zaazee in 2014 with the aim of offering women long-lasting fashionable products that give them the ‘body confidence and motivation’ to get fit.
Her leggings, including the capristyle Zavia, reduced to £25 a pair, have been flying off the shelves, while she’s had to increase production of sports bras after selling fives times as many as normal. With most products made at factories in Portugal, she’s moving some production to the UK and hopes to eventually have a factory in Manchester.
Living in the city centre with husband James and their children Noah, 12, and 10-year-old Zara, she’s passionate about family fitness and doesn’t let the urban environment stop them.
Deborah, 44, said: “More and more people are taking up running, and as a mum who wanted to keep fit, I found running in the city, around the city and Greater Manchester to be a wonderful release from the stress of lockdown, as well as discovering buildings and gorgeous places I’d never seen before.
“Peel Park, Kersal Wetlands, up and down Deansgate where they’ve shut it, is fab for the kids. As a sporty mum with a sporty family, we have already done tons of the city and all the surrounding parks, as we live in the city centre.”
She added: “Lockdown has meant that loads of mums and families have been getting back into fitness, so business is booming, which is amazing.
“We have been crazy busy with more women starting things like Couch to 5k or taking up running, coupled with the fact that people are at home more because of lockdown, we have found
A pair of Deborah’s Zavia leggings
people are living in their sportswear. We’ve sold lots of long leggings, but actually the big success for us has been the capri leggings – the shorter ones – as well as the more common black and grey, which have been selling like hot cakes.
“We are finding that mums are wearing them all day, so when they get 30 minutes, they can shoot out for a quick 5k or cycle and are fitting in sports and fitness when they can. They also have high waist bands and are really supportive, so mums love them in general.”
Deborah, who has been working out of her Ancoats home since lockdown began and offering her rooftop terrace to local yoga studio Yoga Soul, is now looking for more factories to meet the massive demand.
She said: “Sports bras are the real hero of the day. We’ve sold five times as many as normal – people love our no metal, super comfy fabrics and we are nearly sold out. We are working with new factories to get more made to meet the demand, as it has been unprecedented.”
As a one-woman show, but working with designers and consultants across other areas of the business, it’s been quite the success story for Deborah.
She said: “I have always been hugely into sport and fitness, and I wanted to empower women to get fit and feel great at the same time. I design all of the pieces to be super supportive and flattering and mums always love the leggings as they hold you in in all the right places.”