Beyoncé enters the fitness industry

Singing superstar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has taken her first steps into the fitness industry with the release of an activewear line. Titled Ivy Park, the sportswear collection will be released on April 14 in conjunction with Topshop owner Sir Philip Green.

Practicality and fashion merge in the range that took 18 months to develop and will target both high street and high end. Ivy Park is expected to be available in 50 countries via outlets that include Topshop, Net-a-Porter, and Selfridges.

The singer explains the line’s inspiration came from finding a gap in the market when it came to fashionable activewear: “When I’m working and rehearsing I live in my workout clothes but I didn’t feel there was an athletic brand that spoke to me. My goal is to push the boundaries of athletic wear and support and inspire women who understand that beauty is more than your physical appearance.”

Knowles-Carter and London-based Green formed a 50-50 joint venture company called Parkwood Topshop Athletic Ltd to produce the line. It’s a proposition Knowles-Carter didn’t have to think twice about, commenting on the collaboration to WWD: “I have always loved Topshop for their fashion credentials and forward-thinking.” It seems the first release from Ivy Park will certainly not be its last with Green following: “[This is] just the beginning.”