The story of a woman and brand wishing to celebrate each and every single one of your achievements, both inside and outside the mat.

How do you create a one-in-a-million brand? If you ask Clarissa Egaña, the Venezuelan based entrepreneur and founder of the most popular athleisure brand in Latin America, Port de Bras, the answer is simple: trust your own instincts.

So just who is Clarissa Egaña? In her own words she is ‘a sensitive human being, with extremely huge dreams of wanting to make a difference in the world and prove that everything is possible. I am a mother, a wife, leader in our organization, a daughter, granddaughter, friend, a sister, and I carry my inner child with me everywhere I go. I am constantly reminding her: look at everything we’ve accomplished!’.

The big leap from the swimwear world, to the athleisure universe

A lawyer by trade, Clarissa’s career crossed paths with the world of fashion for the first time with her brand first brand Bamboo Mare, a swimwear line focused on unique Brazilian fabrics. It was during this time that she began to take stock of what types of things she was consuming, from the food that she ate to the media that she listened to down to the clothing she was wearing while getting in her daily exercise. She understood that the body and mind are temples that need to be cared for above all else to take care of more than anything else. They are our home and they are the vessels with which we build community with those around us. This realization  This philosophy of intentional, considerate consumption is is what eventually shaped Port de Bras.

‘I felt like there was a lack of options which included beautiful designs, that were suitable for barre classes, particularly with non-toxic fabric, because when we sweat our pores open up and we begin absorbing everything that lies on our skin. Unfortunately, most of the major activewear brands use harmful fabrics, and I was in huge disagreement with that. This was the starting point of Port de Bras…’, the rest, as we know, is history.

The importance of having a brand celebrating Mother Earth, celebrating women and celebrating Latin America 

Port de Bras embraced this synergy since the moment they began looking for fabric in Brazil, where they found a fabric blend that was strong and soft enough, and that is also built with an ecofriendly DNA. This is also enhanced by the addition of the influence of the Port de Bras style, which is present in all the different aspects and elements that make up this company: ‘The social responsibility of our brand arises from the feeling of wanting to help our communities, something that is very Latino by nature, since we grow up in environments full of contrasts and diversity, which broadens our social awareness.’ But beyond that, Egaña wants you to feel proud of yourself, at all times, but especially when you’re wearing Port de Bras.

Port de Bras seeks to celebrate , by creating biodegradable, comfortable clothing, free of any toxic substance. Her goal is for all women to put on your Port de Bras, look in the mirror and feel good about themselves, knowing that they woke up and chose to wear this. She wants to celebrate you being exactly who you are.

Beyond Wellness 

Having a wellness lifestyle is not about ‘being in shape’ (whatever that means), it is about giving us a break from our busy everyday life, allowing us a moment to replenish our bodies, whether it is with exercise, healthy eating, meditating or cutting out the thing that is hurting us. In other words, it simply means taking care of yourself, which has nothing to do with one superficial goal, instead, it is necessary to cope with the challenges that your everday life brings. Being in syntony with ourselves means seeing ourselves as a priority and therefore, giving us the importance we truly deserve. This is something Clarissa found to be very important in her personal and professional life. 

‘Without exercise I wouldn´t be able to function properly. Firstly, because we need to oxygenate the brain and body: without that, we can´t have clear thoughts. Secondly, because it is a way to meditate, to be right there in the present and to rest our minds, while giving our body a much needed break, since it is the only mean of movement we have in this physical world. I believe that in order to succeed, we have to incorporate routines that we feel connected with and that provide these benefits for ourselves: in my case, I love to do a lot of different activities, but I am always searching for new methods to help me enhance my strength and elasticity. That is why I really admire the work they do at Teny.

Although she practices both pilates and yoga, she refers to the latter with a particular bond: ‘it’s been my great teacher, my medicine to fight back anxiety and to tear down the walls I build for myself. Learning how to breath, only through my nose, while I am in a very awkward and uncomfortable position for long periods of time, and learning how to do inverted positions, even though I had sworn I would never do it, made me feel like I was enough to achieve anything I want in life. You just have to make an effort, have patience and breathe, everything else, will come!´, she says enthusiastically.

There are days when you will feel like you’ve conquered the whole world, and others when you’ll go to bed as if you had something in your chest: regardless of what kind of day you are in today, remember that each minute is counted, don’t forget tomorrow is a new day and, believe it or not, there are other women out there, like Clarissa Egaña, who are celebrating you, because ´you are here and now´: and that is what really counts.