Blue Elvin

Blue Elvin is building a world where women can realise their physical and mental power through functional training.

The two founders, Lamorna and Tamara, London-based sisters with Cornish heritage, started functional training in 2016. They didn’t anticipate the truly transformative effect it would have on their lives. Helping Tamara through a period of depression, and Lamorna with an eating disorder, training has fundamentally reconditioned the way they think and feel about sport, performance, womanhood, and everything in between.

However, they weren’t prepared for the constant marks, scrapes, and bruises all over their bodies. Ripped hands from the rig, bruised collarbones from power cleans, and scraped shins from deadlifts. They decided this shouldn’t be an accepted part of training. So they started Blue Elvin.

In October 2020 they launched with their first Set of products, following a two-year research and development journey. The three limited-edition products are engineered to protect women’s collarbones and shins during barbell training. Integrated impact panels, made with

RHEON™ technology, control the energy of the barbell on impact. Empowering women to train without discomfort.

The products have been built to be lasting pieces - both in construction and design. The Set uses one main recycled Italian fabric, and the choice of colours and seams were deliberate to create timeless products. Designed in London and manufactured in Lithuania, the brand uses minimal and sustainable packaging - introducing stone paper, which is indefinitely recyclable and no hangtags or polybags.

Blue Elvin took protecting women’s bodies seriously which is why they partnered with a world-leader in energy control, RHEON LABS. The RHEON™ technology is used across high-impact sports including motorcycling, skiing, and American football. The RHEON LABS and Blue Elvin collaboration involved engineering their technology for an entirely new use case - functional training.

The two-year research and development journey started with mapping athletes bodies during

training, identifying how and where they were impacted from the barbell. Using pressure film, 360 videos and physical dye on white suits, the team were able to identify the core zones to protect.

A rigorous design and prototype process followed. Starting with the minimum area to protect, and working closely with a RHEON LABS engineer and a garment designer, to create an aesthetic that would be sleek and functional.

Using 3D printing technology they were able to iterate on the protection panels, continually testing on athletes, collecting data to inform the next stage. The thickness, size, and geometry of the panels were all informed through testing and athlete data. Alongside the panel development, the team worked closely with their manufacturing partner in Lithuania, to understand the best way to integrate the panels into the product. Testing stitching, molding, and laser cutting. The 2-year process resulted in a pioneering product for functional training - bringing protection, style, and comfort to women athletes. They call them Products for Power.

All image credits: Matt Ben Stone