A founder’s perspective on material awareness, wellbeing, and the future of performance wear
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of joining a panel discussion at The Mills Fabrica in London, exploring a question that has shaped my work for the last five years:
Why isn’t clothing part of the wellbeing conversation?
Today, most of us have become increasingly conscious about what we eat, what we drink, and what we apply to our skin. We read ingredient lists, seek transparency, and make informed decisions about the products we bring into our lives. Yet one area remains surprisingly overlooked - the materials we wear against our skin every day.
As consumers become increasingly conscious about wellbeing, the conversation is expanding beyond nutrition and skincare to include the products and materials that surround us every day.
Wellness Should Include What We Wear
For decades, wellbeing has largely focused on nutrition, exercise, sleep, and skincare.
These are all important pillars of health. But clothing has remained largely absent from the conversation despite being in constant contact with our bodies. The average garment today contains a complex combination of fibres, dyes, and finishing treatments, yet most consumers know very little about what goes into making the products they wear every day. We learned to read food labels. We learned to read skincare labels. The next step is becoming more curious about the labels inside our clothing.
How The KOOZY Began
My background is actually in environmental and corporate law, and for many years I lived in London. Following a personal health transformation, I became increasingly interested in the relationship between wellbeing and the environments we create around ourselves. What surprised me was how little attention was being paid to clothing. We talk extensively about nutrition, skincare, exercise, and lifestyle habits, but rarely about the materials we wear directly against our skin every day, particularly during movement and exercise.
In 2021, I founded The KOOZY with the ambition of exploring whether activewear could be designed differently using natural materials, thoughtful textile innovation, and a more human-centred approach to performance. Since then, we have spent years researching, developing, sourcing, manufacturing, and delivering alternatives that place the human experience at the centre of performance wear.
Performance and Wellbeing Should Not Be Opposites
The performance wear development should be designed with greater consideration for comfort, skin wellbeing, and the overall experience of the person wearing it. At The KOOZY, we explore how natural fibres, thoughtful textile development, and responsible craftsmanship can coexist with the functionality expected from modern activewear.
Performance should work in harmony with wellbeing.
The Next Wellness Frontier Is Everyday Exposure
Most people understand that wellbeing is not determined by one single decision.
It is shaped by thousands of small choices made every day. What we eat. How we sleep. The products we use. The environments we spend time in. The materials that surround us. Clothing is part of that wider conversation. The next chapter of wellness is not only about what we consume. It is also about what surrounds us.
Material Awareness, Not Fear
During the discussion on Why I started non-toxic brand, we spoke about the word “toxic” and how it means different things to different people. Personally, I prefer talking about material awareness and informed choices. The objective is not to create fear - is to encourage curiosity.
Consumers deserve transparency around the products they purchase and wear. They deserve to understand what materials are being used and to have access to alternatives that align with their own preferences and values. For me, the conversation is not about natural versus synthetic. It is about asking whether innovation can be used more thoughtfully and whether human wellbeing can become a greater consideration in product design.
Nature Has Become a Modern Luxury
In a world increasingly dominated by synthetic materials, natural fibres are becoming a form of modern luxury. Not only because of their craftsmanship and quality, but because they reconnect us with something many people feel is increasingly missing from modern life: a closer relationship with nature. Natural materials speak to comfort, longevity, wellbeing, and a more considered approach to consumption. As we become more intentional, these qualities are becoming increasingly valuable.
What Gives Me Hope
When we started researching this topic back in 2021, very few people were talking about the relationship between textiles, skin comfort, and wellbeing. Today, the conversation is becoming much more mainstream. We are seeing growing interest from consumers, wellness institutions, hospitality partners, and innovators who recognise that clothing has a role to play within the wider wellbeing ecosystem.
Most importantly, we are seeing increased curiosity. And curiosity drives change. It encourages transparency. It inspires innovation. It empowers people to make more informed choices.
The future of wellbeing is not about perfection. It is about awareness, transparency, and better choices.
Irina Kuznetsova
Founder & Creative Director, The KOOZY
Images: @fabricax_london and @calum.barlow
