Alyssa Benishai of Phat Buddha is someone you should know. If you did not read about her in the New York Times’ Sunday Styles a few weeks ago, you can say you heard about her on Haute Living, because this post may change your lifestyle. After all, Haute Living is all about luxury and lifestyle.
Five years ago, Alyssa launched Phat Buddha, a mostly one-size-fits-all work out line of clothing that I am obsessed with, hence my post. Her story is unique. Alyssa tells Haute Living about how it began, just five years ago.
“After I did teacher training for Bikram, I decided to create a line of yoga wear. I used to be in real estate development, and my goal was to open a slew of work out studios because I wanted to give back what was given to me. It was a time when the real estate market had collapsed and for many reasons I had felt badly about myself, until yoga came along so I decided to create a yoga line out of it, where it is one size fits all. At the end of the day, I don’t want people to have an embarrassing moment, no matter what stage of life you are in, so, it fits everyone and looks amazing and allows one to focus on their work out-yoga practice, and not worry about the fact you may have gained weight, or are bloated or pregnant.”
Phat Buddha also has a few deals, handling the private labels of Tracey Anderson (the Cardio Queen), Barry’s Bootcamp, Flywheel, Exhale and they sell their line to Bloomingdales as well as high end boutiques like Standard and the Setaii, the Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons and in Miami, Brickell Yoga.
To further understand this incredible kooky and creative woman entrepreneur, when I asked what celebs wear clothes, she say’s “who doesn’t.” So, voila! You may see anyone from Gwenyth to Gaga, or even Kim Kardashian and but her real dream is “to have Joan Rivers in my clothes.”
Alyssa tells me her best sellers include the Glitter leggings, “it’s our signature piece, we sell 1000 per week. The brand is growing by leaps and bounds, and we just want to be in every lux-lifestyle brand. We want to be a household name.”
