Spotlight on Morghn, an Emerging American Activewear Brand

Introducing Morghn, a women’s contemporary American activewear brand that entered the market this summer. 

Founded by creative director Tori Bridges, who cut her teeth as global brand merchandiser, women’s collection ready-to-wear, accessories and footwear at Ralph Lauren after working in merchandising at Banana Republic and J.Crew and always designing as a passion on the side, the brand’s debut collection features a mix of workout-to-street styles with preppy-meets-sporty details.

“I had the idea for Morghn prior to Ralph Lauren, but I put the brand on pause to go work for the company. I love merchandising and the brand, but I felt this product kept calling to me — things I wanted in my closet and [through] friends who would borrow samples,” she told WWD. She added the brand was formed to fit the whitespace in the market she saw through her lifestyle of activewear that upheld the standard of New York dressing with influences of East Coast nostalgia and West Coast touches.

“It feels like the activewear space has gotten very one-note, and a lot of the design details are so function-forward. How we’re dressing, you want to represent your personal style but also have those built-in shorts underneath your skirt or pockets to be succinct,” she said of bridging classic American style with the activewear space. 

In that vein, the collection was designed to address not only running errands in the city and playing rounds of tennis on the court, but also wearing the styles into the night. Key pieces from the first spring collection include the nylon, polyester and spandex Aspen Bandana-printed skirt and cropped bra top, which she said bring forth novelty in a classic way. 

The line, which is made in the U.S. and priced $88 to $498, also includes black and white minidresses (both colorblock and keyhole) and matching skirt sets, all with built-in undershorts, in fabrics ranging from nylon and spandex to micro-modal rib. In addition, Bridges introduced her first two handbags, the Telluride large and mini totes, which melds the classic East Coast canvas tote silhouette with Western cowhide trims. 

In terms of customers, Bridges noted that she initially was targeting those with an adjacent demographic to her and her peers — metropolitan woman spanning mid-20s to mid-30s. Her secondary customer was the “weekend athlete” who spends weekends golfing or playing tennis and is a little bit older. But she’s seen more of a 50-50 split in engagement.

“I’m excited about fall; the new collection should deliver in September and build upon what is already existing in core fabrications. I’m trying to create icons, speaking like a true merchant, so they can read truly as Morghn,” she said of developing future collections, which she plans to release four times a year.

This also includes a pop-up in the West Village on Aug. 15 in the back garden of Ma Vie, a new gift store on Hudson Street. The pop-up will feature exclusive styles only for the pop-up, as well as fashions from her spring collection.