Atleisure founder turns burnout into elevated comfort-wear

MUMBAI: Arushi Roopchandani’s experience of burnout has shaped Atleisure, her new elevated comfort-wear label designed for women whose days move between work, travel, errands and social commitments without a change of clothes.

Roopchandani, who previously ran fashion business Roology, said the idea emerged from her own experience of repeatedly changing outfits during long working days. She wanted clothing that could remain comfortable and polished through meetings, studio work, travel and evenings.

Atleisure describes its category as elevated comfort wear, combining the softness and stretch of comfortwear with silhouettes and finishes intended for work and other settings. The brand aims to reduce the everyday decision-making around dressing while allowing women to remain comfortable without feeling underdressed.

The collection uses cotton interlock and cotton Lycra, comprising 93 per cent cotton and 7 per cent spandex, with two-way or four-way stretch depending on the garment. The fabrics have smooth inner surfaces designed to reduce friction during prolonged wear and are intended to accommodate temperature changes common in Mumbai.

Product development involved seven to eight rounds of sampling, repeated wash tests and extended wear trials. Women wore the garments for seven to eight hours at a time, while final testers with different body types spent close to a full day in the pieces. Samples were subsequently tested by family, friends and others over several months.

Roopchandani’s approach to the brand is also rooted in her own entrepreneurial journey. Growing up in Solapur, Maharashtra, she saw women around her face restrictions on education, mobility and financial independence. Her father’s experience of building a business, alongside her mother’s financial dependence, shaped her ambition to build an independent career.

Her path to fashion included engineering entrance preparation, a brief stint in architecture, a BBA in Computer Applications, fashion courses, internships and creative projects. She eventually founded Roology after an early job opportunity disappeared when the company shut down.

Running the business also forced her to reassess her relationship with work. Long hours, constant availability and the pressure to equate time spent working with results eventually contributed to burnout.

Atleisure therefore positions rest not as an alternative to ambition but as part of a sustainable approach to it. The brand plans to eventually expand beyond clothing into products, journals, content, applications and experiences aimed at helping people recognise and manage burnout.

For Roopchandani, the broader ambition is to build a brand around the idea that ambition and rest can coexist, without requiring women to choose between productivity and personal life.