Meet H-O-R-S-E, the California Activewear Label That Wants You to Sweat
- Savannah Bradley
- 6 days ago
- 6 min read
Their logoless, retro-inspired, 100% cotton basics are designed for the conscious athlete.
Tennis whites in New Rochelle and East Hampton. Loose linen pants designed for 10 AM yoga and 11 AM brunch at Sant Ambroeus. White-trimmed, pristine basketball shorts paired with beat-up sneakers, or, for the contrast obsessive, patent leather ballet flats. For the past year, athleisure has oscillated into old-but-make-it-new territory: comfortable, simple garments, made from premium fabrics, built for your body to breathe, move, and live in, free of plastic and pretense.
The brand doing it the best, naturally, is H-O-R-S-E, the brainchild of Herbs for Relaxation founder Sue Williamson. Made in California, the über-soft brand harkens back to midcentury athletic wear with vintage silhouettes to boot — I was first introduced to H-O-R-S-E when I spied the perfect popped collar polo sweatshirt on a woman in my Pilates class. “We were active outside. We moved our bodies with the simple goal of wellbeing,” writes Williamson. “And we wore loose-fitting clothes made from natural fibers — not plastic.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
SAVANNAH EDEN BRADLEY: You've had a rich career in fashion editorial. What inspired the leap into creating your own athleticwear line, and how have your past experiences shaped H-O-R-S-E?
SUE WILLIAMSON: I have always dreamed of having my own line — I actually started out in fashion school at Pratt — but it was never the right idea at the right time. I really started H-O-R-S-E out of a personal need. I was cleaning up my diet and home cleaning supplies and realized a lot of my clothing, especially workout clothing, was made of synthetic materials that have been linked to PFAS and other things that are not so great for our health. I started searching for cool, loose, but not sloppy activewear made out of natural materials, and couldn’t find anything that suited my style or specifications.
My past experience has been so key for H-O-R-S-E. I learned so much in my time as an editor, getting up close and personal with designers and clothes. And as a brand consultant, I've gotten to learn the do's and don'ts of business that I could not have learned anywhere else. Even my internship knowledge has come in handy from my days in magazine fashion closets! I learned very quickly to have a "no job is too small" attitude and that comes in handy every day.
SEB: On a more specific note: how has your time at Herbs for Relaxation informed the founding and launch of H-O-R-S-E?
SW: Herbs for Relaxation is still such a special project for me and something that’s taught me so much! The biggest lesson I learned from Herbs has been that if you make something you really believe in, you’ll find a community who believes in it, too. It gave me the confidence to think big with H-O-R-S-E and take it from something I was making just for myself and my boyfriend and turn it into a real brand.
SEB: I love that the brand's designs nod to P.E. uniforms and vintage sportswear. What eras, touchstones, and personal memories have influenced the brand's aesthetic? How is your own style reflected in the work that you’re doing?
SW: Thank you! The earliest inspirations were actual P.E. uniforms I sourced on eBay and some old gym clothes of my dad’s from the ‘70s. He had these old cotton basketball shorts — very tiny! — from his college, Florida State, and my sister and I were always stealing them. I love old '70s basketball style, I love the look of a short short with a Converse High-Top, I love simple colors and ringer tees. The look is just very classic and cool — never too done. I love old public service videos, old P.E. videos, and old Richard Simmons videos.
My personal style definitely influenced these pieces. I was trying to make something I wanted to wear but couldn’t find. I just want to feel comfortable and put together, which is a hard combination to hit. I wanted to make something beautiful and classic that you could throw on and just know you’re going to look and feel good. Basically, I wanted to make no-brainer clothes that didn’t feel thoughtless.
SEB: In an era dominated by synthetic activewear, what challenges and benefits have you encountered by choosing 100% cotton and natural materials?
SW: The biggest challenge in making clothes from cotton is, by far, the price. Oh my gosh, once I saw the price of 100% cotton fabrics and making the clothes in America, I understood why so few people do it. It’s definitely more expensive than the alternative, but to me, it’s worth it.
There are so many benefits, including softness and quality. The fabrics are SO soft. Another benefit has been being able to rethink what activewear looks like outside of the standard bra-legging sets. H-O-R-S-E pieces are really a marriage of the fabrics and silhouettes that help them shine. The shorts, for example, have a bit of a flare in the legs, so you get optimal airflow through them as you run, work out, do Pilates, whatever. They really work together that way.
SEB: Current Kit offerings — shorts, a tee, and a sweatshirt — are radically minimalist and, crucially, logo-less. That's a bold decision in such a brand-centric athleticwear market. What motivated this choice, and how do you believe it impacts the wearer's experience?
SW: I got so much pushback on this as I was working on it, but not having a logo was so important to me. First, I really designed these from the customer’s perspective. If you want workout clothing with a logo on it, that already exists. But logoless cotton clothes can be hard to find. Some people don’t want to be a billboard for your brand. I get that, and I also feel that way.
Second: I really wanted the kit to be timeless, classic, and easy to pair back with items you already have. When I was working on them, I didn’t just think: What would make someone buy this piece? I was thinking: What’s going to make them keep it? I think logos can make things less versatile, and date the piece, and I don’t want these to end up in landfills just because the logo or font or whatever doesn’t look cool anymore.
SEB: The name H-O-R-S-E evokes nostalgia for a simpler time in physical fitness. How do you see the brand contributing to a broader conversation about the state of wellness today?
SW: Like a lot of people, I’ve been on my own journey of trying to figure out what wellness looks like for me. The wellness industry is massive and crowded and complicated, and I’ve truly tried everything, both as an editor and as a consumer. Over the past few years, I’ve found myself veering away from the more commoditized version of wellness and more towards movement of any sort — as much as I can every day. I’m trying to listen to my body and push it using more time-tested movements like running, swimming, lifting, yoga, hiking, et cetera. It’s why I’m so interested in P.E. class, too. Getting outside in a park and doing push-ups, jumping jacks, and jogging is so good for you. Even better with a friend or group of friends! Why do we make it so complicated? I’d love to get more into this concept as the brand grows.
SEB: How do you envision H-O-R-S-E evolving in the next five years? Are there specific silhouettes, mediums, or ideas you’re excited to explore in the future?
SW: I’m excited to work with wool for the colder months and winter sports, and natural waterproofing that doesn’t involve Teflon. There are so many silhouettes I’m playing with right now, but I definitely want to grow the line slowly and thoughtfully.
SEB: Lastly: what advice would you give to yourself one year ago?
SW: “Prepare for success!” I’m really risk-averse and try to prepare for worst-case scenarios, but I often forget to prepare for things to go really well, which they so often do. 🌀
Savannah Eden Bradley is a writer, fashion editor, gallerina, Gnostic scholar, reformed It Girl, and future beautiful ghost from the Carolina coast. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the fashion magazine HALOSCOPE. You can stalk her everywhere online @savbrads.