Mum reveals how an awkward Coles moment changed her life

A mother has revealed how “mortifying” moment on a post-workout supermarket run completely changed her life.

Welcome to You Got This, news.com.au’s weekly fitness series featuring stories and ideas from real Australians who’ve experienced it all.

A mother has revealed how a “mortifying” moment on a post-workout supermarket run completely changed her life.

Alana Clarkson, 45, has always loved health and fitness but at 27 she decided to take it a step further and become a personal trainer, mostly teaching classes as she loved the supportive environment.

However, it was after her own HIIT class she decided to pop into a Coles that was on her way home.

“Like many busy mums, I’m always short on time, so I decided to grab a few items post-workout and I was wearing dark grey activewear tights,” Ms Clarkson told news.com.au.

“As I was leaving, I dropped some groceries and noticed people at a nearby cafe staring at me.

Alana Clarkson is a fitness instructor. Picture: Supplied

“When I looked down, I realised that my dark grey tights were covered in sweat around the crotch area, making it look like I’d wet myself. I was absolutely mortified.”

It wasn’t the first time she’d been exposed to this issue and it’s something she’d heard time and time again in her group fitness classes.

“I’d often hear women in the gym talk about avoiding certain colours because they were worried it would show too much sweat,” she said.

“Many would say that at times they felt distracted during their workouts, constantly wondering if the sweat marks around their crotch were too obvious, which made them feel self-conscious.”

After her infamous supermarket moment, Ms Clarkson knew something had to give when it came to women’s activewear and that there needed to be something sweat proof in those awkward places.

She searched everywhere to find the type of activewear she was visualising – even overseas – but wasn’t able to.

“It became clear to me that, despite the over-saturated fitness apparel market, there was a significant gap for activewear that prioritised practical solutions,” she said.

“Although I’d never planned on starting my own brand, I felt compelled to create something to meet this need – first for myself, and then for other women.”

That is how Idea Athletic, Ms Clarkson’s activewear brand, came to life. She said the thing that sets it apart is InvisiSweat, which is a bamboo fibre lining which is placed in the crotch, inner thigh, buttock and bust areas of the clothing.

She was glared at in Coles because of awkward sweat marks. Picture: Supplied

“Bamboo is naturally porous and incredibly absorbent, making InvisiSweat highly effective at working to prevent sweat marks from showing through to the outside fabric,” Ms Clarkson said.

“It took me two years of research, development, and over 25 prototypes to perfect InvisiSweat, and I’m incredibly proud of the result.

“This highly functional, solution-focused design effectively works to combat awkward sweat marks while being non bulky to wear.

“You can only see InvisiSweat when you flip our garments inside out – on the outside, it’s invisible.”

She said her primary goal was to relieve a very common problem and become the first brand people think of when they want to solve that.

“The response from our customers has been fantastic, and it’s what drives me the most. All of my business decisions are guided by the feedback that I receive,” she said.

“The supportive and loyal community of Idea Athletic customers is something that I am so grateful for. I receive so many direct messages from women letting me know how much they value the InvisiSweat solution that I’ve created as its allowed them to focus on the workout without the worry of sweat.

She started Idea Athletic as a result. Picture: Supplied

“I’ll never tire of reading these messages as they really do make my day and I like to ensure that I personally respond to every customer to thank them for taking the time to reach out.”

Ms Clarkson said she’s learned during this experience that it’s important to support small businesses and women-led ventures. She said it’s been a journey of stress and sacrifices.

“I always encourage people to ensure their actions reflect their support. By backing small, female-led businesses, we help pave the way for future generations to see entrepreneurship as a viable career path and inspire them to realise their own ideas,” she said.

“While I am immensely proud of creating an activewear brand that addresses sweat marks effectively, the continued success of Idea Athletic relies on customers choosing smaller brands. “Without this support, our ability to grow and thrive is challenging, and that would be disappointing, especially since I now have the activewear I’ve originally wanted to buy sans the worry of awkward sweat marks thanks to InvisiSweat.”