Designer Ilana Kugel discusses the new line and her fitness habits.
During a workout session some years ago, Los Angeles–based designer Ilana Kugel surveyed the other members at Equinox Westwood. What she encountered was a lack of brand diversity which, thanks to her background in fashion, inspired her. Fast forward to 2014 and the chic athleisure company Koral was born. This season, the brand is pursuing a new avenue: menswear. “The buyers from Equinox approached us, actually. They felt that there was a gap in the market for men and wanted us to create a collection,” explains Marcelo Kugel, Ilana’s brother and the company’s chief marketing officer.
Furthermore caught up with Ilana to learn more about the men’s line, which will be exclusively released at select Equinox locations starting in May, plus her own fitness and nutrition regimen.
The inspiration:
“I create a story behind each collection. I get inspired by everything—travel, art, music, and my lifestyle. For menswear, it’s a little different, because the pieces tend to be more geared to performance benefits and functionality.”
The favorites:
“I think the sweatshirt and sweatpants in the scuba material look really cool. The camo bomber jacket is my favorite piece.”
The fitness routine:
“My first triathlon was three years ago. Right now, I’m pretty focused on training. During the week, I swim, bike, and run at the gym and then, because I live in LA, on the weekends I swim, bike, and run outside. Koral is perfect, because sometimes I bike first, then take a spin class, and I can jump into the pool in my outfit.”
The diet regimen:
“I’m up at five a.m. and my eating habits are really healthy. Sometimes I do intermittent fasting. I stopped eating red meat when I was 19 and stopped chicken two years ago. I’m not eating fish right now. But I don’t like to label myself, though, because maybe in a few months my diet will change.”
The recovery habits:
“All the running I do is a lot for the body, so I do yoga for stretching and to relax my muscles. I also get lymphatic drainage massages once a week.”
This interview has been lightly edited for publication.