Fashion and fitness collide at Highland Park Village's latest boutique

A broken foot was Jenn Bandier’s unlikely foray into fashionable activewear. After the injury left the native New Yorker in her workout clothes for weeks on end, she grew bored with the selection she was finding.

“I realized how limited my options were — I wasn’t finding things that represented my personal style,” Bandier says. “As I started to explore other brands, I realized that there are amazing advancements in fit, design, fabrics, and technology. I wanted activewear that fit into my lifestyle and allowed me to express myself.”

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And so a business was born. Bandier is opening its fourth brick-and-mortar store November 8 in Highland Park Village. The other three are in New York and are seeing huge popularity, with celebrities like Lena Dunham, Liv Tyler, Mariska Hargitay, and the Kardashians shopping there. It’s the first activewear retailer for Highland Park Village and will combine luxury, fashion, fitness, and music.

“We curate the best selects from emerging and established activewear brands from around the world,” she says “In stark contrast to mono-brand retailers such as Nike or Lululemon, women can try on over 40 brands and experiment with styling and fit [at Bandier]. All of our products are fashion-forward and can perform during intense workouts.”

The Highland Park Village location will be fashion-meets-fitness, designed by NYC-based Two One Two Design with a clean, modern aesthetic. The boutique will feature a listening station in partnership with Beats By Dre, where visitors can tune into to Bandier playlists. A lightbox in the front of the store will be fitted with inspirational quotes where shoppers can snap social media photos of a new outfit.

The boutique will carry activewear tops, bottoms, bras, shoes, and accessories, like a small gym bag by Stella McCartney for $170. The average price point is $90.

Looking outside New York for a new store location, Bandier chose Highland Park Village after a visit last December.

“Our goal is to open stores in the most beautiful destination retail spaces around the world and, therefore, Highland Park Village is the perfect location for us,” she says. “Dallas is an extremely active city and we are excited to introduce the community to a new way of shopping for fitness apparel.”

Lest anyone think these clothes are for fashion only, Bandier is quick to point out that everything sold in the boutiques is made to stand up to a tough gym trip.

“All items we sell have to fit well and perform during a workout,” she says. “I choose collections that speak to me and that represent personal style, and we are increasingly working with brands that create exclusive merchandise for Bandier.”

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