GIRL POWER with Rebecca Ardekani: Merak Activewear
To celebrate Women’s History Month, this month I’ll be highlighting several local women who make my job as a fitness enthusiast better in one way or another. The first is Becca Ardekani, the founder of Merak activewear. I’m all about local love so I was giddy to learn that the adorable active styles from Merak were created here on the Main Line. Merak is the Siberian word for simple things that give you pleasure. For Becca, movement is medicine, and the word merak signifies what Becca wants her clothing brand to stand for. Merak does small batch activewear with a few seasonal drops a year. Becca keeps it simple, basic and clean with the colors, styles and pieces of her activewear brand. Each drop only has a few items. Most recently, the early spring collection included a set with a legging and a top (that I am wearing below), in two beautiful spring shades, as well as a ribbed tank. Because Merak is a small batch brand, the clothes do sell out. And by the time I publish this post, the set I’m wearing could be nearly gone. But don’t worry, Becca assured me that she has more good stuff coming in time for summer.
Did you happen to notice (when you clicked on the picture) that the price of this entire set is less than a pair of leggings from those other high end active brands?
I had to sit down with the woman who started Merak from the guest bedroom of her Media home, so we met for some smoothies last week. And I was a bit dumbfounded `to learn that Becca is only 26 years old! She is just a few years out of college. And this young woman had the courage to enter the pretty crowded space of activewear in order to advance her mission, which is to create quality activewear without the big price tag. Frustrated that there wasn’t a good option between the high end and expensive activewear (I’m with you Becca, the price for a pair of leggings has gotten out of hand) and Amazon, Becca worked with manufacturers overseas to create great clothes at a great price. She had friends and family test out her samples and reworked them accordingly. Plus, it helped that Becca is a certified barre teacher (most recently teaching at Pure Barre Main Line) so she really understands the importance of fit and function for movement. Becca wanted her clothes to be flattering, super soft and comfortable. And she wanted the modern woman to wear her clothes beyond the gym. Mission accomplished, Becca!
Merak is sold in fitness studios and online. Becca holds pop-ups at local gyms and attends events in the area to feature her clothes. You can catch Merak this weekend at SolidCore in Northern Liberties on March 16 and at the Spring Awakening Pilates event on March 24 in Fishtown.
Merak is Becca’s passion project but it’s not her full time gig. She was a school teacher in Delaware County and started her content creating business all while establishing Merak. But now she is devoting all of her time and energy to creating content and selling adorable activewear on the side. Sounds like the perfect career path to me!
Get to know the woman behind the brand, Becca Ardekani:
Roots: Chester County, PA
Education: Becca graduated from Temple University in 2020 with a degree in hospitality.
Certifications: Becca is a certified barre instructor (although she is no longer teaching barre so she can focus on her content creating business, and Merak).
Go-to workout: strength training and walking.
Family: Becca has a dog, Cooper. And Becca is currently planning her wedding to her fiancé, Brady.
Music: Noah Kahn, Taylor Swift and Billie Joel.
Food: Ice cream. Becca eats healthy, but she’s all about balance (as evidenced by her Instagram handle name “balanced_becs”).
Style: (When she isn’t wearing Merak, of course) Becca likes to wear “casual street wear”; lots of denim and fun jackets.
Full time job: Becca’s content brand that focuses on her daily health and wellness routines.
You’ll find me wearing Merak all year long. My favorites are the Affirmation Bra (which is supportive and comfortable) and the Rest Day Pants (that make wearing sweatpants stylish). If you want to give Merak a try, use my code FITNESSFINDS for 15% off your first order.