From Fashion Publicist to Wellness Guru
For seven years, Robyn Berkley worked as a publicist at People’s Revolution, the fashion public relations agency founded by Kelly Cutrone, who famously revealed the industry’s ugly side on reality shows like The City and Kell on Earth. On some episodes, you can see Berkley in the background, managing an angry client at an event or furiously taking notes while Cutrone barks orders at an intern. In April of 2011, the stress finally caught up with her. “I was working 12 hours or more per day, entertaining, going to client dinners, and traveling constantly,” said Berkley. “I didn’t have a normal, steady life and I had all these physical ailments that I was too young to have.”
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Berkley saw a holistic doctor who totally overhauled her chaotic lifestyle over the course of a year, and her aches and stomach issues improved. But it wasn’t enough. She wanted to feel spiritually cleansed, and so she left her life for a four-month yoga retreat in Bali. When she returned, she started searching for what she could do in the health and wellness industry. The answer lied in a common female conundrum. After wearing nothing but yoga clothes for the last four months, she realized she had nothing to wear. One year later Berkley launched Live the Process, a luxury active-wear line that’s as technically driven as it is stylish. “I wanted to merge the worlds of fashion and fitness and create something functional and breathable for working out,” said Berkley. “I’m not a Lululemon customer. I don’t wear branded clothes. I wanted something simple that I could wear leaving the gym.”
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Live the Process is named for the common yoga philosophy of being present and focused on the process instead of the results. The line features chic tank tops, sports bras, pants and outerwear in neutral hues, geometric patterns, and the occasional pop of leopard or floral. The line is made entirely of high performance fabrications that retain shape and support the body during exercise and are produced entirely in the United States. Barneys and Net-a-Porter picked up Live the Process immediately and Berkley is busy adding retailers and creating seasonal collections to accompany her signature pieces. She is also building out the health and wellness portion of the Live the Process website, where she features contributors like celebrity chef Daphne Cheng, who provides healthy, vegetable-based recipes, and Rebekah Fensome, a London-based life coach who offers tips on managing stress. “It’s a space to celebrate all the people I know and form a curated group of individuals who can speak on what they think is important,where they can write and share,” said Berkley. “The entire thing is about creating something authentic and honest.”
