Kate Hudson on '˜athleisure', jumpsuits and shaving all her hair off

Hollywood actress and Fabletics founder, Kate Hudson, 38, has become a fully-fledged fitnesswear mogul with her hugely successful Fabletics brand - which later this year celebrates five years in business, and has just opened its first UK retail space.

“We like calling it a presence, because it’s not really one of our stores,” the actress explains to Katie Wright, curled up on a chintz armchair in a posh London hotel (she’s in the city for the launch). “My best girlfriend here, (Stephanie Burrows), opened her new studio called POPfit, so it seemed fitting that I would put some of our product in there and have a presence.”

Fabletics now has 1.2 million members - who have signed up to get monthly deliveries of workout gear - and 24 stores in America, in addition to the UK opening.

“For us, it’s a little bit different because we’re a digitally native brand”, Kate explains.

“Being a predominantly online brand allows us to be able to take opportunities to test the market, and what we found was that when we strategically placed stores in places where we had a lot of activity, our customers became even more engaged. They wanted to go to the store, they wanted to touch and feel, they wanted the shopping experience. It’s something that actually grows our brand, it doesn’t take away from our brand. So it’s worked the opposite in a climate now where retail is struggling.”

This October will mark five years of Fabletics - but Kate has ambitions for where the brand will be in another five years.

“Shoot for the stars, right?!” she laughs. “It’d be great in five years to be the biggest athleisure line out there! That being said, I think our focus, as much as it is on growth - which is important for any company - it’s really about perfecting our quality. Focusing on quality and fashion first is what we’re really all about, and we know that’s what our customer loves. So that for me is always the most important thing to focus on.

“This has afforded me the ability to only work on the things creatively that I want to work on. So I don’t feel forced to have to make a living through acting and do things I don’t necessarily want to do. So that’s a really nice feeling as a creative person. All the things I’m developing and doing are things I just love. But acting is my first and foremost - I mean, I’m a performer, that just never goes away.”

Asked which item of clothing she wears the most, Kate responds: “Good question! I really try to wear all my clothes - I make a conscious effort to not wear the same thing - but, jumpsuits!

“There’s a couple of jumpsuits that when I’m in a hurry, I’ll just put on. Actually, funny enough, I’m wearing Stella McCartney today, and she’s my friend and everyone knows that at this point, but I love her jumpsuits. I think she makes really comfortable jumpsuits that are flattering. They aren’t form-fitting but they are flattering. I have a Saint Laurent jumpsuit that I love and another one by Ulla Johnson; it’s a velvet, very girly jumpsuit - when I have to go out somewhere that’s a little bit fancier, it’s my go-to.

“I really appreciate people’s fashion but I don’t know if they influence mine. I think it’s eras that make more sense in terms of what influences me. I definitely lean more towards the Seventies in terms of comfort. I’ll always love a flared jean, I just like the way they make your legs look. I think they make your legs look nice and long, and I love a flowy dress, I love a disco dress - anything from the 70s.”

After shaving her head for a movie role, timeless beauty Kate, who is currently sporting a blonde pixie crop, explains: “I’m not dying for it to grow out, I’m enjoying it, it’s different. I’m excited for all the different stages, and now I think it’s fun that if I know I want to cut my hair short again, I won’t be so scared to do it, it won’t be so scary. But I am going to grow it out.”

A selection of Fabletics clothing is now available in store at POPfit studio (wearepopfit.com).