AWMA has been on the cutting edge of martial arts gear since 1972. Last week, AWMA and ProForce took on yet another new challenge in the martial arts and fitness world: athleisure.
A spinoff of ProForce, ProForce Sport™ is a brand new line of Martial Arts athleisure and activewear pants. They’re designed with both style and substance in mind, which makes them a great fit for your life in and outside of the gym. You can wear them on the mats, in the ring, on the street, or even in the club. And they even have pockets!
Excited to learn more about this cool new gear, the AWMA Blog reached out to the mastermind behind the new line, Christina Acevedo. In addition to her work as the Director of Digital Media for AWMA and ProForce, the Los Angeles, CA-based Christina is also a video artist and musician. Which gives her the perfect balance for these genre-hopping pants.
We talked to Christina about the birth of ProForce Sport™, carrying on the family tradition, and mermaid aliens.
The ProForce Sport™ Pants Origin Story
How did you originally come up with the idea for ProForce Sport™ pants?
The idea came about in 2017 after I produced a photoshoot for ProForce. We had the martial artists in the shoot wearing Kung Fu pants and Demo Team Uniforms. After the shoot in NYC I took the pants home with me and started wearing them around the city and getting so many compliments. Then the trend started to catch on and my friends and I started wearing the 8 oz Karate Pants all the time. We couldn’t stop. Then a couple of friends said that I should make my own designs for the brand! So I did, and that was the start of ProForce Sport™.
What martial arts and combat sports inspired the design?
The traditional 8 oz Karate Pants used to train karate, and the Demo Team pants for sparring were the main inspiration. The materials and patterns are the exact same, the only difference is the colors are less traditional and the pants have pockets.
Work and Play
What kind of training are these pants good for?
These pants are great for karate and boxing training. My friends love wearing these pants to travel in because they are super comfortable. I use them for long walks or hikes. (Does grocery shopping count as training? They are good for that too.)
They’re not just training pants, though. Can you tell us a little about their fashion potential?
We wear the pants around town during the day for lunch and shopping and get a ton of compliments. They are so cozy but also stylish at the same time. You are definitely making a statement in these unique looks. They pretty much go with anything. Style it with a sheer top, tank, your favorite t-shirt. Dress it up with boots or heels and they are perfect for the club or an event. If you want to rock a sporty look, put on a crop top and your favorite sneakers. You can’t go wrong.
These pants offer you a way to express yourself and to be versatile in your look depending on your mood. Plus they have super-deep pockets, which I love! No purse!
ProForce Sport™ Pants Are Good For Fashion Shoots, Too
You celebrated the launch of the new pants with a very cool and different photo shoot. How did that idea come about?
This photoshoot came about because I love creatures. I am a fan of the film Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954), mermaid imagery and supervillains from old Japanese TV series. When I was designing the pants I was watching a lot of Kamen Rider and Himitsu Sentai Gorenger, so the idea was sparked from those shows. The villains always seemed to be making calls from the desert and other barren landscapes and I wanted to do an homage to those images. My friend Logan White, who is an amazing photographer and artist, was going to be in town. I told her about the shoot and she loved the idea and we were off from there!
(Photography by Logan White. SFX Makeup by Heather Galipo. Nails by Violet Davis.
The Future of ProForce Sport™
What has the response to your pants been like so far?
The response has been overwhelming. Not only do I have support from friends who already placed orders and reposted the photos, but I am making friends with new people who have seen the pants on their friends or on Instagram.
Do you have any other designs in the works?
Soon I will be releasing a new version of an original ProForce Sport™ pant – one of the first I designed in January 2020. I am also exploring some new colors for the Satin Demo Pants.
The Family Business
Your mother, Georgette Ciukurescu, is the founder and president of AWMA. How has she been an inspiration for you and your work?
First of all, my Mom has been a HUGE supporter of the pants and my vision so I am grateful for that. She also has taught me when there is a need for something in the marketplace, a niche, you have to follow that, so I did that with the pants. My friends were asking for them, and consistently buying from the website. People were reacting positively, so I had to listen to that, which is a lesson from my Mom — listen to what the customer wants and needs when it is lacking in the marketplace.
Also growing up my Mom exposed me to a lot of films, art, and music, so not only is she inspiring as a business woman, but also she helped spark the artist flame that was inside of me. Combine ALL of that and you have me as a Mermaid Alien in ProForce Sport™ Karate Pants that I designed.
