about the brand.

It’s been my vision since deciding to launch a fitness brand to bring the color black centerstage - both metaphorically and literally. I didn’t want a space that was cute or girly; I wanted a gritty, seductive place to sweat. A place you could escape in who you currently are and envision who you wanted to become each time you stepped inside. Matte is the flatness of color but the bodies inside the spaces are the perfect juxtaposition - hi gloss and full shine. Matte is also a play on the word mat, which is the style of workout that happens here - mat Pilates. Getting on your mat in a dark space to give yourself a transformational and spiritual moment is all of what this workout is.

Now for the literal. Black people, specifically Black women deserve luxury and that includes wellness. For years, I have been the only Black girl in a high-end workout or the only Black instructor on the schedule in studios in and around Washington, DC or wherever I’ve traveled. For years, I sat in classes that unabashedly placed their studios in gentrified neighborhoods without any representation of the community outside its doors. Albeit online, this is a space for you. Roll out your mat, light your candle, blast your playlist and be present.

That said:

While this space is inclusive and welcoming of all people, we’re giving a front row seat to Black and brown women because you belong here. You deserve to see bodies in motion that look like yours. You deserve to shut out the world while you prioritize yourself. You deserve this class, those leggings, that juice, that facial. Let’s love on ourselves so hard, together.

xx @matte.pilates