“I feel like back in the day, it was either you’re healthy and spiritual or a corporate boss, whereas now it’s about creating spaces where you can be both.” With that single line, Lesley Ryf, founder of the activewar brand AMADA, captures the cultural shift unfolding across the region, and the essence of her quietly powerful activewear brand.

In a world where women are no longer defined by binaries, her pieces are built for the in-between. It’s for the woman who meditates before a board meeting, the one who goes from reformer to strategy session, the one who is soft and strong at the same time. Born in Switzerland to a Swiss father and Dominican mother, raised between Europe, the US, and the Caribbean, and shaped by a global lifestyle that spans Dubai, London and Zurich, her story mirrors the brand she has created. It’s fluid, multicultural, and firmly grounded in intention. “I always say I’m the opposite of Arabic, even though I live here,” she laughs, describing a background that blends structure with soul. “I grew up between cultures, between languages, between continents.

I think that’s why versatility became the core of AMADA. Nothing in my life ever fits into one category.” Before AMADA existed, Ryf was a brand consultant constantly on the move, taking meetings, travelling, socialising, fitting in gym classes between flights. At the time, activewear was loud, logo-heavy and often one-note. “Years ago, the now well-known activewear staples weren’t even accessible in every market,” she explains. “I needed pieces that could move with me, from studio to street, without screaming ‘gym’. Something functional but beautiful, soft but structured, minimal but flattering.” That personal need became the brand’s starting point. What she couldn’t find, she designed. What didn’t exist, she built.

AMADA launched in 2021, in the peak of pandemic uncertainty, when Switzerland shut down just a week after her first drop. “I couldn’t shoot, I couldn’t host events, nothing. My American friends kept saying Dubai was open, so I came here thinking it would be short-term. But this country just gives you opportunity. Here, opening a business is encouraged, not blocked.”

It also turned out to be the perfect place to build a wellness-forward community before the wellness wave hit. “People forget this, but two years ago, nobody here knew what a Reformer class was. I’d organise influencer Pilates sessions, and most of them had never tried it. Many had never had matcha before. I felt like I was introducing people to this world I already lived in.” Today, the GCC’s wellness scene is thriving, and AMADA has grown alongside it. One of the brand’s biggest differentiators is its invisible engineering, technical choices you don’t notice until you wear them, and then can never un-feel. Every line curves with the female form. Every seam is intentional. Every fabric is chosen with precision. “Our bodies aren’t straight lines,” she says. “Even if you’re petite or slim, you have shape. So every piece is curved, sculpted, cinched or softened in ways that honour that.” Leggings follow the natural leg line. Waistbands hold without cutting. Tops include integrated bra shells so no extra layering ruins the silhouette. Sleeveless openings are oval, not round, to prevent tightness. The flared shorts widen slightly at the hem so they never dig in. The jumpsuit (one of the brand’s early heroes) hugs, lifts and lengthens without restricting movement.

These details, she explains, are the difference between clothing that looks good and clothing that makes you feel good. “If something is itchy, slips down, digs into your waist or presses your stomach, it affects your whole day. I design so you forget you’re wearing activewear, but everyone else notices how good you look.”

The brand’s refined colour palette is another signature. It focuses on earthy neutrals, soft pastels and calming tones that feel wearable across seasons and continents. “I don’t believe in fast-fashion or fast trends,” she says. “I wanted a palette that feels timeless, grounding and elegant. Something you can mix with jeans, blazers, cashmere, not just leggings.” Designing between sunny Dubai and wintery Switzerland also sharpened her approach. “I would be sketching here looking at palm trees, but in Europe it was snowing. So I needed colours that worked everywhere, for everyone.” It’s also an emotional choice: grounding colours ground the wearer. They reflect the brand’s entire philosophy, ease, balance, clarity, presence.

What also sets AMADA apart is how seamlessly the pieces fit into real life. They solve outfit dilemmas, simplify busy mornings, and make movement feel accessible rather than intimidating. “My friends always say AMADA saves their day. If they don’t know what to wear, they throw on the jumpsuit with a cardigan. If they have a casual meeting, they pair the asymmetric top with a blazer. It’s effortless,” says Ryf.

This, she believes, is where wellness truly begins, by removing friction and creating flow. Wellness has also shaped her personally. “Meditation changed my mornings,” she says. “Not the traditional sit-still type, sometimes I daydream, sometimes I just breathe. But it sets the tone.” Switching from heavy weightlifting to Pilates and barre also helped her reconnect with feminine energy. “Working and building a brand is very masculine. Pilates with women, complimenting each other, laughing, suffering together, that atmosphere softened me in the best way.”

AMADA has become known for curated gatherings, Pilates sessions, movement classes, wellness pop-ups and intimate events designed to make women feel seen. “Community makes everything easier,” she says. “When you enter a room where you feel supported, you naturally become a better version of yourself.” From Switzerland to the Middle East, from pilates studios to boardrooms, from daydreams to product design, AMADA is the intersection of all Ryf’s worlds. A brand born out of movement, shaped by experience, and rooted in the belief that wellness and style no longer live in separate lanes. Because today’s woman doesn’t choose between strength and softness – she wears both.

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Images & Feature Image: Supplied