In today’s hypercompetitive activewear market, estimated to be worth $440 billion, it can be difficult for a legacy brand, let alone an indie player, to stand out. It takes more than a quality product or aesthetically pleasing content to build a social media campaign that actively engages consumers; it also takes community. That is precisely what co-founders Sami Clarke and Sami Spalter built with their company Form. In 2020, Clarke and Spalter launched Form as a digital workout platform, one
orm, one that has since evolved into a vertically integrated wellness brand spanning subscription fitness, content and activewear. Since entering the apparel market in 2023, Form’s co-founders have built an impressive audience for their activewear collections, with celebrity fans including Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner, which has helped them regularly sell out new drops within weeks, sometimes hours, of launching and brought total revenue to over $43 million as of 2025.
Inside Retail connected with Clarke and Spalter to discuss the lightbulb moment behind the brand’s launch and the special details that separate Form from other labels on the market.
Inside Retail: How did you first come up with the idea for Form?
Sami Clarke: It all started really organically. In 2020, when the world shut down, I started showing up on Instagram and YouTube doing 30-minute workouts from my living room. I just wanted to move my body and bring people along with me. There was no master plan, but something happened in those early days that I didn’t expect – this community started forming around the workouts. People were showing up every single day, not just for the movement but for each other.
Then I connected with my co-founder, Sami [Spalter], through a mutual friend, and we just clicked. She had been on her own wellness journey, completely transforming her relationship with her body, and had developed an incredible business mind from her time in influencer marketing. We sat down and asked ourselves, what if we built something that could hold all of this, the workouts, the community and the lifestyle, and that became Form.
IR: In 2020, Form launched as a digital workout platform, before transitioning into a multi-tiered brand with an apparel launch in 2024. In what ways do you think the workout platform played a role in the brand’s success within the retail sector so far?
Sami Spalter: The platform was our testing ground for everything. We knew what our community wanted because we were in conversation with them constantly – through the app, on socials and in our WhatsApp groups.
When we moved into apparel, it wasn’t a guess. It was because our community had been working out with us, sometimes daily, for years and they trusted us. They knew how we moved, what we valued and what type of product we’d put our names behind.
The platform gave us something most brands launching into retail don’t have: a relationship that already existed. Our members weren’t just customers; they were part of the Form Fam.
So when we said, “We made something for you to wear,” they showed up because they’d already experienced what we built for them to move in. Each apparel drop has outperformed the last, and I really believe that’s because the trust was already there before we ever shipped a single product.
IR: In what ways does Form differ from other activewear/athleisure brands on the market?
SS: Form isn’t just an apparel brand. From a brand perspective, we’re community-led in a way that goes beyond marketing language. Every decision we make starts with one question: is this what the Form Fam wants?
Not what’s trending, not what the market says. What does our community actually need? That shows up in everything from our sizing to our colorways to the categories we expand into. It’s important to us that we’re not designing for a fantasy version of someone’s life. We’re designing for how women actually live, move and show up every day.
IR: How does your experience in the fitness space influence the products Form releases?
SC: I’m in these products every single day. I’m training in them, I’m teaching in them, I’m living in them. When I say something needs to be adjusted, it’s because I’ve spent time moving in it and know what will feel best for myself and the community. The Form Method blends strength and pilates, so our products need to perform across both. A legging that works for a heavy lift but also lets you flow through a pilates sequence, which is unique.
IR: How does your background in the fitness and media space play a role in how you promote these SKUs?
Sami Clarke: It really happens so beautifully and organically because I genuinely live in our products. Whether I’m filming a workout in the new set, wearing it on a walk, running errands or filming the podcast. My audience has watched me move in these clothes in real time. They’ve seen what holds up through a 30-minute Form Method session, what moves with you during a pilates flow, what you actually want to grab when you’re running out the door.
That context can’t be manufactured. It comes from years of showing up on camera, being honest about what works and what doesn’t, and letting my community see the full picture. We don’t create content that feels like an ad because it isn’t one. It’s just my life, and Form is woven into every part of it.
IR: What were the toughest challenges you faced in the initial stages of launching and running the brand? What strategies did you incorporate to overcome these issues?
SS: The early days were survival mode, plain and simple. We were two women in our twenties, bootstrapping a business with zero outside funding. We were filming constantly and working in the back of a coffee shop, doing everything ourselves – content, customer service, strategy and operations. As hard as it was, we focused on the community, on showing up consistently, and on making every decision with integrity.
The other challenge was knowing when to grow and when to hold back. We could have scaled faster in certain areas, but we chose to be intentional. We didn’t want to build something that outgrew the community that made it possible. Form has never been about chasing scale for the sake of it. It’s always been about building something that actually serves the people in it.
IR: What have been the biggest highlight moments of running the business thus far?
SS: Our pop-up experiences have been some of the most emotional & gratifying moments. Getting to meet the Form Fam in person, hugging people who had been working out with us for years through a screen, there’s nothing like it. Seeing someone walk up and say, “You changed my relationship with my body.” That will always mean more than any business metric.
IR: In addition to the brand’s DTC site and the pop-up shops hosted thus far, are there any plans to expand Form’s physical retail presence?
SS: We’re really excited about what’s ahead! After our 2025 pop-ups in New York and LA, we have more pop-ups coming in 2026 – we’ll be in Chicago in August and back in New York in October. The energy at these events is unreal, and they’ve reinforced how powerful it is to bring the Form Fam together in person.
Beyond that, we’re always evaluating what makes sense for the brand. Our community is truly at the heart of every decision we make, and so much of our future plans are informed by what they want and where they want us. We want to grow thoughtfully and make sure any expansion feels authentic to who we are.
IR: This March, Form launched its Every Body Collection, the brand’s first expansion from XS to XXXL. What factors influenced the launch timing, and which product categories can we expect the brand to tap into next?
SS: Extended sizing was always the vision. It was never a question of if, but when, we wanted to do it right. We didn’t want just to grade up existing patterns and call it inclusive.
We took the time to develop fits that actually work across the full size range, with real input from our community members across different body types. The timing felt right because we’d gotten to a place where we could execute at the quality level the Form Fam deserves.
Launching the Every Body Collection was one of our proudest moments because it reflects what we’ve always believed: every Form of you belongs here. This is for everyone.
IR: What goal points do you hope to carry out with Form over the next year and over the next five years?
SS: As far as what’s next, our community is truly at the heart of everything we do. So much of our future plans and category expansion are informed by what the Form Fam wants and expresses interest in. We’re always listening, always in conversation with them, and that will continue to guide where we go. We want to keep building a brand that women feel genuinely connected to, one that grows with them through every stage of life.
IR: What is a piece of advice you would give to the day-one version of yourself on your founder journey?
SC: Trust the process and trust yourself more than you think you should. There were so many moments early on where I second-guessed whether this could actually become something real. I wish I could tell that version of me: the thing that feels scary is usually the thing worth doing. Just keep showing up.
SS: I’d tell myself to get comfortable being uncomfortable, because that feeling never fully goes away – it just means you’re growing. I would also say to protect the community above everything. The business decisions that felt the hardest were usually the ones where we chose our people over the faster or flashier option, and those are the decisions I’m proudest of today. Your people will always be the thing that matters most.
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