This week we chat with Gauri Sarma, Founder of Be Athletica, a UAE-based activewear brand. Known for its subtle not to the ‘90s, there’s something for everyone.
Welcome to the Emirates Woman weekly series ‘How I got my job as…’ where we speak to some incredible entrepreneurs and businesswomen both based in the UAE and globally to find out about their career paths that led them to where they are now; what their daily routines look like; the advice they’d give to those starting out; and the hurdles they’ve had to overcome.
Designed and manufactured in the UAE, the pieces are crafted for the modern woman. Each set blends functionality with fashion. It’s standout quality is its ethical production transparency, as all styles use pre-loved fabrics that support an everyday active lifestyle in a mindful way.
To delve into the world of activewear, Emirates Woman spoke to Sarma to see how it all began.
What was your favourite subject at school?
My favourite subject in school was English. I found it fascinating to hear our class uncover unique themes and interpretations within the same poem or novel. I distinctly remember some “can’t believe I didn’t catch that” moments. Those discussions were always something I looked forward to, as they encouraged my bizarre perspectives and creative thinking.
What was your first job?
My first job was working in retail as a shop assistant for a brand called ‘The Cotton Story’, which was then a pop-up store in Covent Garden in London. This was my foundation to understanding retail, interacting with customers, managing point-of-sale, and overseeing physical stock. After university, my first full-time role was as an E-Commerce Operations Assistant at Cult Mia, a London-based fashion marketplace dedicated to discovering independent designers. This role truly shaped my career into finding a niche that I loved. As part of a start-up, my role entailed wearing many hats—site merchandising, handling customer care, and coordinating daily operations with designers from around the world. This experience helped me discover my passion for e-commerce and ignited my entrepreneurial spirit.
What brought you to Dubai?
I was born and raised in Dubai. My parents, both entrepreneurs, moved to the UAE in 1996. I pursued my BSc in Fashion Management at the London College of Fashion in the UK. After gaining work experience in London, I moved back to Dubai in 2022, drawn by the rapidly growing e-commerce sector and opportunities here. Growing up in a city known for its relentless innovation instilled in me a drive to continuously learn and achieve more, Dubai was the perfect city to bring my vision to life.
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What inspired you to enter the space and your brand?
I always knew I wanted to start my own business, but I was determined to let the idea come to me naturally. My studies in fashion and career in e-commerce deepened my curiosity about the end-to-end process of product manufacturing. Coming from a family business with over 25 years in apparel sourcing, I already had a strong foundation in the B2B side of the industry. However, I wanted to understand the end-to-end intricacies of creating and retailing a product. In 2024, I spent six months immersing myself in the production process, visiting factories in Bangladesh, the UAE, Sri Lanka, and Turkey. I explored everything from cotton spinning at mills to specialised denim factories, to see how our favourite flared jeans were made. I immersed myself in merchandising, which I believe is the basis of understanding the technical side of product, comprising of dissecting a garment down to its smallest details. Somewhere amid this process, I identified a gap in the market: timeless, playful everyday essentials designed for the modern woman—pieces that blend versatility with quality.
Talk us through the concept?
Be Athletica is a love letter to movement, comfort and the little luxuries that make us feel good. Our collections blend timeless appeal with subtle nods to ‘90s inspired tailoring. From those early design sketches to perfecting every fit, we are all about creating wardrobe staples that take you seamlessly from morning Pilates to lazy brunches, from jet-setting on trips to moments of pure stillness at home. Life is complicated enough; your wardrobe shouldn’t be! We’re now excited to build the Be Athletica community.
What are the key elements of your role?
Every day brings something new! If it’s right before launch, then my priorities are focused on the e-commerce and campaign shoot, which consists of a lot of preparation and logistics. During this time, I’m also coordinating with production to ensure our bulk quantity will be delivered in time for the launch. Once the collection goes live, my role shifts into day-to-day operations, overseeing marketing, and we start to sample our new styles and running fit sessions for the next season. One area I’m particularly passionate about is customer care. I personally manage this as much as possible because I love to hear directly from our clients, understand their feedback and try to do our best to achieve their expectation of our product and service levels. Building a start-up is a work in process, and identifying what works—and what doesn’t—requires making well-informed decisions from the get-go.
Talk us through your daily routine.
I’m an early riser, and I love to start the day by playing tennis or strength training. It’s my way of constructively engaging my mind outside of work. Some mornings are spent cuddling my dog and scrolling through Tik Tok (guilty!), but balance is key! After breakfast, I head to the office, where I start by reviewing emails and checking in with my team. Currently, we’re designing our SS25 range, so much of the day involves sample development and fit trials, which can be one of the more challenging parts of the season. By late afternoon, I shift my focus to marketing strategy and e-commerce operations. I’m more operationally driven than creatively inclined, so I prefer to spend the last few business hours of the day ensuring that everything is running smoothly and that we’ve cleared any backlogs.
What advice do you have for anyone looking to follow in the same footsteps?
My biggest piece of advice is to try to build some experience within the industry you wish to break into. Apart from getting insight into the ever-changing nature of retail, my three years of employment in different companies prior to starting my own business instilled a very strong sense of accountability in my expectations of work. It really forms the basis of how I communicate, manage my team, and grow the business. It can also provide an understanding of the skills, costs and planning involved in running a business within a specific industry. These qualities are invaluable as you navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship.
Tell us more about the products.
Be Athletica’s debut collection was 100 percent designed & manufactured in the UAE, crafted for the modern woman, blending functionality with fashion. Designed with ethical production & supply chain transparency at our core, all our styles use pre-loved fabrics that support an everyday active lifestyle in a mindful way. We’ve launched three unique collections, that include the Core & Stretch, Functional and feminine activewear, Elevated Essentials, with statement co-ord sets with a buttery-soft feel and Be Athletica Collective with Varsity-inspired sweats—the ultimate loungewear. Our range is designed to take you seamlessly from a padel game to a late-night drive with friends. The brand ethos is centred on versatile wardrobe staples for every aspect of modern life.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
“The longer you stay on the wrong train, the more expensive it is to go home”. Don’t end up expending your resources and energy on something that is repeatedly not working for you, and act based on present results rather than convincing yourself of future possibilities. However, with a pinch of salt, no train is perfect – enjoy the journey.
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And what is the worst?
“Find a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” While I believe that having a career aligned with your passion positively enhances daily life, it’s important to acknowledge that challenges are inevitable. There will be times when you need to give more than your all to meet the demands of the moment. It’s natural to experience highs and lows in your relationship with work, and that’s perfectly okay!
What’s the biggest challenge you have had to overcome?
Patience has been my greatest challenge as a new founder. Since launching Be Athletica, I have ambitious goals for the brand. However, I’m learning to embrace the fact that we will have growing pains, mistakes will be a continuous part of the journey, and to shift my focus on sustainable and realistic growth expectations.
What’s lies ahead for the brand?
Next month, we’re excited to release our next drop, adding a vibrant pop of colour across styles. Looking ahead, our goal is to take Be Athletica from Dubai to the world! We currently ship across the GCC, and we have plans to expand into new markets in 2025, bringing the brand and vision to a global audience.
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Images: Supplied & Feature Image: Instagram @beathletica
