What The Upside does

The Upside is an Australian women's activewear and lifestyle apparel brand founded in 2013 by Jodhi Meares and headquartered in Darlinghurst, Sydney. The company designs, produces, and sells premium apparel across categories including tops, bottoms, leggings, all-in-one pieces, court sports (tennis, pickleball), swim, and après-ski, with signature in-house fabric technologies such as Pure Peached (75% recycled fibres), Original Super Soft (70% recycled fibres), Matte Tech, Form Seamless, and Eco Tech (74% recycled polyamide). As of March 2024, 82% of fabrics are sourced as preferred fibres, supported by GOTS and Global Recycled Standard certifications, UN Sustainable Development Goals alignment, and Australian Fashion Council membership.

The Upside operates a multi-channel go-to-market: direct-to-consumer e-commerce across four regional sites (Australia, US, UK, International) backed by a BigCommerce storefront; at least seven owned retail boutiques across New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria; and wholesale distribution through David Jones, The Iconic, and independent boutiques across Australia and New Zealand. The brand also maintains a wholly-owned North American subsidiary (The Upside (North America) LLC). Pricing follows a unit-purchase model with no subscription, Afterpay installment integration, and post-purchase circular fashion resale via the AirRobe partnership. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and no external funding rounds are identified in available sources, indicating a founder-financed, privately held operating company.

Name

The Upside

Legal name

THE UPSIDE CORPORATION PTY LTD ACN 139 233 391

Website

https://theupside.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Upside is an Australian women's activewear and lifestyle brand founded in 2013 by Jodhi Meares, selling sustainable premium apparel across tops, bottoms, swim, and court sports via DTC e-commerce, owned retail stores, and wholesale partners in Australia, the US, and the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's Activewear and Lifestyle Apparel

NAICS

Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers (458110), Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers (458), Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (3159)

SIC

Retail-Women's Clothing Stores (5621), Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600), Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300)

akta.pro primary industry

Athletic / Performance & Activewear Brands (CRAAAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Yoga, Pilates & Studio Wear Retail (CRAMACAE), Outdoor & Active Lifestyle Apparel Retail (CRAAABAL), Sports & Outdoor Accessories Manufacturing (Performance Gloves/Headwear) (IMAOAFAI)

Keywords

• Women's activewear
• Sustainable fashion apparel
• Premium athleisure wear
• Lifestyle clothing brand
• Direct-to-consumer fashion

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct Product Sales: The Upside generates revenue through direct-to-consumer sales of apparel and activewear via its e-commerce websites and physical retail stores. Products include tops, bottoms, activewear, swimwear, accessories, and knitwear across various price points.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Upside designs, develops, and sells premium women's activewear and lifestyle apparel — including tops, bottoms, all-in-one pieces, court-sport apparel, swim, après-ski, accessories, and a performance Active sub-brand — using proprietary signature fabrics with high recycled-fibre content. Products are sold direct-to-consumer through regional e-commerce sites and owned Australian boutiques, and through wholesale stockists such as David Jones and The Iconic.

Product overview

The Upside is an Australian fashion and activewear brand offering a unified e-commerce platform with womenswear across multiple categories including tops, bottoms, all-in-one pieces, court sports, accessories, swim, and après-ski. The product portfolio includes the Active sub-brand featuring technical performance wear alongside lifestyle collections such as Wilder, Soluna, and The Lace Capsule. Signature fabric technologies including Pure Peached, Matte Tech, Original Super Soft, Form Seamless, Ultra Soft Recycled Rib, and Jacquard differentiate the brand's performance and lifestyle offerings. Notable collaborations include The Souvenirs Collection with Angie Smith and the McGrath Foundation Collection where 100% of profits support breast cancer care. The brand operates internationally with dedicated sites for Australia, United States, and United Kingdom, and products are also available through third-party stockists including David Jones and The Iconic.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• McGrath Collection: A capsule collection where 100% of profits are donated to the McGrath Foundation, supporting breast care nurses.

Products and services

• Women's Tops Women's tops range including sports bras, shirts and tanks, long-sleeve tops, jumpers, jackets and coats, and knitwear designed for active and lifestyle wear. Targeted at women consumers seeking versatile pieces for yoga, pilates, training, and everyday wear.
• Women's Bottoms Women's bottoms including leggings, pants (Marnie Wide Leg, Juliet, Petra Flare, Charli Drawstring, Roma, Willow), shorts, and skirts in various fits and fabrics for active and lifestyle wear. Targeted at women seeking versatile bottoms across activities.
• All-in-One Garments One-piece garments including catsuits, onesies, and dresses designed for active and lifestyle wear, sold across e-commerce and boutiques.
• Court Sports Apparel Sports-specific apparel for tennis and pickleball including court-performance tops and bottoms, designed for active court sport performance and sold as a dedicated line.
• Accessories Complementary accessories including hats and headwear, bags, and shoes and socks designed to complement The Upside apparel range.
• Swim Collection Swimwear collection including swim tops, swim bottoms, and swim all-in-one pieces for resort, beach, and pool use.
• Après-Ski Collection Cold-weather lifestyle apparel including après-ski tops, bottoms, all-in-one pieces, and accessories designed for post-ski and winter resort wear.
• Active Performance Sub-Brand Technical performance activewear sub-brand including sports bras, tanks and tees, leggings, shorts, skirts, catsuits/onesies, dresses, and outerwear designed for workouts and movement using signature fabrics such as Pure Peached, Matte Tech, and Form Seamless.
• Gift Cards Digital or physical gift cards loadable with amounts between $50 and $1,000, valid for 36 months from purchase date, redeemable across The Upside's apparel and accessories range.

Quantifiable outcome

• 82% of fabrics sourced with preferred fibres as of March 2024
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and strategic.

• Cambodian Children's TrustcoreOthers · 1 January 2013Longstanding charitable partnership where The Upside has donated $1 of every transaction since their first day of trading. Cambodian Children's Trust is a non-profit child protection organisation based in Battambang, Cambodia that empowers and enables vulnerable families to stay together through a community-led 'Village Hive' model.
• McGrath FoundationcoreOthersPartnership following Creative Director Jodhi Meares' mother experiencing breast cancer. The Upside creates limited edition products (such as the McGrath collection) with 100% of profits donated to fund breast care nurses. The brand aims to assist in educating about importance of physical exercise during cancer treatment.
• RSPCA NSWminorOthersAnimal welfare charity providing care and protection services. The Upside continues to raise funds to aid RSPCA's mission to ensure all animals are treated humanely.
• Thread TogetherminorOthersOrganization that collects end-of-line brand new stock from fashion retailers and distributes to people in need through a network of charities. The Upside commits to volunteering twice yearly with the organization.
• The Social OutfitminorOthersEthical fashion brand that employs and trains refugee and new migrant women. The Upside has provided industry experience and employment training via retail training program excursions.
• AirRobestrategicTechnology or IntegrationCircular fashion marketplace partnership allowing customers to resell or rent their pre-loved The Upside items. This extends the lifecycle of garments and keeps fashion out of landfill. The partnership includes integration with The Upside's order confirmation and customer accounts.
• Australian Fashion CouncilstrategicOthersIndustry association membership demonstrating commitment to operating with highest Environmental and Social Impact standards. The Upside is a proud member committed to responsible business practices.
• United Nations Sustainable Development GoalsstrategicOthersThe Upside has aligned its responsible business journey with UN Sustainable Development Goals, using them as a unified framework to guide improvements in social and environmental operations.
• Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras / Twenty10minorOthersThe Upside celebrates Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras with designated capsule collections, with proceeds donated to Twenty10 - a NSW-based service providing housing, mental health, counselling and social support for young LGBTQIA+ people.
• R U OK DayminorOthersLongstanding champions and retail partners of the R U OK Day initiative. Founder Jodhi Meares is a proud R U OK Day ambassador. Annual limited edition Muscle Tank releases with proceeds donated to the R U OK organisation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Alo Yoga: US-based premium women's activewear and lifestyle brand with comparable positioning across yoga, studio, and lifestyle apparel. Direct competition for The Upside's premium activewear customer, especially in the US market where Alo has scaled aggressively.
• Vuori: Premium US activewear and lifestyle brand emphasizing performance fabrics and everyday versatility, closely mirroring The Upside's positioning across yoga, training, and casual lifestyle apparel.
• P.E Nation: Australian-founded premium women's activewear and lifestyle brand, also founded around 2016, sharing The Upside's positioning at the intersection of activewear, fashion, and streetwear. Closest direct competitor in geography, price band, and target consumer.
• Nimble Activewear: Australian-founded women's activewear brand with comparable price point, technical fabrics, and DTC-plus-wholesale distribution model. Direct head-to-head competitor in the Australian market.
• Sweaty Betty: UK-founded premium women's activewear brand with comparable focus on technical performance and lifestyle versatility. Provides cross-market benchmark as The Upside expands in the UK.

Emerging players

• Reformation: Sustainability-led women's fashion brand with comparable emphasis on preferred fibres, transparency, and premium positioning. Useful peer for benchmarking The Upside's sustainability narrative and pricing.
• Outdoor Voices: US activewear brand with comparable positioning around women's recreational movement and community-driven marketing. Similar scale and premium positioning to The Upside.

Broad incumbents

• Athleta (Gap Inc.): Gap Inc.-owned women's activewear brand with comparable target demographic and sustainability messaging. Represents scaled, well-capitalized competition for The Upside's premium women's activewear customer.
• Lululemon: Global incumbent and category leader in technical women's activewear. Sets the benchmark for product, pricing, and brand experience that The Upside competes against in yoga, training, and lifestyle categories.
• Patagonia: Global sustainability benchmark for apparel with strong preferred-fibres and circular-economy credentials. Indirect competitor in sustainability-positioned apparel and a reference point for ESG/circular programs like The Upside's AirRobe integration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TheUpsideChannel
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheUpsideSport
• Instagraminstagram.com/the_upside
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-upside-sport

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Upside