LSKD is opening their first store in Canberra and the focus is on community over clothing

Posted on 14 March, 2025

Fitness fanatics are in for a treat when Australian-owned activewear brand LSKD opens in the Canberra Centre later this month, marking the very first store in the region.

And for those wondering, yes, it’s kind of a big deal.

Gaining something of a cult-like status for its high-quality, functional sportswear that looks just as stylish in the streets as it does soaked in sweat, the brand (which was founded in 2002 and originally known as ‘Loose Kid’) is so much more than a comfy pair of tights.

Because while it might be considered one of the major must-buys for anyone who spends time in activewear – LSKD’s tagline, ‘Engineered to feel so good, they’re almost illegal’ really says it all – what makes this brand stand out from the crowd goes beyond clothing.

For LSKD, it’s also about community, which is why they’ve brought in F45 Ngunnawal Director and Manager Eliza Rasic to be the Canberra head coach.

“I’m Canberra born and bred, and I think that’s a big benefit in trying to work with a community that I really know,” she says.

“I’ve been at F45 for eight years, managing F45 Ngunnawal and building that community which has had a really big and important role in learning about the fitness community in Canberra and how that works. And this is an exciting step from that – building the community Canberra-wide instead of just within my F45 community.”

Credit: JCreate (@jcreate_)

Falling in love with the motivation and community within F45 and sharing it with her clients, Eliza is excited is to continue to create that feeling for the LSKD fans in Canberra.

Along with launching the store – which will throw open its doors on Saturday 22 March from 8.30 am – LSKD has also partnered with local gyms and fitness studios for a range of events. Popping up everywhere in Canberra from gyms to Pilates studios, the aim is to be an authentic place where people can go and feel welcome, no matter where they train and sweat.

“Something that is really important to LSKD is to be different to a retail environment in that the sales come last,” explains Eliza.

“Creating that community and building that hub in Canberra for all of the fitness studios and gyms to come together is so much more important and having the right people in there is so much more important.”

“When you create that amazing culture and community, the sales make themselves.”

Also bringing on six Canberra ambassadors – Bo Clarke, Grace Gill, Joe Taula, Kate Spilker, Roxie Swart and Chad Perris – who each have their own little community, LSKD Canberra currently has connections with over 35 local fitness studios, and it’s only growing.

The Canberra store athletes.

Planning to continue to host events once the grand opening has taken place, Eliza says they’ll also have a whole section in the store dedicated to the community.

“We’ll have upcoming events always happening; we’ll be doing VIP shopping nights, and we’ll be doing meet and greet with the athletes,” says Eliza.

“We’ll have events every month and some of them will be in the store and others will be out at local studios. We’ll also have pop-ups at gyms on Saturday mornings to really support those community members and bring things to them, so they don’t have to come to us.”

And for those planning on attending the grand opening, there’s plenty to get excited about. From a free legging swap for the first 400 people through the door to a free shorts swap for the first 200 people, an unreleased product to shop and goodies from &Sando, Top Juice, Holey Moley and Elite Supps, LSKD will be hitting the ground running.

Pun intended.

“One of the things I love the most about LSKD is we’re forever listening to the community, adapting, changing and moving forward. It’s part of the exciting part where we’ll do what the community wants,” says Eliza.

“We’ll see where we can be the most support and where the Canberra fitness trends are going…it’s about finding opportunities to become that hub for community.”

Feature image supplied by LSKD.