Where performance meets modern lifestyle - across active, golf and the categories in between

At Active Apparel Group, I led concept strategy and product design direction across performance, active and golf apparel. The work went beyond seasonal product, it was about building brand-specific creative frameworks that gave each brand a clear DNA, a consumer-relevant story, and a design language they could own and grow.

Peloton · TaylorMade · Sun Day Red · ASRV · Johnnie-O · Rhône · Boggi Milano · Nordstrom

Each brand required a distinct creative language and commercial framework, spanning men's & women's active & training, golf lifestyle, performance and commuter wear categories.

BRANDS

Yi Zhou-fashion-concept-designer-NYC-active-performance-Tunde XPeloton-Collection-fuchsia pink workout bra-legging active set

SELECTED BRAND WORK

Peloton

Led concept strategy and product design direction for Peloton apparel- translating the brand's performance-first identity and deeply passionate community culture into seasonal collections that balanced technical function with the ease of modern lifestyle dressing, on and off the bike. Most recently, led the creative and design direction for the Tunde X Peloton Collection- launched Spring 2026 to commercial success.

ACTIVE PERFORMANCE - WOMEN & MEN’S - GYM & STUDIO & RUNNING

Yi Zhou-fashion-concept-designer-NYC-active-performance-Tunde XPeloton-Collection-Concept Direction
Yi Zhou-fashion-concept-designer-NYC-active-performance-Tunde XPeloton-Collection-Concept Direction
Yi Zhou-fashion-concept-designer-NYC-active-performance-Tunde X Peloton-Collection- red swimsuit
Yi Zhou-fashion-concept-designer-NYC-active-performance-Tunde X Peloton-Collection- red swimsuit
Yi Zhou-fashion-concept-designer-NYC-active-performance-Tunde X Peloton-Collection- cobalt-blue active performance bra-legging set

TaylorMade

Split image showing a male golfer on the left holding a golf club on a golf course, and a male golfer on the right reading a scorecard on a golf course.
Split image showing a male golfer on the left holding a golf club on a golf course, and a male golfer on the right reading a scorecard on a golf course.

GOLF PERFORMANCE - MEN’S LIFESTYLE

Developed concept strategy and seasonal design direction for TaylorMade, building creative frameworks that elevated both brands' positioning in the competitive golf performance and lifestyle market.

A golfer on a golf course preparing to strike a golf ball. Next to the golfer, there is a close-up of the bottom of a golf club head, which is engraved with the brand "TaylorMade," the model number "4," and specifications "20 degree loft, USA."
A golfer on a golf course preparing to strike a golf ball. Next to the golfer, there is a close-up of the bottom of a golf club head, which is engraved with the brand "TaylorMade," the model number "4," and specifications "20 degree loft, USA."

The creative challenge was rooted in the brand itself, translating TaylorMade's hardware DNA into an apparel design language. The result: a capsule collection that bridges heritage craft and modern sportswear, where the precision and performance identity of the club informs the fit, material and the graphic design details of the capsule collection.

Sun Day Red- Women’s

GOLF PERFORMANCE - WOMEN’S GOLF

Yi Zhou active performance apparel design NYC sunday red womens golf concept
Yi Zhou active performance apparel design NYC sunday red womens golf concept
Yi Zhou active performance apparel design NYC sunday red womens golf concept
Yi Zhou active performance apparel design NYC sunday red womens golf concept

Who is the Sun Day Red woman? Building the creative narrative and design foundation for the women's counterpart to Tiger Woods' existing men's line, establishing her identity from the ground up.

She's classic and performance-driven, where femininity meets precision. Her world: Liberty National Golf Course, a ferry ride from Manhattan, Course to Cocktail in fifteen minutes. That specific woman- her lifestyle, her context and her standard drove every design decision.

Johnnie-O

Led seasonal concept direction for Johnnie-O, building the creative narrative that informed fabric selection, key silhouettes and print direction from the ground up. The brief lived in a specific tension: California ease meets East Coast polish and prep. That push and pull, relaxed but refined, on-course and on coffee runs, technical fabrication in lifestyle silhouettes became the story each season was built around.

GOLF PERFORMANCE - WOMEN’S/ MEN’S ACTIVE LIFESTYLE

Yi Zhou active performance apparel design NYC johnnie-o mens golf concept
Yi Zhou active performance apparel design NYC johnnie-o mens golf concept
Yi Zhou active performance apparel design NYC johnnie-o golf concept

Boggi Milano - Commuter Wear Strategy

ACTIVE - WORKWEAR - COMMUTER WEAR - MEN’S & WOMEN’S - WHITE SPACE OPPORTUNITY

Boggi Milano is a brand with deep menswear roots and a clear men's identity. The challenge: build the women's creative DNA from the ground up. Conceived and developed a commuter wear strategy that identified significant white space at the intersection of RTW, workwear and active lifestyle, establishing who the Boggi woman is, how she dresses, and where performance functionality meets elevated modern dressing. A brand-building brief as much as a design one.

Yi Zhou active performance apparel design NYC boggi milano commuterwear design concept

Across performance, golf and lifestyle categories, the consistent challenge was the same: how do you build a creative language that gives each brand something distinct to own, while staying attuned to how consumers are dressing in real time.

The blurring of active, lifestyle and RTW categories isn't a trend, it's a mindset change. Understanding that, and designing with that conviction, is what drives my approach to every brand I work with.

In collaboration with the Fabric Director and CCO, led the design and visual storytelling for the quarterly Fabric Innovation Concept Capsules, translating emerging material trends into compelling visual narratives used by the sales team to pitch and educate brand partners across the AAG brand portfolio. The Cooling Capsule below is one example: a seasonal narrative built around lightweight, breathable, UV-protective fabrications highlighting new material trends, commercial applications and fabric franchise opportunities.

Fabric Innovation Concept Capsule

Yi Zhou active performance apparel design NYC fabric innovation trend concept
Yi Zhou active performance apparel design NYC fabric innovation trend concept
Yi Zhou active performance apparel design NYC fabric innovation trend concept
Yi Zhou active performance apparel design NYC fabric innovation trend concept

Performance Innovation - Staying close to what's next.

Part of the work at AAG was keeping a close eye on where materials and fabric technology were heading. Emerging technologies were evaluated, curated, and introduced to our partner brands, translating technical breakthroughs into commercially viable product stories. The goal was always the same: identify what's genuinely new, understand the problem it solves, and build a clear case for how it elevates the product.

Yi Zhou active performance apparel design NYC fabric innovation trend concept solarcore

Solarcore® · Thermal Insulation
NASA-inspired aerogel technology delivering superior warmth without bulk. Thin, flexible, and packable — introduced as a next-generation insulation direction for golf and active outerwear categories.

Yi Zhou active performance apparel design NYC fabric innovation trend concept rheon

RHEON™ · Impact Protection
Engineered to redistribute pressure and reduce impact force, applied to bra strap construction to address one of sport's most persistent comfort problems. A seamless, lightweight solution designed for the body in motion.