Meet Jennifer and Sydney Smith, the Mother-Daughter Duo Behind ELV Active
Activewear has always had a place in Jennifer and Sydney Smith’s closets. In 2024, the mother-daughter pair turned that habit into a business with ELV Active, a label built on their shared love of fitness, Pilates, wellness, and fashion, and on pieces that flatter without giving up comfort or function.
The idea took root long before launch. Sydney started gymnastics at seven and practically grew up in gym clothes. In 2014, while modeling for GK Elite leotards, she noticed that Olympic gymnasts Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman each had a signature leotard line of their own. It stuck with her, and it eventually grew into ELV Active, built alongside her mom.
“With a shared love for fitness, Pilates, wellness, and fashion, we set out to create activewear that’s both flattering and functional, pieces made to move, sculpt, and feel good,” Jennifer shares. “Sydney has even put our leggings through the split test! We source our own premium fabrics, and we’ve refined our pieces based on what our community tells us. That feedback loop is a big part of who we are.”
Each brings something different to the design process. Sydney leads on fit and trends, drawing from the style scenes in Los Angeles and Miami, while Jennifer takes charge of creativity, fabric, and functionality. The result is a line built around premium materials and silhouettes that complement the body without compromising comfort.
Customers shape the process, too. Consistent sizing is a priority, so the founders build in multiple fittings and quality control checks to make sure every piece lives up to their standards.
“We want every woman to know that when she buys ELV Active, her size will be consistent and the piece will look exactly the way she hoped,” the founders share. “We want her to feel like the best version of herself, whether she’s walking into a Pilates class, grabbing coffee, or running errands. Confident, put-together, and comfortable enough to forget she’s even thinking about her clothes. Every piece is designed with intention and a lot of love, and we want women to feel that the moment they put it on.”
Their latest collection, Pacific Form, takes its cues from the ocean, the beach, and the founders’ time in Newport Beach. The colors echo the surrounding landscape, giving the collection a relaxed coastal feel without losing the versatility that defines the brand.
“We wanted to capture that coastal feeling, where everything feels a little more relaxed and effortless,” Jennifer and Sydney explain. “We designed the pieces to feel just as at home after a workout as they do spending the day by the water.”
That versatility is the whole point. Jennifer and Sydney regularly wear their designs to Pilates, out shopping, and on everyday errands, which keeps their focus on pieces that work well beyond the studio. With Pacific Form, fit and movement came first, and comfort won out over anything overly compressive.
Working together has let the two blend their perspectives while holding onto a shared creative vision. Open communication anchors the partnership, with both contributing ideas and giving honest feedback at every stage.
“We trust each other completely, and that kind of honesty is something you can only really have with family,” they explain. “If either of us doesn’t love an idea or a color combination, we say so, and that’s powerful. Some of our best ideas happen at the most random times. When we share a hotel room, we’ll stay up late watching reality TV, then an idea pops into one of our heads and suddenly we’re talking about our vision for hours. That’s the best kind of mother-daughter bonding. We’re best friends, and we love building this brand together.”
As the brand grows, some of the most rewarding moments for the founders happen out in the real world. They’ve spotted customers in their pieces around Newport Beach, from the grocery store to Lido Village, a tangible sign of how far ELV Active has come. “We have customers who have been with us since the very beginning and have watched us grow, and their feedback shapes everything we do,” they share.
They’ve also loved seeing their designs on Mikayla Matthews and Whitney Leavitt of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, as well as Aniya Harvey from Love Island.
Pacific Form is just the latest chapter. As ELV Active grows, Jennifer and Sydney are holding tight to what started it all. Versatile, thoughtfully designed pieces that carry women from Pilates to coffee to whatever comes next, feeling confident the whole way.
