Helen Steele’s new athleisure collection hits Dunnes today, and we’ll be right back

For when you're going to the gym... or just thinking about it.

We're not usually ones for jumping on a band wagon, but when getting on that wagon is the only way to avoid getting hit by a guilt truck then we have no option. Okay that analogy has already gotten away from our foggy January brains (what do you expect, it's only day two!) but the point we're trying to make is that it's hard not to get caught up in talk of gym classes and healthy diets in January when a) everyone else is doing it and b) our office wardrobe fits a little too snug after Christmas. Instead of coming at our new year's regimen from a place of guilt/punishment however, Helen Steele is encouraging us to look at January as a time for embracing our potential. Her latest athleisure collection with Dunnes Store is released today, and it's another triumph for the Monaghan artist and designer. The theme for SS20 is 'Tune In', and the pieces feature an old school TV testcard as a motif, which Helen says is about tuning out the world listening instead to our "inner strength and natural vibrancy". The range includes long-line T-shirts (€15), leggings (€25), and a gym vest (€15) as well as Helen's incredibly soft and cosy hoodies and sweaters (€30-35), which we LIVE in year round. The designer puts equal emphasis on performance and sustainability, so the pieces will wash time and again without losing their ability to stretch and manage moisture. Our favourite pieces from Helen's Dunnes collab are always the lightweight jackets, that keep the rain out without making you sweat/suffocate. They also roll up nice and small for stuffing into your handbags; hello festival season. The new glitch jacket (€35) is our favourite so far, with a pixellated pattern that fades down to a leather-look black at the bottom. And we're loving the fact that Helen has included a, frankly pretty cool, yoga mat in this collection. The black mat is priced at €15 and features the test card print with a 'namaste' greeting. The Helen Steele X Dunnes Stores collection is available from today at selected stores across the country, as well as online here. Helen spoke about her design inspiration and sustainable ethos, as well as how she puts body positivity at the centre of all of her designs, on our Girls With Goals show. Watch the episode here or below. https://youtu.be/H5rNkufmppE