LDMA's Drift: Retro Running Style Meets Performance

A running debut rooted in movement

LDMA has stepped into new territory with Drift, a two-piece running set that marks the brand’s first foray into running and high-intensity training. The launch follows the Contour collection released earlier this year and signals a wider shift for a label that built its reputation in intimates.

The line-up is deliberately lean: a running jacket and a short. Both pieces were released midweek and draw on the stripped-back workout look of the 1980s and early 1990s.

Why running, and why now

The move is not a speculative hop into a trending category. According to the founders, Leland Drummond and Michele Thomas, the gap was something they noticed through their own training. They describe an intimate understanding of what women want on a run — how a short sits and moves, and why comfort, support and functionality cannot be an afterthought.

That perspective fits a brand philosophy built around staying close to its wearers. LDMA began with intimates, but the founders frame movement as the thread running through everything the label does, which makes running a logical extension rather than a detour. Their stated ambition is for the brand to evolve alongside the women who wear it.

A simpler idea of performance

Part of the appeal of late ’80s and early ’90s running style is that it kept things uncluttered. Silhouettes, proportions and styling carried an ease that did not require excess detail, and each garment had an obvious job to do. Drift borrows that clarity of purpose and rebuilds it with modern fabrics and technical features suited to how women train today. Nostalgia is the starting point, not the finish line.

What is in the collection

Drift arrives in two colourways, Black and Cobalt, and each piece is built around specific practical needs.

• Drift Jacket — $148. A breathable mesh lining and underarm ventilation help manage heat, while wind and water resistance add protection in changeable weather. The hood is shaped to work whether or not the wearer has a ponytail.
• Drift Short — $98. Lightweight, quick-drying stretch fabric with a built-in liner, an adjustable waistband and working pockets.

Although the designs take their cue from running, they were not confined to it. The founders say every piece was considered with a view to crossing over between different sports, sessions and everyday wear, so the set earns its place beyond a single activity.

Put through its paces before launch

Rather than relying on studio fittings alone, LDMA tested the collection with a group of runners ahead of release. The aim was to address the small irritations that accumulate over a run — shorts that creep upwards, fabrics that trap heat, the constant mid-run adjustments that break concentration.

Feedback from those testers informed decisions on fit, comfort, movement and functionality, with the explicit intention that the pieces would be worn by women who actually run rather than merely designed for them. It is a sensible approach for a brand entering a technically demanding category for the first time.

Performance as a long-term pillar

The founders are clear that Drift is the beginning of something larger rather than a one-off. Performance is described as a major focus and an important part of the brand’s future, with the goal of establishing a strong presence in the space by pairing technical function with the design, fit and versatility that already define LDMA.

Expect further expansion: new silhouettes, fresh fabric innovation and designs that hold function and style in balance. The founders see performance becoming a defining element of LDMA’s identity and a key contributor to growth in the years ahead — and by their own account, the work has only just started.