Gymshark has opened a new pop-up to celebrate Black History Month

The Solihull-based fitness and apparel brand has opened ‘Twist ‘n’ Sets’, a new pop-up hair supply store in Shoreditch, London, to celebrate Black History Month.

The retailer said research had found 45% of black women avoid the gym due to concerns about hair maintenance. With the new pop-up, Gymshark has created  “an inclusive space to visit and shop, while helping remove the barriers between textured hair and fitness”.

The pop-up offers access to one-to-one hair appointments with Ruka Hair, with a selection of express hair styling services along with hair products and accessories for all hair types from a variety of brands, as well as a chance to shop Gymshark products.

Gymshark global brand culture manager Aaliyah Dickens said: “When our community let us know that they were avoiding the gym because of concerns about hair maintenance, we couldn’t sit around and do nothing.

“We created the diffuse sweat headband and were overwhelmed by the response for the first run. Now, we’re not only excited about the bigger range but the arrival of Twist ‘n’ Sets.

“We believe that for our community to come and get advice, treatments, and try the headband will go a long way to removing this barrier to fitness without compromising on style. We can’t wait for the doors to open and to see as many people as possible coming and getting their free sessions.”