how we got here

While shopping for a new set of running and gym T-shirts in May 2022, we realized that the men’s activewear offering in the South African market was fairly restricted. Garments with bold branding, neon colours and fabrics that only served one function, meant that what was available was limited to only catering for your next sweat fest.

In comparison, the women’s activewear market is inundated with incredible offerings, providing users with a range of versatile garments that cater for both performance and leisure wear. Women can catch a flight, head to the beach, knock out a run, gym or yoga session – all while being comfortably, stylishly & thoughtfully dressed in their active wear.

WHAT’S IN THE NAME

The founders work in the commercial fishing sector, managing the operations and logistics for a range of deep-sea fishing vessels. Japanese-built vessels often have the word “maru” as a suffix to a ship’s name (e.g. Nikko Maru No.1 / Koryo Maru No.11). The “maru” term (pronounced “ma-roo”) refers to a circle which has no weak point and represents perfection or completeness; all good omens when building and sailing deep sea-faring vessels.

For us the name Maru represents balance, in the same way, a circle is perfectly balanced, simple in design and flawless. Our aim is to develop activewear that is balanced and serves more than one function. We enable balanced lifestyles by ensuring versatility in the garments we design so that you are not limited by the clothing choices you make.