being of top priority now more than ever, the arrival of Blaque, the first luxury fitness club specifically designed to cater to the needs of Black communities, couldn’t come at a better time.
‘Really, when you go into a fitness space now, it’s such a focal point in people’s lives,’ she continues. ‘[It’s] where you socialise and get the resources that help you to live. Ultimately, knowing that we’re creating a space where we’re able to cater to all these unmet needs in the Black community, was why the name fit.
‘Blaque is an inclusive space for movement. As a space focused on the wellness of the Black community, it’s important to us that we consider the relatively limited experience that the fitness industry has with Black people. When class concepts are born out of Black culture , they are repackaged to serve predominantly white members. But much of fitness culture was born out of what has been popularised in our euro-centric society,’ explains Symone.
Ultimately, Blaque is set to be a place where the physical, mental, and lifestyle needs of Black people will be catered for. ‘The fact that we could walk into service-based businesses and just expect that whatever they offered didn’t work for us, it was just how life is – I felt like that was a problem,’ Symone shares about her motivation.