Warrioress is a trail running alchemy atelier created by runner, designer, maker, yoga teacher and oracle creator, me, Leigh Hawkes.
Deep in the Australian desert, beneath vast star-filled skies and the light of the full moon, a seed was planted. As I traversed the ancient red earth between Alice Springs and Uluru, carrying everything I needed to survive, I found myself reflecting on a bigger question.
How could I honour women? How could I honour the greatest Warrioress of all, Mother Earth? And how could I best serve using the gifts I had been given through a lifetime of fashion design, creativity, movement and healing? The answer arrived slowly, carried on desert winds and long days beneath the sun.
A space where women could feel empowered, courageous and connected. A brand created with consciousness and respect for the Earth. Beautiful products designed for real adventures. A community that celebrates women supporting women. A place where movement, nature, creativity and healing intertwine.
What began as a trail running apparel label has evolved into something much greater ~ a living expression of my deepest values and a love letter to the wild feminine spirit that lives within us all.
Designed and handmade in the Blue Mountains, Australia, every piece is created for women who seek adventure, freedom, courage and connection. Women who find sanctuary on the trails. Women who understand that movement can be both fierce and graceful.
For over twenty years I have been exploring the world through running. I've completed more than one hundred marathons and ultramarathons, crossed deserts, mountains and remote wilderness, and I continue to test every Warrioress design through real-world endurance adventures.
My running journey has included becoming the first female finisher of a 525km self-supported crossing of the Australian desert, running over 1,000km in 28 days during the Sydney to Melbourne Virtual Ultra, completing a 250km 48-hour event, traversing 500km across the Namibian Desert, and racing some of the world's most challenging ultramarathons, including the legendary Summer Spine Race in the United Kingdom.
Yet Warrioress was never created to celebrate finish lines.
It was created to celebrate the woman becoming.
Before running became my great love, fashion was my first. I dreamed of becoming a designer from the age of eight, sketching garments in the back of my dad's car parts shop. After graduating with a Best Knitwear Collection Award at Graduate Fashion Week in London, I spent three decades designing and leading creative teams for renowned fashion brands across London, New York, Melbourne and Sydney.
Along the way I witnessed the waste, pollution and exploitation embedded within much of the fashion industry and knew there had to be another way.
Warrioress became that alternative.
Every garment is thoughtfully designed with sustainability, performance and longevity at its heart. Fabrics, trims, labels and packaging are selected with care, and every piece is made-to-order in my Blue Mountains studio. Rather than mass production, Warrioress embraces conscious creation, allowing women to customise pieces to suit their unique adventures, bodies and preferences.
Because no two journeys are the same.
Alongside running, yoga has become an essential thread woven through the Warrioress philosophy.
I have dedicated years to the study of yoga, meditation and personal growth, completing over 500 hours of yoga teacher training alongside studies in positive psychology, life & menopause coaching, Reiki, NLP and transformational matrix therapies.
Through Warrioress Yoga I offer a space where trail and mat meet.
A place where runners can restore tired bodies, cultivate resilience, create mobility, connect to breath, and remember that strength is not only built through pushing forward but also through slowing down, listening and receiving.
Whether through a Warrioress skort, a trail running adventure, a restorative yoga practice or a moment of stillness beneath the trees, Warrioress exists to support women in moving through life with courage, running the race with love and grace.
This is more than apparel.
It is a celebration of wild women, meaningful movement and deep connection to Mother Earth.
Welcome to the world of Warrioress.
Leigh x
Namibia 2024 - Running 500kms self supported wearing Warrioress skort