Brands Built By Women: STÆRKE

A brand-new series has arrived - Celebrating emerging female-founded brands you'll want to know.

Since November 2025, we've been spotlighting inspiring consumer brands built by incredible women from all walks of life - founders who are creating a positive impact through their businesses.

We started Mindful Brand to support women succeed in business. Not just through what we do, but also in how we shop.

Deciding which businesses to support is a personal choice.

If, like us, you prefer to champion female-owned brands, we hope you enjoy this series.

Today, we’re featuring STÆRKE, founded by Maya Khurana in 2025 in the UK.

About the Brand

STÆRKE creates Scandinavian-designed mini in-gym bags that combine clean aesthetics with practical function.

Compact, waterproof, and made from recycled materials, The Mini empowers women to train with convenience, intention, and style inside the gym.

Born from the frustration of bulky totes and cluttered gym floors, STÆRKE elevates essentials through craftsmanship, sustainability, and timeless design.

Meet the Founder

Maya was born in Malaysia to a Danish mother and Indian father, and has lived in nine countries.

She studied International Management and Data Science in the UK before building a career in tech as a Data & AI Consultant and Technical Account Manager.

She has been lifting weights for seven years and is now a first-time founder.

How She Started

Maya moved from London back home to Copenhagen in April 2025 due to personal, health, and professional reasons.

With newfound time and space to rethink her future, she revisited a product idea she first had in 2019 and was surprised that nothing like it still existed, despite such a clear need for it.

With zero design experience, she threw herself into the process and created the product she had always wanted. Maya never set out to be a founder or run a start-up - she simply believed in the idea and everything it represented. So she thought: why not?

What She Learned

Maya has learned not to get too caught up in the “big launch day.”

Online, it’s hyped as a monumental moment - but in reality, most launches are quieter and more gradual than people expect.

Brands take time to grow. Be patient, stay consistent, and trust the process.

Where to shop

STÆRKE is available to buy online at www.staerke-gymwear.com.

Follow on Instagram: @staerkegym

Support brands built by women. Don’t just say it. Shop it.