Hyba: Active Wear for MOST SIZES…including HEIGHTS!

Hyba is a new brand of active wear by Reitmans that has recently launched across Canada. Unlike many other national brands, Hyba, which has taken over some Smartset stores (also owned by Reitmans), carries a very wide range of sizes, from XS to 3X and inseam lengths varying from 28″ to 34″. While smaller sizes are common in activewear, shorter pant lengths are NOT.

The Hyba store at the Holt Renfrew Centre

I stopped by the store at the Holt Renfrew Centre in Toronto (another downtown location is at the Eaton Centre), which opened last month. Perhaps it was because the store is so new, but many items seemed to not be in stock. I saw a sports bra I liked (many of their sports bras are not only bandeau style (I’m not a fan of the crisscross style) , but also have some padding. Yes, I know, it’s not just about a person’s appearance, but when you’re small like me, you also don’t want to look like you have NOTHING. Most sports bras flatten.), but my size was only available in black – not that it’s a bad thing (one can’t have too much black, after all) – wineberry, another colour I was looking for was sold out. And they didn’t have any at the back, either. This was also the case with some of their yoga pants – most of their petite (30″ inseam) and ultra petite (28″ inseam) length pants were sold out in XS. Of course, I don’t blame them. Shorter people are more likely to be XS or S. Good thing most items are available online.

I tried one of the petite length pants (30″) at the store and it was slightly long if worn barefoot. However, if I’m using it for the gym where I’d be wearing shoes, it is fine. The regular yoga pants currently only come in black and grey, but in several different styles, ranging from a wider leg boot cut to leggings. The sizing could be a bit more true-to-size, but I guess when it’s a North American brand, bigger is better – I found XS to be a little bit big at the waist, but XXS would probably be too small for me.

Price points are a bit more affordable than Lululemon or Lole with yoga pants priced at $40 opposed to around $100. Also note that Hyba does not have its own URL right now, but is on social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram), separate from other Reitmans brands.

NOTE: It appears that Hyba is a pop-up – at least at the Eaton Centre – as the storefront notes that it will only be there until March.

About Cynthia Cheng Mintz

Cynthia Cheng Mintz is the founder and webitor-in-chief of this site and the petite-focused site, Shorty Stories. She has also written for other publications including the Toronto Star and has blogged for The Huffington Post. Her first novel, Aspirations, was published in 2007. Outside of writing, Cynthia researches and advises philanthropic ideas for family funds and foundations and also volunteers.