After years of building a loyal audience online, Stefana Avara decided to turn her influence into impact. Enter Liaison the Label, a community-focused activewear brand that effortlessly combines movement and style with timeless, functional pieces.
“Building Liaison was a slow, hands-on process,” said Avara. “Those early years taught me everything about the kind of brand I wanted to build: one rooted in persistence, intention and a real understanding of what women want to wear every day.”
Liaison’s mission extends far beyond just the workout. For Avara, it was about creating pieces that actually fit into women’s lives, not just their next Pilates class. “We focus on refined design, thoughtful details and lasting quality so every piece feels functional and flattering,” said Avara. Long term, Avara hopes to continue redefining the women’s activewear space by building a brand that lasts beyond trends. “We want people to associate the brand name with quality, authenticity and community, not just cute clothes,” she said.
Avara draws inspiration from a wide range of sources, many of which are designs unrelated to activewear. From runway shows to archival collections, Avara finds that outside inspiration helps her approach her designs more creatively. She specifically finds herself drawn to legacy designers focused on craftsmanship and timeless silhouettes—a level of attention to detail she aims to carry into her own designs.
Transitioning from the influencer space to the entrepreneurial space has been an incredibly rewarding process for Avara. “Girls used to come up to me and say, ‘I love your content.’ Now they come up and say, ‘I love Liaison.’ That shift has been one of the most meaningful parts of this journey,” she said.
Things are just getting started for Avara and Liaison. This year, Liaison has more than doubled last year’s revenue, with its biggest seasons—Black Friday and holiday campaigns—still ahead. Moving into 2025, the brand is projecting even more growth as it continues to scale and reach more women globally.
Liaison pieces were recently featured throughout this season of “Dancing with the Stars,” a milestone Avara was particularly proud of. “These were not paid placements—the celebs are just organically wearing our products, which is incredible to see,” she said.
When designing one of Liaison’s recent collections, “After Class,” Avara pulled inspiration from the nostalgic feeling of going back to school. Since many of Liaison’s customers have closed that chapter of their lives, she wanted to create a campaign that captured that sense of nostalgia in a more relatable way. The collection features a variety of timeless and versatile pieces, with a photoshoot capturing the vintage, back-to-school feel Avara aspired for.
At the heart of Liaison lies community, which Avara cultivates through events, live workouts and meaningful conversations on social media. “We listen, we ask questions and we create with them, not just for them. That’s what makes our customers loyal. The relationship we have with them is not transactional; it is personal,” she said.
From the beginning, Avara built Liaison around the idea that “community creates longevity,” whether she’s gathering feedback on designs or sending flowers to customers who message about recently getting married. “I want our customers to know that when they place an order, they are joining our family, a group of people that we deeply care about and go out of our way to nurture. They are our community—our girls—and the heartbeat of the brand,” she said.
Avara recently got engaged herself, and once she told her close friends and family, she direct messaged over 20 of her top customers before posting the news online. After building relationships with her customers for years, it felt natural for Avara to include them in this special moment. “It’s little things like that that remind me why I love what I do; it is a real connection, not just a brand-customer relationship,” she said.
As the year wraps up, Avara is especially excited about an upcoming collaboration with “The Bachelor” alum Kelsey Anderson. “We’ve been working closely with her over the past eight months to bring her collection to life,” she shared. “It’s been such a fun process seeing her style and vision come together through the Liaison lens.”
Looking ahead to 2026, Avara will be opening a new Liaison office in Tampa, Florida, and already has in-person activations and events planned in the community, which she credits as a core part of the brand’s growth. “It is going to be an exciting new chapter for the brand,” she said.
