How does London’s most Instagrammable fitness brand go beyond the looks?
We helped BLOK…
put the people inside its studios at the centre of the story.
BUILT was an editorial platform about movement, creativity and the lives behind one of London’s most distinctive fitness communities.
From a members-only digital pilot to tangible print editions, BUILT gave BLOK’s audience deeper connections beyond the studio’s iconic visual aesthetics.
THE CHALLENGE
When BLOK opened its doors in 2016, it would have been hard to find a more Instagrammable gym brand. This art-focused studio, founded in an industrial tram depot in Clapton and later expanding to spaces in Shoreditch and Manchester, created a unique identity by blending fitness, creativity and sleek editorial-style campaigns, all under the expert eye of acclaimed fashion photographer Max Oppenheim.
The proposition was unique in that the training was challenging but progressive, the team were welcoming and inclusive, and this was reflected in the diversity of fitness backgrounds among their members. However, in their commitment to fitness, BLOK’s brand imagery and message, which featured impressive feats of athleticism, was aspirational to some new members but intimidating to others.
In a fitness landscape saturated with punishing, results-driven programmes, BLOK wanted to stand apart as a creative hub where everyone could feel like they belonged.
OUR RESPONSE?
We developed BUILT, a print and digital editorial concept rooted in the people, ideas and culture around BLOK.
Fitness was the starting point rather than the whole subject. The stories moved through art, music, identity, style, sustainability and personal progression, creating an editorial world that felt unmistakably BLOK without reading like a fitness magazine.
The editorial centred on people with interesting relationships to movement.
Stories included boxer Ramla Ali and dancer and choreographer Mthuthuzeli November, alongside members of BLOK’s own community. We commissioned writers with credits spanning GQ, Dazed, Marie Claire, Men’s Fitness, the Evening Standard and Stylist.
Elsewhere, culture and service pieces brought BLOK’s wider world onto the page, from sustainable activewear to eco-conscious haircare.
The idea was simple: give people something worth opening because the stories were good, not because there was a class to sell.
BUILT began as a print concept before BLOK piloted the editorial approach digitally through BLOKeditions, a members-only content series on email, social and events.
THE RESULTS
The shift in editorial approach had an immediate effect. Email open rates increased by 43%, and the content was subsequently integrated into BLOK’s app, giving the series a permanent home within the member experience.
Our work with BLOK also extended beyond BUILT. Lekker developed the brand’s tone of voice and carried it through campaigns, billboards and activations, helping the words feel as considered as the world BLOK had already created visually.
More works
