Carbon38 Leggings: The Ballet Dancers Who Made Liquid Shine Famous

Carbon38 was founded in 2013 by Katie Warner Johnson and Caroline Gogolak, and it started as a platform to showcase workout wear before it grew into the whole athleisure lifestyle. The site went live in November 2013 and, funnily enough, it first sold everything from juice cleanses to face creams. The founders took the hint from their customers and went all in on sophisticated activewear. That is why Carbon38 leggings feel like a point of view.

 

The two women met at a ballet class when they were fifteen and reconnected at Harvard. Both worked as professional ballet dancers, and Johnson also worked as a trainer. Gogolak has said activewear has been in their DNA for a very long time, and that shows. When they launched their own collection in 2015, they wanted leggings and jog bras sitting next to dresses, cropped pants and outerwear, and they make it in Southern California. I went deeper on a related idea in Jamie Wolf Jewelry: A Former Ballet Dancer's 18K Gold Designs.

 

The first row is the house fabrics. I would start with the High Rise 7/8 Legging in Takara Shine in Serenity, a periwinkle blue that is gloriously unserious, and the Fig, which is the grown-up version of the same idea. Takara Shine is described by the brand as compressive and breathable with a bright liquid finish, and it is the number one legging with over 500,000 pairs sold. The Chocolate Torte pair is the one I would wear with a cream knit and sneakers for a weekend walk. For days when you want less glare, the High Rise Legging in Melt in Bittersweet, Olive or Navy Blazer has the matte, buttery finish the brand describes. The Ribbed Melt in Cocoa Brown is the one I would pick for a Pilates class in October.

 

Practical tip: if you are choosing between shine and matte, hold both up to a window. Shine shows every seam, so pick the finish you want to live with.

Moto is part of the Carbon38 story from the very start. In January 2014 the founders launched a five-piece capsule built around a moto jacket, riding pants and moto capris, and the whole idea was to go from a redeye flight into the boardroom and right into yoga class. I could not find a source for when the Glossy Moto legging itself was first made, so I will not guess. What I can say is that the gloss in this group carries that same edge.

 

In my fashion dreams, she is walking to a late class in the Black High Rise 7/8 Legging in Takara Shine, a leather jacket over a gray tee, hair in a ballet bun. The Steel Grey is the metallic one, and I like it with a black knit. The Bittersweet and Wasabi 7/8 lengths are for people who want color to be the whole outfit. The Croc Takara Shine in Enamel Blue has an embossed scale texture, which is bolder, so keep the top plain. The Navy Blazer full-length pair is the quiet one.

 

A companion that fits the same mood is the Michi Palma Gloss Legging in Bronzed Pewter, a faux-leather gloss with a ruched back waistband. Michi was one of the brands Carbon38 launched with, so it is a fitting pairing. And the Spliced Colorblock Shine Legging in Crimson Red puts Takara panels into Melt, glossy next to matte.

 

Fitting-room test: bend into a deep squat under good light and check that the finish stays even across the knee and seat. What I would skip: a shine legging with a shiny jacket, because the two gloss finishes compete.

Johnson has described moving to Los Angeles from New York and falling for the city, and the second Carbon38 fabric family reads like that: easy, a little sunny, low effort. This is the high-rise group, and it is where I would shop for the legging you wear four days a week.

 

The Ribbed Melt High Rise Legging comes in White and Terracotta here, and the texture is the point. The terracotta is a fall color that works with a camel coat. The Diamond Compression pairs in Black and Cloud Dancer are the firmer ones, made for harder training, and the Cloud Dancer ivory is a bold choice that I would style with a gray sweatshirt. The Melt in Navy Leopard is a tonal print, which makes it the easiest way to wear leopard without a lot of noise. If you want to keep going, Leopard Print Outfit: The Coat That Made a Pattern Famous is the one I would read next.

 

Three companions share the group. The Year of Ours Ribbed Football Legging in White has a lace-up drawstring waist. The Norma Kamali Long Legging in Cream has a faux-leather front, so it is more a going-out legging than a workout one. Perfect Moment makes the Active Legging in Dede Ski Print is a compression base layer printed with tiny skiers, which I would layer under snow gear.

 

Buying test: tug the waistband and see whether it snaps back, and hold a pale pair against a window to check it is not sheer. What I would skip: white leggings for a day with a lot of sitting on dark surfaces, since the color needs care.

Flares are where the Carbon38 designers play with proportion, and October is the right month for them with ankle boots. The idea is a close fit through the thigh and a little room at the hem, so check the length before anything else. A flare that stops at the ankle bone looks right with a sneaker, and one that sweeps the ground wants a heel.

 

The High Rise Flare Legging in Takara Shine comes in Black and Navy Blazer, with a seamed front and a glossy finish. The brand calls it the best-seller with a cult following, now in a flare. The Ribbed Flare in Malachite is the jewel-toned one, a green I would wear with a cream knit. In Melt, the Foldover Bootcut in Black has a smooth waistband that folds down, while the Split Bootcut comes in Black, Navy Blazer and Caribou, a tan, with kick-flare side splits below the knee. The Split Front Legging in Black has a split hem across the front.

 

In my fashion dreams, she is in the caribou split bootcut, a short camel jacket and a pair of loafers, crossing a parking lot on the way to coffee.

 

Fitting-room test: stand in the shoes you plan to wear and see where the hem lands, because kick flares look different at every length. What I would skip: a long flare with flat sneakers, because the hem will drag and gather.

Pockets are the practical half of the story. Carbon38 started as a platform for women whose days ran from a studio to the street, and a pocket legging is the plainest version of that idea. A phone and a key card fit in the side pocket, and the drawstring means no constant tugging.

 

The High Rise Pocket Legging in Melt in Leopard Print is the soft brown leopard I would wear with a black turtleneck, while the High Rise Sport Pocket Legging in Snow Leopard is lighter. The Diamond Compression Pocket Legging in Navy is the training one. In Ribbed Melt, the Steel Grey and Black pocket styles keep the soft rib texture. The contrast waistband styles, in Macadamia and White, Cherry Red and White, and Black and White, are the ones that look like a set at first glance. The Cherry Red and White looks sporty, the Black and White the cleanest.

 

I would pair the Macadamia and White with an oversized cream sweatshirt, and the Black and White with a camel puffer on a cold morning.

 

Fit test: put your phone in the pocket and do a few lunges to see if it bounces. What I would skip: a pocket legging under a short top if you plan to carry a heavy phone, because the weight shows.

I would choose by the day. For the studio, a Melt in Black. For the street, Takara Shine in a dark color with a jacket. For cold mornings, a flare with boots.

 

Then I would pick one color I would not normally touch, the Serenity or the Wasabi, because that is the spirit of two women who met at fifteen in ballet class and wanted activewear to feel as exciting as a cocktail dress.

 

Carbon38 began with juice cleanses and landed on leggings. I like that it figured out what it was.