HEALTHY DESIGNS: Christy Turlington

New York, March 31 (Reuters): Designer and model Christy Turlington and Puma AG yesterday debuted their newest collaboration, a line of clothes designed for vigorous yoga sessions, with Amazon.com as the exclusive online retailer.

As vast numbers of Americans now practice some form of yoga — 15 million and 20 million are the estimates that get bandied about — companies including Nike and Gap have moved to capitalise on the trend. However, Turlington said she created the new line, called Mahanuala, to meet the needs that she recognised in her own life as a yoga practitioner of 17 years, making it distinct from a mere brand extension.

Turlington first partnered with Germany’s Puma in 2000 to launch Nuala, a high-priced line made largely in Italy and sold by spa boutiques and luxury stores. Mahanuala, on the other hand, has the potential to reach a much broader audience through Amazon, which claims 40 million people as its customers. As a result of lower production costs in Turkey, Portugal and Greece, Mahanuala pants, shorts, tops and cover-ups can be bought for $32 to $70 on Amazon.com. Turlington has written a book, Living Yoga: Creating A Life Practice, and has been featured on the cover of Time magazine as the face of American yoga. She is also associated with healthy living through her roles as an anti-smoking spokeswoman and founder of a skincare line based on ayurveda.