THIS BELT WILL UP YOUR GAME
Photo by Amber Pinkerton for Danimás
By Grace Cook
4.5 Minute Read
Glamour in the gym? That's new. Dany Garcia's quest for stylish accessories led her to launching Danimás—and the world's first luxury weight belt.
Dany Garcia has a weight belt for almost every career achievement from the past decade or so. Among her favorites is a black leather version, which has the letters “XFL” embroidered across the back in tricolor. It's reflective of her becoming the first woman to have an equal or majority ownership stake in a major professional sports league in the US. Another belt says ‘Chairwoman’ in collegiate font. That one recognizes her role within The Garcia Companies, the investment portfolio that counts the Hollywood agency Seven Bucks Productions and energy drink Zoa within its roster. Her favorite belt spells out her surname, with the title ‘IFBB Pro’ stitched underneath. It symbolizes the moment she started training as a professional athlete.
These belts are not just sartorial momentos. They are signifiers of milestones—whether personally or professionally, in life or in love. “Strength and lifting weights becomes this tool to realize our full potential,” says Garcia, who bought her first weight belt in 2014. For Garcia, that purchase was a tangible manifestation of her own intention and commitment; of backing herself to say, ‘I can do this.’ The belt served as a reminder of that every time she buckled up in the gym. “Striving for strength is such an emotional journey, as well as a physical one,” she says. “The belt becomes part of our story of progress.”
Still, through decades of training, Garcia wondered: why was there no glamourous version of this tool? This tool is an asset, designed to elevate—the very definition of luxury. Yet there was not an option in the market that aligned the two. A belt so elevated, it reflected the effort and aspiration that women were putting into their training. A belt for women to say: I deserve this reward. Instead of wondering, Garcia decided to create them.
The Danimás x Cardillo weight belts are the world’s first luxury gym accessory—they invite women to bring glamor into their training practice. More women than ever are lifting heavy in the gym, and every week is an opportunity for them to PB. Made in partnership with Cardillo, a master craftsman of weight belts, the Danimás belts give women the world over the opportunity to proudly wear their personal milestones around their waist—and in doing so, to regularly affirm their own power. “Look good, feel good, perform your best. It’s a mindset that so many of us identify with,” says Garcia.
Training is a typically male environment, and many women leave an element of themselves at the door when they walk into the gym—there has traditionally been very little space among the weight racks for self-expression. The Danimás x Cardillo belts change the game. It’s a category-creating product. It’s a world-first that combines health, style, and craftsmanship.
They can also be worn as a legitimate fashion accessory. June Ambrose wore her early release Damimás belt in burgundy atop a button-down cotton shirt at New York Fashion Week in September; the hardware of the Damimás buckle glinted like jewelry.
“It’s a luxury accessory that’s taking care of you.”
“Most belts are shaped and sized for men,” says Steve Cardillo. Based in Boston, Cardillo had been creating the highest quality belts in the industry, by hand, since 1987. His atelier has now partnered with Garcia to craft Danimás’ best-in-class belts. “Women have a smaller stature, so resizing it makes it contour to her body better,” says Cardillo, who reduces the depth of the belt at the back, and at the tapered buckle, by over an inch. “I’m among the only makers in the world who does a woman’s version of a training belt.”
Garcia wants women to feel empowered by the Danimás belts. Wearing one in the gym is a way of recognizing one’s own power. It’s an emotional tool as well as a physical one. A few years ago, women became empowered to buy diamonds for themselves as self-congratulatory rewards for meaningful milestones—a career promotion, perhaps. A luxury weight belt is the contemporary version. They are beneficial for supporting your back and your core when you’re lifting near to your body weight in a squat.
A belt is a lifetime investment in one’s health, one’s wellbeing, and one’s future. It’s a commitment to yourself and your practice. “It’s a reminder to you every time you put it on that you are working towards goals of your own choosing,” says Garcia, who wears hers for heavy bent-over rows, as well as when training her back, glutes, and shoulders. “Whenever you saw athletes in the magazines decades ago, they’d all be wearing a Steve Cardillo belt because they’re the best that you can get,” says Garcia. This authenticity is potent in this online era. “Owning a Cardillo belt was such a signal to bodybuilding.” It was the original ‘if-you-know’ gym accessory. This was decades before social media created fitness trends.
Danimás’ belts are designed for life. Each belt is handmade by one craftsperson in Boston and comes with a lifetime guarantee. The entire 13-step manufacturing process for the Danimás belts is completed by Cardillo’s most talented artisan who has the "highest attention to detail,” says Cardillo. So rare is this skill, the factory employs just 50 makers in total. Each Danimás x Cardillo belt takes up to two hours to make.
Photos by Marsha Lebedev Bernstein for Danimás
The Danimás x Cardillo weight belts, which come in shades of black, caramel, burgundy, silver, and navy, are an accessory that elevates the ritual; not only do these belts bring glamor into the workout, they comfortably embrace your waist and back. “Our leather is the best quality, so even when they’re brand new, they feel broken-in compared to others, which use a more rigid leather,” says Cardillo. They’re the finishing touch to your daily workout; buckling up is a sartorial and mental signal that it’s time to lock-in. For the first time in weight belt history, the hardware is made from polished brass, which is embossed with Danimás branding—the name, meaning ‘more’. “My vision is that we become the new cultural signal for women’s strength training,” says Garcia.
The craftsmanship and quality are exquisite. The edges are painstakingly hand-dyed—a rare artisanal feature that takes over 30 minutes per belt to achieve. Each belt is de-embossed with Made in USA on the interior lining; each belt hole is guided by hand. The belts are designed with longevity in mind, with five inches of flexibility found to cater to waist fluctuations over time, which is especially relevant for women.
Even better: These belts will age beautifully. “They mold to your body over time, so they really are the most personal thing you can own for your training,” says Cardillo. Every person who trains goes on their own journey; their body and strength evolves over time. And the belt, says Cardillo, is the one consistent factor because it lasts forever. “You change everything else: you change your shoes, your T-shirt, your shorts. But the belt lives with you. People who own a belt become very emotionally attached to it. A lot of my customers tell me their belt is the one possession they’d save.”
Sitting against your skin each time you train, these belts contour to you. They become shaped by hard work, commitment, and sweat. They transform. Just like you.
