Certification is expensive, slow and nobody requires it. Here's why we made it the first decision we made as a brand — and what we had to change to earn it.
Before Viren launched its first product, we made a decision that cost more than we expected, took longer than we planned, and that no regulation required us to make.
We chose to certify every range to OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 from day one.
This article is about why — and about what the certification process actually involved. Not the marketing version. The honest version, including the parts that were difficult.
Why we started asking the question
The founder of Viren spent years training in premium activewear before developing a persistent skin reaction she couldn't explain. It wasn't dramatic. But it was consistent — and it led her to start researching what performance fabrics actually contain.
What she found was that the activewear industry has extensive testing infrastructure around what fabrics do — how they perform under load, how they manage moisture, how they retain their shape. There is considerably less consistent, independently verified information about what fabrics contain.
Performance fabrics are engineered products. They contain chemical treatments that contribute to their performance properties — stretch, sweat-wicking, shape retention. The question of what those treatments are, and what happens to them when worn in sustained contact with skin during exercise, is one the industry has been slow to answer in a standardised way.
When you exercise, your body heats up and your pores open. Your kit is in direct, sustained contact with your skin — sometimes for hours. We think that context deserves a higher standard of scrutiny than most activewear has historically received.
That belief is why certification became non-negotiable for us. Not a milestone to work towards. A starting point.
What we chose — and why
After researching the available certification standards, we chose OEKO-TEX® Standard 100. It is one of the most rigorous and widely recognised fabric safety certifications in the world, used across the medical, childrenswear and sportswear industries.
It is independently issued — not self-declared. It tests finished garments against over 100 substances. And every certification is assigned a publicly verifiable number that anyone can check on the OEKO-TEX® website.
For a brand built on the idea that performance kit should be able to back up its claims, an independently verifiable certification felt like the only honest option.
What the process actually involved
The OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certification process is more involved than it might appear from the outside. Here's what it required us to do.
Sourcing certified components throughout the supply chain
Before submitting for certification, we were required to obtain OEKO-TEX® compliance documentation from every manufacturer supplying every component used in our garments. That means fabric, lining, trim, bra cups, elastics, sewing thread, woven labels and drawcords — every single element.
Every supplier in our chain had to demonstrate compliance. Coordinating that documentation across a textile supply chain takes significant time and persistence. It is not a process that can be rushed.
Changing components that didn't meet the standard
This is the part we want to be transparent about, because it illustrates what meaningful certification actually involves.
Our original sports bra linings didn't meet the OEKO-TEX® standard. When we received that feedback, we had a choice: find an alternative lining that did meet the standard, or proceed without certification for that component.
We chose the former. That meant going back to our suppliers, re-sourcing the lining material, re-sampling the garment and re-testing before we could proceed. It delayed our timeline. It added cost. And it was the right decision.
Certification that doesn't require you to change anything isn't doing very much. The fact that we had to make changes — and did — is, we think, part of what makes the certification meaningful.
Annual audit and renewal
OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certification is not a one-time achievement. It is renewed annually — and that renewal involves a full audit of our processes and supply chain, not just a retest of the finished product.
Every year, without exception, we go through the full process again. The certification has to be re-earned. Our current certificates are valid and publicly available — you can check the expiry dates yourself on our No Harm Done page.
Which Viren ranges are certified?
All three. Prowess, Higher Power and Aftermath are all OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certified. The certification covers the finished garments — including all components — across every range we have launched.
This was a deliberate decision. We didn't certify our best-selling range and leave others pending. We certified everything, because we think the standard should apply consistently across everything we make.
What this means in practice
When you train in Viren kit, you're wearing activewear that has been independently tested to one of the most rigorous fabric safety standards in the world. Not marketed as clean. Certified as meeting an independently verified standard.
The certification number is on our No Harm Done page. The expiry date is there. The scope — exactly what garments and components are covered — is there. Everything is verifiable.
We built Viren on the belief that what touches your skin matters. Certification is how we back that belief up with something more than words.
Related reading: What Is OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 — and Why Does It Matter for Your Activewear? · The Viren Journal