It was the exercise program that many adopted during lockdown, but Keep It Cleaner has decided to ditch its famous name in favour of a more inclusive one.

Started by top Aussie influencers Steph Claire Smith and Laura Henshaw, Keep It Cleaner is a fitness program complete with HIIT, pilates, boxing, healthy recipes and even exercises for expectant and new mothers. But with the latest spotlight on inclusive and more well-rounded language in the exercise space, the app has announced it will now be known as Kic.

Keep It Cleaner’s transition to Kic

Starting as an eBook in 2015, Keep It Cleaner was originally about affordable and accessible recipes that were considered ‘clean’. This grew exponentially into a fitness giant that had and continues to have Australians moving their bodies and cooking nutritious meals. 

The two founders, however, have faced some backlash when it came to their business’ name, facing accusations that ‘clean eating’ leaned into toxic diet culture. What originally set out to challenge the status quo of health and wellness was, in fact, buying into it.

With this in mind, the brand has been inspired by its own long-standing mission and shared attitude that will see it shift from Keep It Cleaner to the colloquial name Kic. 

“We see moving away from Keep It Cleaner, and the stigma around the world ‘clean’, as a unique opportunity for us to really embed our mission within our brand,” says CEO Laura Henshaw. 

“Involving our community in the direction of Kic highlighted that our name wasn’t aligned to our vision, and that needed to change.”

Created in partnership with branding and creative agency Bullfrog, the Kic brand has launched, with a campaign to tackle diet culture head on. ‘KIC THE RULES’ takes the all-too-familiar dieting “rules” and “Kics them to the curb”.

The launch saw a gigantic mirror erected on Bondi Beach, emblazoned with the words “Every body is a beach body”. 

Alongside the campaign and rebrand, Kic has pledged to donate to the national eating disorder organisation Butterfly Foundation, putting its money where its mouth is.