About T.A.W
A boutique built for the active women of the Illawarra.
Thirroul Active Wear is a women’s boutique on Thirroul’s main street, committed to creating a space for women to find products that help them live an active, happy and healthy lifestyle.
Founder
Anne Woods
Coledale local · former Sydney TV producer · opened T.A.W in March 2016.
The story
From Sydney newsroom to a Thirroul shopfront.
Anne Woods swapped her career as a Sydney television producer for a slower, beach-focused life in the Illawarra — raising her two children in Coledale and walking Lawrence Hargrave Drive every day.
What she kept noticing was a gap: the drive was full of women who lived actively — surfing, running the escarpment, walking the dog before a coffee — and yet there was nowhere local to buy the gear they lived in. Customers were driving up the highway for a pair of tights.
So Anne did her research. She spoke with local active women, studied what brands stood for, and worked with owners whose values aligned with her own. In March 2016, T.A.W opened its doors in a newly renovated shopfront — formerly the home of Jackson’s Hardware — at 271 Lawrence Hargrave Drive.
Today T.A.W is a destination store for the Illawarra’s active community: a place where you can browse curated activewear, swimwear, athleisure, footwear, accessories and natural lifestyle products — and know the person who chose every piece stands behind it.
Opened
March 2016
Location
Thirroul NSW
Focus
Women’s active
Our philosophy
Three filters, every piece.
By Women, for Women
Every decision — from the brands we stock to the fits we carry — is made by women who share the lives of our customers. We shop the rack too.
Local & ethical first
Wherever possible we choose Australian-made, ethically produced and naturally minded brands. It’s not a marketing angle — it’s the filter we use on day one.
Empowering labels
We back “Boss Women” brands — labels whose mottos and designs help women show up, move, and live well. Clothing should motivate, not apologise.
How we choose
One question, asked of every piece.
Before anything makes it to the rack we ask ourselves the same thing:
“Does this motivate, inspire and help women live their healthiest lives?”
If the answer is yes, it earns a spot. If it’s no — even if it’s a brand name — it doesn’t. That’s the whole secret to what we stock.
Does it fit real bodies, not just magazine ones?
Is the brand locally based, or naturally minded in its fabrication?
Would we reach for it ourselves next weekend?
Does it hold up after a season of real wear?
Come meet us in Thirroul.
Browse the range, ask questions, try things on. We’d love to see you.