Beyonce unveils Ivy Park 'athleisure' collection

Beyonce has given fans a sneak peek of her brand new athletic collection Ivy Park.

The Formation superstar announced plans to team up with Topshop boss Sir Philip Green for the clothing collaboration in October, 2014, and on Thursday (31Mar16), the video promo for the new sportswear and leisure label was launched online.

The brand is named after Blue Ivy, Beyonce's daughter with husband Jay Z, and Parkwood Park in the singer's native Houston, Texas, where she used to run as a child to help build up her stamina for shows.

The black-and-white footage opens with Beyonce standing in the rain, in the middle of a playground, wearing items from her new fitness range. It then cuts to the singer running on a treadmill, stretching, doing rope work, and swimming as she explains the meaning behind Ivy Park.

"I would wake up in the morning, and my dad would come knocking on my door, telling me it's time to go running," she recalled of her father Mathew Knowles' strict training regime. "I remember wanting to stop, but I would push myself to keep going.

"It taught me discipline and I would think about my dreams; I would think about the sacrifices my parents made for me. I would think about my little sister and how I was her hero. I would look at the beauty around me, the sunshine through the trees; I would keep breathing."

"There are things I'm still afraid of," Beyonce continued. "When I have to conquer those things I still go back to that park. Before I hit the stage I go back to that park. When it was time for me to give birth, I went back to that park. The park became a state of mind. The park became my strength. The park is what made me who I am. Where is your park?"

The promo also features a brief cameo by four-year-old Blue Ivy, who is filmed wearing mini versions of the Ivy Park sportswear, as her mum carries her on her back.

The new collection, which Beyonce also models in her new Elle magazine cover shoot, includes over 200 pieces of athletic and leisure wear, and is set to go on sale at select retailers from 14 April (16).

Ivy Park's big launch comes amid fevered speculation suggesting Beyonce is gearing up for another surprise release on Friday (01Apr16), after an internal press release surfaced online, alleging her new album will be called Formation and feature collaborations with Adele, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, Frank Ocean, and Jay Z.

The document, purportedly from Columbia Records and Beyonce's own Parkwood Entertainment, suggests the project will debut on Jay Z's streaming service Tidal on Friday and be available on other retailers next week (08Apr16).

The April Fools' Day date has some fans questioning the legitimacy of the press release, but Beyonce's representatives have yet to comment on the album rumours.

If the news is true, it won't be her first surprise release - she also dropped a self-titled project in December, 2013 without any fanfare or prior promotion.

She is set to kick off her Formation World Tour in Miami, Florida on 27 April (16).