For a long time now I've wanted to make a swimming costume that actually works for women like me. Two years later, here she is.
So let's talk about SOLAS, our first ever wild swimming costume, made for cold water, real bodies, and the kind of woman who flings herself into a freezing sea before work and feels unstoppable for the rest of the day.
This one has been a journey. Settle in.
It started with a survey, not a sketch
Over two years ago, before I'd designed a single thing, I started phoning women and sending out surveys. I didn't want to guess what you needed. I wanted you to tell me. And you did.
So many women in bigger bodies told me swimming was the one sport where they felt they had the advantage. Not the thing they dreaded. The thing they were brilliant at. That was the moment I knew exactly who I was making this for.
This one's personal
I've had big boobs since I was about 15, and I've spent 25-odd years buying the expensive bras to prove it. Swimwear has always been the worst of it. Either no support at all, everything swinging around, or an underwire trying to take you out as you peel your togs off on a windy beach. That moment, half in and half out, is exactly when I feel most exposed. I know I'm not the only one.
So SOLAS is a swimming costume with proper bust support. It has a built-in shelf with power mesh inside the bust to lift and hold everything in place, and not an underwire in sight. It's fully lined in the same gorgeous fabric, so nothing goes see-through, and it's easy to get in and out of but properly held once it's on. Hand on heart, I haven't found another costume that does all of that at once.
The bit that went a bit tits up
I found a small, gorgeous swimwear factory in Portugal and knew straightaway they were the ones. We got going, and then it stalled. It just wasn't clicking. Then someone new joined their team, pulled the whole thing back together for us, and we were off again. Because we're one little costume made in small numbers, we've had to work around their timescales rather than the other way round. Good things take the time they take.
Made properly, from something brilliant
SOLAS is made from Carvico VITA, a recycled ECONYL® fabric spun from reclaimed waste like old fishing nets pulled out of the sea. Making it has around 80% less global-warming impact than virgin nylon, and the mill behind it has backed marine clean-up work for years.
It's also a joy to swim in. It's OEKO-TEX certified (independently tested, no nasties), gives you UPF 50+ sun protection, and it's twice as resistant to chlorine, salt and suncream as standard fabric. In plain English: it holds its shape and colour swim after swim instead of going saggy after one summer, which is exactly what so many of you said you were sick of.
What makes SOLAS, well, SOLAS
- A built-in power-mesh bust shelf for real lift and support, with no underwire
- Fully lined in the same premium Italian recycled fabric, so nothing goes see-through
- Made for cold water and wild swimming: durable, fast-drying and salt-proof
- Ethically made in Portugal in a small, careful run
- Four sizes, designed for the larger end of the range on purpose
A word on the name
Solas is the Irish word for light. It's also, rather beautifully, the name of the international treaty for Safety of Life at Sea, the agreement brought in after the Titanic to keep people safe in the water. Light, safety, and women feeling seen when they swim. It was the only name that fit.
One honest note
SOLAS is a limited run in four sizes. When she's gone, she's gone. And if you're petite with a smaller bust, hand on heart, you probably don't need this one. The support is the whole point, and you won't get your money's worth. I'm as bothered about who it isn't for as who it is.
Thanks, as always, for being here for the ride. It genuinely means the world. Stacey x
Leave a comment