Sick of struggling to find a swimsuit suitable for her weekly swim, Rosie Cook decided to take action into her own hands. In 2016 she founded her own swimwear company, Deakin & Blue, which has a sustainability mission to boot.
"I realized swimwear offered either style or substance but almost never both," she said. "On one hand – beautiful, flimsy bikinis for lounging about and ordering cocktails; on the other – serious sportswear that offered little shape, support or style.
"I wanted one that was technical - chlorine resistant, wouldn't rub during lengths, four-way stretch, sweat wicking, and so on, but also didn't compromise on fit or style. At the time I assumed my struggle to find the right piece of kit was to do with my body."
Research shows that more than 500,000 women have given up swimming in England and one in two mothers have stopped taking their children to learn to swim because of body image concerns.
"Having failed to find something that worked for me, I decided to solve the problem myself," Cook continued.
Cook took a look at everything she didn't like about the swimwear industry - from airbrushed, sexualized models, to the feel of the fabric and poor fit for different body shapes.
"As a result, our swimwear pieces are transformational - in how they feel, how they look and how they are made. We combine fabrics made from regenerated ocean waste, revolutionary production methods and a ground-breaking sizing system - every piece is shoppable by both dress and bust size - to produce a set of garments showcased on a range of body shapes and sizes."
In 2017, the swimwear industry was valued at $18.45 billion worldwide. The business of sustainable swimsuit material alternatives has also seen a boom, with companies such as Madewell diving in on the action.
"As a small, independent brand competing with large and well established high street brands and household names, our biggest challenge has been brand awareness, and getting in front of our target customer at scale - all on a relatively small marketing budget."
All Deakin & Blue's swimwear is made from ECONYL - a 100% regenerated nylon fibre made from post-consumer waste such as old fishing nets and industrial plastic.
The company also uses 100% reusable and recyclable packaging materials to avoid harming the environment. Even the tissue paper uses soy-based ink and is printed on acid-free FSC® certified paper.
But Cook's main focus remains on the body positive movement.
"We are motivating and equipping women to enjoy being in the water again- whether that's on holiday with friends, for a weekly swim workout or whilst taking their child to learn to swim. We have countless customers who tell us they have started swimming again because of their confidence and how they feel about their bodies after wearing our pieces.
"You could say it’s a swimwear revolution."
