CAROLINE CORNISH TALKS CEACEA SWIMWEAR

Interviewed by Culture Coast Talks editor Daniel John. Interview transcripts might have been edited for length and clarity.

Are you getting any quality beach time in Australia this time a year?

We are very lucky in Perth that we have mild winters, so we still have sunny days, and get plenty of beach time, the waves are better in winter too so I’m getting lots of surfs in right now. The beaches are always busy over here all year round with people running, swimming, surfing, kite surfing and on the sup-boards. They are a real social hub. I still go to the beach all the time in winter whether thats to surf, run or go down to watch one of the amazing sunsets.

How much time would you say you spend in a swimsuit every year?

In the summer I would be in swimwear everyday to have a pre- or post-work ocean-dip. It gets to forty degrees in the summer so being in swimwear as much as possible is the way to go here. I’m from the UK and used to own five bikinis, but in Australia you wear swimwear so much that most people will own like five times that. People here will also spend as much on a bikini as they would a dress for a special occasion.

What inspired you to found Ceacea Swimwear?

Ceacea’s creation came from embracing change. I moved to Australia from Jersey Channel-Islands and unknowing became an adventure girl. To make new friends I took up sea swimming, surfing, running and life saving. I soon became frustrated with having to buy so many different sports apparel for all the sports I wanted to do, so thats when I started looking into whether there was a brand that made outfits that had multiuse or capsule wardrobes at least that you could mix and match, but I couldn’t find anything so thats where the idea of Ceacea first came about. I really started being interested in design as it was a simple case of not being able to find what I was looking for. I was doing so many different sports and I got frustrated at having to buy different outfits for each. I could not understand why there wasn’t leggings that could be used in and out of the water for running and surfing or a sports top that could be used for both too. So I started looking into fabrics and designs that could be multipurpose. I also noticed consumers were moving away from buying from large companies and were moving towards buying more from small local businesses. The name Ceacea, pronounced see see, came from CC being my initials, and I incorporated that into the word sea which for me has always been associated with adventure.

So your swim-wear is just as good in and out of the water?

Yes, the fabric we use is specially sourced and is of an elastane and nylon blend. We have a unique combination of the two as the big difference with Ceacea is that the fabric performs in and out of the water, this means it needs to be extra durable plus it has uv-protection and chlorine resistance. Our ethos behind this is rather than buying lots of different outfits, such as different leggings for running, leggings for yoga, leggings for surfing, you can instead buy one pair which can be used for all, so you can go straight from your run to a surf in the same outfit. We are trying to prevent fast fashion as with Ceacea you can make capsule wardrobes and mix and match our items for all the different activities you want to do.

Is there a balance to find between function and aesthetics?

Yes, but you have to stay true to your brand ethos. We are first an adventure brand so function is at the forefront of everything we do, but then we make sure it’s going to flatter different body shapes and make people feel good when they wear it too.

What might be some other things that people might not know they are appreciating when getting a new swimsuit, but that you as a designer have been thinking both once and twice about?

I think the biggest thing for Ceacea was spreading the word that the fabric can also be used in the water. We love when we get feedback from our customers telling us that they went in the ocean for example with their biker shorts still on, and the fabric didn’t get ruined plus it dried really quickly afterwards. Also we are a sustainable and ethical brand, we do have this info on our website but when someone receives their Ceacea they see that it comes in biodegradable packaging and they also receive some info on Action Aid and how their purchase has gone towards that. I think it’s nice for our customers to know that their purchase has also helped others.

Are costumers surprised by it?

Yes, we get lots of comments when our customers get their outfits, they can’t believe how good the fabric feels and how well it performs. We also get lots of lovely feedback that we show different body types in our outfits too, as all women can be adventure girls.

Do you hope to encourage this with the brand?

Yes, we hope to inspire and encourage womens adventurous spirit. It’s never too late to have a go at a new sport or activity and to get out of your comfort zone, it’s great to see women are learning to surf in their thirties, getting on a stand up paddle board or doing a mini triathlon. All these things are accessible to the everyday women now, you don’t have to be an elite athlete to do them. We also want to encourage people to look into the brands that they buy from. Are they sustainable, do they follow ethical practices, do they give back in some ways. We are finding more and more people do this now anyway, but its good that brands have to be more transparent these days with their processes.

What does the Action Aid partnership entail?

We have a reciprocal approach to doing our business, meaning that we give back! We have supported Action Aid Australia since the beginning and give a monthly donation, per item sold, to this charity. They fight for gender equality and social justice for women locally and internationally. We love the work that they are doing to help women, and during Covid we made thousands of care-masks with the off cuts of fabric to help keep people safe. Most of those were posted to Victoria and the funds from these was sent to Action Aid as well. Our customers also like to know that when they're buying swimwear from us they are also helping Action Aid.

Is there always like a time-frame in which a new collection should fit?

Yes we do try and launch activewear for Australian winter and swimwear for the Australian summer. The only year that's been a little different was with Covid which caused big manufacturing delays, so timing were out a bit. This was the case for most businesses at that moment however. We normally start creating six to nine months out of launch date and begin the sampling process and continue from there.

Do you ship and work with resellers worldwide?

Yes we wholesale to stores. Mostly in Australia. We were starting to do more international-wholesale mostly in surf towns but after Covid many of these areas are now not getting the tourists visiting so we have stopped doing this for now.

Historically, there has been a lot of male designers behind women wear. How do you think things differ when women design for women?

We know how to make flattering cuts for different body shapes. Also we understand that one design is not going to fit all body shapes so with Ceacea we continually bring out new designs to accommodate the different body shapes that we women have. Women also love to support other women and that has been really lovely to see recently.

Do you believe what we wear helps us in being who we are?

I think what you wear is an expression of your personality and also represents your own personal brand, a lot of our customers likes to support a local business and also feel good about wearing an outfit thats from a company that supports ethical and sustainable practices. Also if you feel confident that what you are wearing will perform well, during this activity you are doing you can concentrate on the having fun part and not worry that your legging are falling down or top isn’t keeping everything in.

Can swimwear be a really good starting point for self-love?

Yes for sure. Celebrating all bodies and all body shapes is really big now. The days of brands only using skinny models in swimwear are behind us and its now great to see normal bodies being celebrated. We try to encourage this by using everyday girls.

Ceacea is working with women who aren’t necessarily models, but rather women who, while wearing your apparel, also get’s a chance to tell their story?

Yes, we work we "non-models". Just anyone that aligns with our Ceacea-ethos and are comfortable in front of a camera . They are the people that are buying Ceacea, so we want to represent that in our product images. We try and represent all women and I love writing a blog about what adventures they have been getting up to recently. This will hopefully try and encourage other women to have a go, too.