Deakin&Blue
Deakin and Blue, a swimwear company founded by CEO Rosie Cook in 2018, set out to produce beautiful, functional, body-inclusive women’s swimwear made from recycled materials in response to research suggesting that many British women avoided swimming because of body consciousness and uncomfortable or unappealing swimwear options. The USP of the brand, and one of the elements that attracted me to work for this company, was its focus on body acceptance and inclusivity through nuanced sizing– the concept being that customers could choose their dress size and cup size separately for genuinely supportive swimwear. At the venture’s outset, Rosie asked for freelance consultancy relating to the sizing concept, and for copy for the website to engage customers on the issues of body acceptance and self-love.
Project Summary
The brand voice for D&B is characterised by authenticity, earnestness, and a feminist message combined with playful good humour, celebrating women’s bodies and stories. In my work for this brand, I tried to reflect this balance.
Brand Voice
Sizing concept: initially, the sizes were named according to descriptors such as ‘athletic’, ‘curvy’ or ‘voluptuous’: I suggested that, though well-intentioned, this approach risked the suggestion that women with A-B cup breasts ought to be or to identify with ‘athleticism’, or indeed that women with larger cup sizes could not be ‘athletic’. Instead, I proposed naming the sizes after glamorous and inspiring women whose busts corresponded to the size options – Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, and Christina Hendricks, suggesting no value judgment attached to larger or smaller sizes.
The ‘muse measurement’ was a success, and one of the brand’s key selling points.
The Muse Measurement
This blog was an early ‘MUSING’- linking the product and its distinctive sizing to body positive stories; in this example, I use references to popular culture and personal anecdotes about swimming, swimwear and unrealistic beauty standards to encourage readers to find out more about the product.
Blog
“Shani worked with us at Deakin&Blue in a freelance capacity during the early days of the company, consulting on the naming of our distinctive sizing concept and writing for the website. She is an adaptable, inventive and detail-oriented writer who produces polished and thoughtful copy in line with brand voice- I recommend her highly.”
— Rosie Cook | CEO Deakin&Blue