Making a SPLASH

Meet the women pushing boundaries in swimwear design

- CHRIS MORLEY

'I wanted to bridge the gap between fashionable and practical'

In 2017, Helen Lofts, 35, left her city career in London to move back to her home county of Devon, where she founded sustainable water-wear brand Davy J. Helen lives in Plymouth with her husband and nine-month-old daughter.

THE IDEA

I grew up in south Devon and have always loved being in and around the water. The idea for Davy J happened in 2016, when I was frustrated with fashion swimsuits that looked good but weren't practical for any kind of activity, like jumping off a boat or diving into the sea. My city career was based in international development and sustainability, and this fed into an entrepreneurial desire to create a business that was sustainable. The two strands came together in the concept for Davy J-to bridge the gap between fashionable and practical swimwear, and to do it in a way that prioritises the reuse and regeneration of materials.

TOP TIP
Believe in yourself and go for it.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT

Over the next six months I continued to investigate whether the idea had legs. Through my work I was familiar with new technology that could turn waste, such as fishing nets and plastic scraps, into nylon yarn, and I could see how this could replace the virgin nylon used to make swimwear. I pitched my idea to the Royal Society of Arts and won a small Catalyst Grant for £2,000, which funded the early stage prototyping of our first collection.