Laines

Laines is the brand created by Madelaine Gadd, where she is looking at bringing a blend of beachwear with streetwear to Cold Open Water Swimming. Her name came from the ideas of swimming in lanes, and is the end of her name, which I think is clever.

What is your brand concept?

The general concept is to make the transition to and from the breach as seamless as possible so you can hold on to that chilled, relaxed feeling you get from swimming in the sea. My designs are going to concentrate on removing any obstacles that make that transition a challenge- so looking into how to make wetsuits easier to take off and waterproof shoes so you can literally jump in, and the clothes encourage it.

what sports do you focus on the most and why?

I'm partially looking on cold open water/wild swimming so that includes swimming in a any natural body of water (but could be applied to any water sport as well). Theres a lot of research that shows it has a huge mental health benefit and it can really wake you up in a morning due to the cold water.

what market do you think needs more focus on in the future? between aesthetics and functionality whats more important?

I think we need to focus more on making functional clothes that also make you look and feel good, I've seen so many wetsuits that are standard plain black. An example is my own wetsuit that is just black with the novelty pink bits to really say that its "female" (which I think is ridiculous not to mention unflattering. I want to design things that are fun, useful, functional AND contemporary/fashionable.

name one of your design cues and expand?

On of my design cues is Meno which is Greek term that means 'to remain, to abide, to stay' and takes into account remaining present spiritually and mentally which is something that I'm really keen to focus on in my designs. Its all about this idea of staying in the moment for my customer.

where do you get inspiration from?

Lots of my inspiration comes from my holiday to Minorca where I visited a really beautiful cove where there was lots of local people just swimming in the sea. It created this amazing vibe (a feeling i wanted to recreated in the Cornish Seas). In addition some inspiration comes from the environment and I want to make the project personal by bringing in elements and general attitude of where I'm from-Weston Super Mare/Bristol. I thought this would bring a contrast of an area I believe is urban and more built up to Cornish Culture, hence having the beachwear/swimwear cross over. Retro sportswear is also quite prevalent around the Bristol Area with young people and the colour blocking/vibrancy of it all.