Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Templin.
Hi Laura, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve spent my entire life in a swimsuit – from swimming competitively in college to training for Olympic trials to coaching my local Master’s program. After my youngest turned 5, I could not believe how hard it was to find a stylish, well-made swimsuit. I was a swim design professional who couldn’t find a great suit for herself. With my background in swimming, a bachelor’s degree in design, and my connections within the industry, I was able to make a few phone calls to get connected with the right people to help make the idea of a perfect suit come to life. As I continued to talk to friends about ‘my perfect suit’, it became apparent to me that this was a problem that needed my solution. I knew swimwear needed to fit and function in a way that improved confidence, stayed in place and allowed you to bring the best, most present version of yourself in the water. The joy that comes from being fully present in a situation without all the worrying and self-judgment that comes from our internal voice, is what we all deserve. Allowing women to be fully present in the water with their family is one of the greatest joys in this world and I believe everyone should be able to feel that.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Looking back, everything I’ve done has taught me great lessons that help me now. And I suppose, that’s the way it usually works. One thing builds on the next and you take with you the parts that are helpful and the lessons you learned. I struggled after college, with the loss of ‘being an athlete’ and I thought it would be easier to get my ‘dream’ job. Which wasn’t the case. I had a design degree that I wasn’t really interested in pursuing in the same way my peers were, and I didn’t know what to do with myself. Spent a year in commercial real estate, learning some hard lessons from seasoned professionals and continued to pursue what else was out there. I connected with the company that sponsored me as a professional athlete, told them I dreamed of being a swim product designer (using both my degree and life-long passion) and finally was able to get a job with them. Moved to LA with all I could pack in my car to start my ‘dream life’!
After three years, I was broke, paying too much for an apartment and forced to work a 2nd job in my free time. A recruiter called one day and my pride was too much, I actually hung up on her after she told me that ‘the top brand in the competitive swimwear space’ would like to talk to me. I knew who she meant. My years as an athlete came rushing back and my loyalty was tested. It was one of the bigger stressful decisions I’ve ever had to make, but in true recruiter fashion, she called back. I took the interview and next thing I knew, I was a product manager at Speedo, where I would spend the next 10 years, learning merchandising, sales and product management with both Speedo and Target. When my husband and I decided to move to Athens, it was the best decision for me to leave my job and stay home to help our family get settled and that lead me to designing my own swimwear…in my free time.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I think the one thing I’ve learned over the course of my career is that although I may not be all that different from anyone else in ability or opportunity, I’ve learned to trust my instincts and lean into those ideas that feel right. I love working through solutions to problems with products or difficulties people experience in their lives and help them come up with simple, great solutions that make a process easier. I have found my calling now as a coach, sharing what I’ve learned both in swimming and swimwear to help people reach their goals – whether those goals are getting and staying fit, learning a crossover backstroke to breaststroke turn (competitive swimming turn), to feel confident in their swimwear, or finding a suit that fits their body and needs. I have met some incredible people along my career in swimming that I can connect with to help me help others.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
I started my brand in Jan 2020. While our family was on Spring break in March of 2020, I was taking photos to load on my website, I was planning production quantities and just getting started with marketing. This was the week the whole world shut down. We left the beach not knowing what was going to happen, but what I knew was that we were going to get more time as a family. We better figure out quickly what in the world we were going to do. Like so many other families, we started a garden, we tie-dyed, we baked bread, bought computers for the kids and played outside more than we’ve ever played outside in their entire life! I took pride in the outside activities we did, it brought me back to my childhood where our parents would send us outside in the morning and we wouldn’t come home until dinner. So as we were spending time at our neighborhood pool, I realized that there was still a need for my brand. That Moms were spending MORE time at the pool and I needed to keep going and keep marketing as there really was a need now more than ever for a great suit to keep up with all her activities. We were all looking for something to keep our kids (and ourselves) minds and bodies healthy now more than ever. I learned that even during tough times, people still need to be active and healthy and that sometimes businesses can thrive if they can see what their opportunity is.
Pricing:
- Suits are priced at $140
- Tops, bottoms priced at $70
Contact Info:
- Website: www.LTSwimwear.com
- Instagram: @LTSwims
- Facebook: @LTSwimwear
Image Credits
Wendy Horton Photography, Evermore Photo Studio
