Natalie
About Natalie
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BEHIND THE SCENES seafolly
Meet Natalie
Meet Natalie our Senior Apparel Designer; she’s as cheeky as she is chic and truly embodies the #SEAFOLLYLIFE. Heading up our apparel design team she’s always on the search for her next inspiration. Flocking to her nearest sandy saltation on Sydney’s Northern Beaches we’re gifting you an exclusive sneak peak of our upcoming collections.
1. Describe your personal style.
My style continues to evolve, but the common theme of my looks have been classic, relaxed and always chic. And a bit of fun too!
2. What inspires your designs?
It’s all in the details. The texture of a fabric, a certain colour combination in a painting, a feeling! I have learned that designing is a journey, which is probably the reason why I have loved it doing it for the past 10 years!
3. Describe your lifestyle.
For me, life is all about the Australian lifestyle; beach, sun and nature! I live for the ocean and am so grateful to have met my partner who is a surfer. It’s super important for both of us to be near the ocean, and we feel more connected when celebrating the coast together. I have visited and lived in many countries and places over the past decade, however the Aussie way of life always pulls me back home. I love working for a business that shares my values and embodies the simplicity of a life lived well by the sea.
4. What are your favourite pieces in the Seafolly collection?
Ah jeez!! There are too many! If I had to pick: the gingham pieces. The fabric is hand-woven by gorgeous artisans in India. They have done an amazing job at creating a fabric that is natural, soft to touch, quick to dry, easy to pack as it doesn’t need ironing (yay) and you know you will wear/love forever!
![000486610019_19A[2]](https://www.keyswimwear.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/meet-natalie-2.jpg)
![000486610010_11[2]](https://www.keyswimwear.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/meet-natalie-3.jpg)
5. Describe your morning ritual.
My mornings are super simple. An early rise, a quick dip in the ocean – even in winter! My swim is followed with a French press coffee to get me going, then off to Seafolly HQ! I am very grateful for my fab team, who always manage a laugh, even throughout the busy times. Plus, we get to bring our dogs into work every day. Who wouldn’t love that.
6. What charities are close to you?
Pink Hope is a charity that helps to assess, manage and reduce the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, while also supporting high risk families. I think what they do is so special: breast cancer advocacy is important to me, as the disease has touched generations of women in my family. I highly recommend reading the story of the founder, Krystal Barter. I also love to support the annual Bright Pink Lipstick Day in September. The three charities Seafolly supports as part of i=change are truly amazing as well, I’m very proud that $1 of every online purchase makes a real difference out in the community.
7. What’s next for Seafolly?
I am super excited for what is to come at Seafolly! We’re focused on sourcing sustainable and innovative fabrics. We also hope to tap into the goldmine of Seafolly archives. Most importantly, we’re reconnecting with our community and our heritage.
8. How are you coping in the current climate?
This year has been super difficult. I have family stuck in Melbourne and Brisbane and haven’t been able to see them for 8 months now. I miss them so much. I just make sure I am doing the right thing for the safety for the people around me, so we can all get through this current climate.
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marysia
NEWSLETTER: OCTOBER 2020
one. R21′ Launch Pre Order Resort 21′
two. SS20 Sale Shop The Sale
three. Sophie Monet View The Journal
four. Voter Registration Register to Vote
five. R21′ Inspiration View The Journal
Blog
4 Ways to Wear the L*SPACE Lee Lee Bikini Top
Who says you can’t take a bikini top out of the sand and onto the street? This season we’re all about bending the “rules” as we transition into autumn, and our Ribbed Lee Lee Bikini Top is the perfect piece to do it with. Seriously, we wear this closet staple every chance we get and you can, too! Featuring subtly textured ribbed fabric, a wired v-front, and supportive shelf bra-style construction, you get some serious bang for your buck with this buttery soft piece. Check out our styling inspo below to see 4 ways YOU can rock your Lee Lee Bikini Top!
This one’s a no-brainer and a definite YES. We know you’ll be taking your Lee Lee top for a swim or sun sesh, but throw on a chic cover-up and you can wear her all day long on your next weekend getaway. Our recommendation? The effortless Anita cover-up, which you can wear buttoned up, tied up, or hey, straight up! Bonus points if you shade yourself in style with a classic straw hat.
Just add:
– A stylish cover-up
– Wide brimmed hat
If you know, you know – we’re all about working out in our bikini tops. Think about it: they’re comfy, supportive, and designed to handle moisture. The Lee Lee bikini top is the perfect style to pull double duty – just ask our #LSpaceFitnessFridays instructors! They love rocking this ribbed bikini top for their IG Live at home workouts. The shelf bra feature of this bikini top add just enough support for low impact exercise. Throw on your favorite leggings or shorts and you’re ready to go from Pilates to the pool.
Just add:
– Leggings or shorts
– Sneakers
2020 certainly has taught us how to embrace the athleisure life. With more time spent at home, we’ve cast aside our jeans in favor of comfy-but-cute sweats. You can pair your Lee Lee bikini top with high waisted loungewear like the Take It Easy or Skyler Pant (à la @summerofdiane). We love this look for easy work-from-home style, and you can even pop out to run a few errands in it.
Just add:
– Lounge pants
– Slides
– (Optional) Denim jacket for layering
The GNO might look a little different these days, but we’ve got just the look for your next (outdoor) happy hour. Pair your Lee Lee bikini top with a sleek skirt and oversized blazer like @taniasarin for an edgy vibe. Throw on some slides and you’re ready – just prepared for your crew to ask where you got your crop top from!
Just add:
– High waisted skirt, jeans, or trousers
– Oversized blazer
– Low heels
The Lee Lee bikini top comes in sizes XS – XL, D, and DD. Shop it here now!
marysia What is your favorite Sophie Monet jewelry piece at the moment? How would you style it?
Sophie Monet
A friend and a fellow female founder, Sophie Monet turns natural elements into must have jewelry staples. Based in Venice, the jewelry line is reflective of Sophie’s personal life surrounded by palm trees and spending her childhood in her father’s wood shop. We are so thrilled to include her line on our website that focuses on sustainably, handcrafted pieces made locally in Venice.
xoxo
Marysia
To you, Marysia is…
To me, Marysia is a fierce female founder. She’s equal parts beach and city. She’s an inspiration for building a namesake business and pursuing a dream. She’s a fellow westsider who expresses her love of the beach in an entirely unique way.
What is your favorite Marysia piece?
I spend a lot of time thinking about sustainability with my own collection so I was instantly drawn to the Swim Clean collection. The Antibes Maillot one-piece is a silhouette I’ll never tire of.
Why did you start your brand?
I started Sophie Monet Jewelry because I’d always had an interest in jewelry. I’d grown up watching my father work in his woodshop making conceptual pieces of art and I knew I wanted to create something that brought that into my own creative space. Crafting jewelry allowed me to pursue my passion in a medium that made so much sense for me and the world I’d grown up in.
Where do you gain inspiration from?
It’s cliché, but I really do draw inspiration everywhere. Especially right now, a lot is coming from the outdoors and walks—flowers, landscapes, architecture. I’m a sucker for mid-century architecture and pieces of furniture and so I’ll comb through archives looking for something to catch my eye. And art, always art, whether it’s something my father has created or a new piece I’d never noticed before in a (virtual) museum visit.
How is it working closely with family?
Working closely with my family has been a dream—and the only thing I’ve really ever known. We each have our own dedicated area within the space so we can keep our heads down if needed but it ends up being a collaborative environment, which is what I really thrive in. We’re all so dedicated to the others success that it’s been incredible to have my family as my coworkers.
What is your favorite Sophie Monet jewelry piece at the moment? How would you style it?
My favorite SM piece has been—and will always continue to be—our signature large pine hoops. I wear mine daily and they’ve become so recognizable and synonymous with the brand. They make me a bit nostalgia for what I’ve been able to grow from those first pairs. The best part about them is wood really is a neutral and so they go with everything from jeans to dresses—and the color pops really beautifully against almost any hair color. I’m also incorporating more new shapes and I’m crushing on the new maple wood heart designs.
How does your brand practice sustainability?
My brand practices sustainability in that I typically work with recycled or scrap wood. There is so much wood and my jewelry tends to use so little that it makes sense for me to work with what others haven’t used. I do this all the time with my father and so a larger amount of wood can satisfy both of our products. I never do any extensive stains or use chemicals, and do all of my shaping by hand. I keep sustainability in mind with everything I source and everything I design.
Best piece of advice for fellow female entrepreneurs?
My best advice would be to try and go with the flow (at least as best you can). There are so many unexpected things that you can’t even begin to account for when beginning your business (Covid being just one example). You have to ride the waves and be able to pivot on a dime.
marysia
MARYSIA RESORT 21′ INSPIRATION
“When I design a collection, I always think of where you’d want to wear it”, says designer Marysia Dobrzanska Reeves. “For Summer 2020, the answer was clear—Puglia. It’s pure European summer.” With a Mediterranean coastline that spans some 500 miles, the sun-baked region is the heel of the Italian boot, where historic hill towns and ancient olive groves share an azure sky with stunning beaches and rocky coves.
The collection introduces swimwear and resortwear that conceals and reveals with artful cutouts. These strategically and typically asymmetrically placed apertures are framed by playful ruching that is inspired by the ribbed and fluted surfaces of the wild cacti that are ubiquitous in Puglia. One such cactus, the fruit-bearing prickly pear (fichi d’India), is studded with clusters of especially long, hard spines. This succulent armor is represented by blanket-stitch trim, a graphic accent on new swim silhouettes such as the cross-back Sole Maillot and the skirted Trulli as well as a refined yet relaxed range of linen dresses and long-sleeved tops that double as cooling cover-ups.
Grounded by breezy white and eternally chic black, the collection’s heightened hues are inspired by the way that Puglia’s whitewashed walls and abundance of cream-colored limestone transform familiar, natural tones into enchanting, even electric, colors. Layers of vibrant hues come together in a print adapted from a watercolor sketch made by Reeves. At once warm and cool, the washes of color simultaneously evoke shifting sands and undersea wonders. “This print is magic. It complements the collection’s wide-ranging colors, and everyone sees something different in it,” says Reeves. “For me, it’s a wild summer sunset.”
Australian australian swimwear BEHIND THE SCENES seafolly
Meet Stefan
Meet Stefan! Photographer, Father, True Blue Aussie, and friend of the brand
One thing we can thank this year for is gaining perspective on the elements that create true meaning in our life. Stefan shares that sometimes those elements are the simplest things.
Describe Australia in 5 words or less
Salty, dusty, sunburnt, weathered, stoic
How do you relax after a long day of shooting?
A cold beer, depending on the day of the week, and a kick of the footy with my 4 year old son
Tell us your fondest memories of growing up in Australia
I grew up on a farm in the Snowy Mountains so my early memories were of chasing rabbits around paddocks and skiing. We would always go for Christmas holidays at Nanʼs place in Bony Hills (NSW north coast). Long drives with no iPad, then 6 weeks of Bindis, Boogie Boarding and rock fishing.
What had fatherhood taught you?
Fatherhood has taught me a number of things but I think my favourite lesson has been realizing the incredible gift of youth and the importance of playfulness.
Not in terms of looks, in that regard I’m sure I’ve aged a lot, but to keep a youthful sense of adventure and wonder about the world. If we can keep that as adults, I think, we can avoid taking the most simple and often most important things for granted.
Something about yourself that suprises people
I once walked across Spain. Outside of parenthood, it’s definitely the most defining experience of my life so far. Also, I think there’s a good chance we exist in simulation…but that’s for another time.
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Blog
My Fitness Journey & How I Stay Motivated
Hi L*SPACE fam! I’m Alicia Araki, AKA @arakifit on Instagram! I’m a Los Angeles Barry’s Instructor, certified personal trainer, and all around fitness momma. I hope you enjoyed my Glute + Core workout on L*SPACE’s Instagram Live – if you missed it be sure to check it out on IGTV now!
Staying motivated during this wild time we are living in has presented challenges for everyone, so I’d like to share a few tips to help keep me motivated. Growing up I was always active – I played college volleyball on a scholarship, ran half marathons, and always made working out a priority and lifestyle. Then I went through one of my biggest life transformations – I became a mom and so many things changed. I was not a unicorn momma that magically lost all the weight I had gained, I was exhausted and didn’t know how to get strong mentally and physically again. I had to reeducate myself, putting in the work, inside and out to be the strong mom and woman that I wanted to be.
I started my fitness journey by learning what my body needed. I realized fitness and nutrition isn’t a one size fits all arena. I learned that I had to make real life changes that were sustainable, that there were no quick fixes, and that movement was my medicine. Over time, I regained my strength and was in better shape than I was before I became a mom! I was lucky enough to shift careers and do something that I loved, empowering other people on their fitness journeys. Over time I’ve learned a few simple things that can help you stay on track and achieve your fitness goals…
We cannot rely on motivation purely to get us up and moving daily. It’s normal to have days that we wake up and feel kind of “blah,” and if we rely purely on motivation during those times, most of us will skip working out that day! To ensure this doesn’t happen to me, I plan my own workouts weekly, adding them to my calendar like any other commitment I have. I treat them as an essential part to my day. Find trainers and people that inspire you, there are so many amazing resources on social media right now to keep your body moving!
This PSA is especially for all my ladies out there that are afraid weights will make them bulky. I cannot stress enough that proper strength training will NOT make you bulky. To have a healthy and strong body, we cannot rely purely on cardio, you need strength training to balance it all out and create those lean, sexy muscles! If you are struggling to reach your fitness goals and haven’t incorporated weights yet, it’s time to take that leap and find a strength program that you can fit into your weekly workouts.
To see real results that are sustainable, this has to be a lifestyle that realistically fits in with your daily demands. I believe in working hard and finding that balance to enjoy the things that make me a happier and healthier person. If you got your workout in that day, and made balanced food choices, you should be able to have a glass of wine and not feel bad about it (I know I do)! Lastly, be patient and kind to yourself, especially during these uncertain times. It’s not about perfection, it’s about progress!
You can follow Alicia on Instagram here!
And check out our IGTV for more Fitness Friday workouts!
australian swimwear BEHIND THE SCENES bikini fuller cup seafolly swimsuit swimwear womens swimwear
Meet Shimma
5 Questions with Model Shimma Marie
As we hero our unique island home this season, meet local beauty Shimma Sunrise Marie, one of the faces of our ‘Love Australia’ campaign that sits very close to our heart.
Describe Australia in 5 words or less
Australia is beach bums, barbecues, and mates
What was your favorite Seafolly piece we shot?
My favourite piece from the shoot was the chocolate brown bikini, the colour of my dreams!!
How will you be spending your days in the warmer weather?
When it warms up I’ll be spending every minute by the ocean and hanging with friends on hot summer nights
You leave tomorrow – where in Australia would you be heading for your summer staycation?
My dream Aussie vacation is a weekend on Hamilton island, one of my favourite places!!
What’s in your beach bag?
My beach bag consists of sunscreen (gotta stay protected), sunglasses, a cute bucket hat, my film camera and a big bottle of water
Explore our current top picks including new collections Amazonia, Spotted, and Paradiso
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L*SPACE x The Little Market Bride-To-Be Giveaway!
GIVEAWAY!
We know wedding season looks a little different this year, so we’ve teamed up with our friends at The Little Market to help bring some big smiles to brides-to-be. Know a future wifey who had to put their wedding plans on hold? Nominate them for their chance to win a special prize package including a swimsuit of their choice from our new white eyelet collection and a “Happily Ever After” gift tote from The Little Market.
Here’s how to enter your friend:
1. Like this post on Instagram
2. Follow @lspace & @thelittlemarket
3. Nominate one bride-to-be by tagging them in the comments!
Two wedding belles will be selected at random and notified via DM. Contest closes at 11:59pm PST on 9/27. Click here for official rules. Good luck, babes!