REFLECTION

As a new year begins it feels only natural to pause; take stock of where we’ve been and where we’re swimming next.

The last year at COOTS has been one of big old ups and downs. Moments where we were (butter-)flying, sitting right alongside moments that nearly pulled us under.

THE HIGHS

There were days that reminded us why we started. Getting two +90% reviews for our LF Collection from 220 Triathlon magazine was one of them. So was seeing our LF One Piece featured in Sunday Times Style. Reviews and features aren’t everything but they certainly help spread the word and cut through the noise to reach you lovely lot.

THE LOWS

Then we restocked our JT One Piece and received a production run where the majority of the pieces were not fit for retail. What should have set us up nicely for the year and kept us ticking along, threw a proper spanner in the works. Time, money, energy and confidence all drained at once.  Without going into too much detail it not only meant that we didn’t have the stock to sell but we had to put our new collection on hold.

This was new for us.  For the first time in four years, we genuinely thought about stopping.  Perspective is easily gained with hindsight but when you are in it you are IN IT and despite the amount of times we told ourselves ‘is not that deep’ (because it's really not in the grand scheme of things) it got us down.

Somewhere in the mess, we realised we still believe in what we’re making. And we still want to fight for it.  To hammer cliche after cliche - we have learnt a lot, grown up and are stronger as a brand and business owners.  We move.

It's like Morrisey sung ‘We can smile about it now but at the time it was terrible’.  Well maybe not smile but at least not want to curl up into a ball.

DIGITAL NOISE

At the same time, we’ve been trying to navigate an everchanging digital landscape that feels increasingly at odds with what we value.

Instagram now feels less like a place to connect and more like an endless content conveyor belt. Thirty-second reels saying everything and nothing.  The dreaded algorithm rewards conformity, formula and volume, not depth or originality. It’s exhausting to chase.

Do people really need more content? We know where we stand.  Fewer, purpose-led pieces with added value. Less time on the doom scrolling merry-go round and more time out into the real world.  That's where the fun is to be had!

And then there's AI...but that one's for another day.

THE REALITY FOR SMALL BRANDS

The wider landscape hasn’t helped. Costs are rising everywhere, and people understandably have less money to take risks on smaller, independent brands. Last year we saw similar brands to us, Deakin & Blue and Stay Wild close their doors. We don’t know the full reasons, but it’s never a good sign.

Even more painful was losing Mental Health Swims, a cornerstone of the swimming community doing genuinely vital work, yet unable to get the support they needed. Sad times.

Barriers to entry feel higher than ever. Big brands lock down exclusive partnerships with pools and gyms, effectively gatekeeping access to spaces that should belong to everyone. 

Events, facing their own rising costs, are forced to charge brands heavily for space, which means only the biggest players can afford to show up. The cycle reinforces itself, and smaller voices are pushed further to the edges.

WHERE THIS LEAVES US

We always try to bring positivity as a brand and um’d and argh’d about whether to write this but we also want to be honest with you guys.  This isn’t a cry for help or sympathy. It’s a rallying cry.

We’re still here. Still making. Still learning. Still believing that independent brands, well-made products and the swimming community matter.

Breaking through doesn’t happen alone. It happens through shared belief, through word of mouth, through choosing quality over noise, and through communities that decide what they want the future of swimming to look like.

If you’ve swum with us, worn our suits, talked about them, or simply followed along quietly, thank you. You are the reason we’re still here. And we’re not done yet.

SEE YOU IN THE WATER.