It's summer and South African swimwear brand Surf Sense, out of St Francis Bay, makes classic locally produced clobber that's gone global.
It’s summer, and that means bulking up your clobber with swimwear. And what better kind than proudly South African-designed and manufactured garments. By an all-women team, at that.
Surf Sense is a South African brand, born and sewn in St Francis Bay in the Eastern Cape.
Owner and designer Shelley Rankin is passionate about what she does, and it shows in her range of pool or seaside classics. It’s all about sporty, active and healthy living.
“This summer people are going for swimwear that fits well and lasts,” she said. “They want pieces they can swim in, move in, and trust year after year. That’s why I focus on a more classic cut,” she said.
Full bum coverage, Ranking added, is what many of her clients want, though we do a cheeky bum for anyone who likes that. But the cut stays the same from season to season, people know exactly what they are getting.”
Rankin keeps her attention on how swimwear is used rather than what influencers and models are wearing on social media.
“I am not into the influencer scene,” she said. “I follow what people are doing. Stand-up paddling has grown a lot, and not everyone is surfing; some people just want to swim and have fun, so I design for that.”
She said that trends change quickly.
“I would rather make something timeless,” and added that colours and prints are the best place to change things up instead of blindly following here today, gone tomorrow fads.
Classically designed swimwear
Surf Sense is the culmination of years of hard work.
“I studied design at the Haute Couture School of Fashion in Cape Town in the nineties.
“After that, I worked in the wardrobe department in the film industry. When I moved to St Francis Bay, I started making bags, and then the swimwear just grew from there, organically. It really took off,” she said.
The move to St Francis Bay was as much about life as it was about business.
“I grew up coming here on holiday,” she said. “In 2016, I decided to move permanently because I wanted my children to have that lifestyle at the coast and grow up surfing and being on the beach.”
Everything is made in-house.
“I would not call it a factory,” Rankin said.
“We have three local women working with me permanently and a few more who come in when it gets busy. Our fabrics come to South Africa as plain white, prepared for printing, with all the correct certifications and UV 50 protection. Then we choose our prints, and we do our own printing in Mzansi.”
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Because Rankin focuses on timeless classics and builds her garments to last, it’s almost automatically sustainable and the antithesis of fast, disposable fashion.
“Every piece is hand-cut to reduce waste,” she said. “Our Lycra has four-way stretch, it is quick drying and breathable, and the suits are fully lined for support. Larger offcuts become swim or walking bags, and the smaller ones are used as filling for pouffes and cushions.”
Swimwear Gallery
Surf Sense has quickly grown from a single long-sleeve surf suit with a back zip into a brand that reaches well beyond the Eastern Cape and South Africa.
“Our first design was perfect for paddling and quickly found its way to surfers, kitesurfers, divers, swimmers, snorkelers and even water skiers,” she said.
Now, the world has taken notice of the brand for its practicality, femininity and classic swimwear elegance.
“We now export to France, Mauritius, the Maldives, Denmark, the United Kingdom and Ireland. We have a strong online presence and distribute nationally and internationally,” she said.
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