GO WILD IN A WYLDING

 I was delighted to have a chat with Daniela Bohling and Millie Dorman who are the Founders of the brilliant brand Wylding  who have completely nailed a Jump "Suit' with a difference. It's durable, versatile, practical and super stylish - Lets find out more! 

We were inspired to create Wylding because we adored swimming but hated the thought of all clambering into layers after we got out of the water. We LOVE Jumpsuits and often wore our cotton jumpsuits for post swimming in the warmer months as they were so easy to climb into and be dressed immediately but adding thermals and hoodies under these in the cooler months took away the speed and ease of changing, often on a beach or side of a lake....so we decided to design something that was more fit for purpose in the cooler months 

The most challenging aspect of developing WYLDING as a product and brand is to keep equal amounts of energy across all aspects of the business as we grow. Before we launched everything had its place, all energy was on product development and testing, then it moved to brand creation then to PR and communications and then sales and customer care but managing all of these aspects ongoing, simultaneously, while still trying to stay small enough to be managed by us across all areas is tricky. It is one thing to create a great product and bring it to market but to maintain the brand story as you grow through different spaces is definitely a challenge. A tough lesson that we are learning is that you really cannot do it all, no matter how much you want to.

This brings us such joy! The suits are fleece lined from collar to ankle cuff but the "warm hug" comes from the torso tailoring. We designed the torso so be particularly snug, raising the waistband so that the nap of the back is cinched at this chillier spot and reinforcing the larger breast pocket to give extra hold for those bigger busted amongst us who don’t have the time to put on a bra in the race against the after drop. I think that he warm hug essentially is what we like to describe as the feeling of "being held” by the suit

The work life balance is a struggle for any family with kids but work is work and we do our best to make it all happen as best we can. Our youngest children have both started at school now (we both have there each, all matching ages) which allows more time to share the work life balance throughout the day but we know when mum demands are higher than others throughout the school year and move in tandem with each other to support the other's needs around these times. We both work (Millie is a full time film score composer and Daniela runs WYLDING day to day) but somehow find time in the day to exercise, read and connect with family and friends, even if its just a text or a forwarded meme. Cold water swimming is great as a socialising/exercise double hitter when you really need that in nature joy moment!

There is only one main self care tip - if you need it (and we all do) take it but it doesn’t always have to be a class, a night away or an indulgent treatment. We endeavour to rework our schedules so that "Me time” comes through in the effort and presence that we put into our every day routines. Waking up early to do a few morning pages (journaling) and have a stretch, buying that nicer brand of tea so that when you drink it on the go it makes you smile, getting off a stop earlier and not using your phone, just taking in the world as you walk the last length, going to bed with a book … all these lovely things are low impact on your overall day but huge on the message of self love and self care that you are sending to yourself. Then all the other things are a total bonus!

This one is such a favourite that we integrated it into WYLDING - "She Who Dares" or in WYLDING’s case … She Who Dares Swims.

Yes - having children has been the most profound, life changing experience. You look at and do everything differently, those little eyes are watching and we really want to make them proud. 

WYLDING is still only very young , we are really enjoying seeing the cold water swimming space growing in general and so watching people finding WYLDING for first time, time and time again is very satisfying.  As far a range development we stand by our original premise which is not to create more product just for the sake of expanding the brand offering, if we see a gap in our market space or a need to greatly improve a product in our space that we have the means to we will explore that but product wise we are happy where we are at the minute…..There will be more colours though so watch this space. On a non product level we are working to create a more community based destination within within our website where people can come for tips on where to swim across the UK and Ireland, products recommendations, do and don’ts etc.

 

Although initially designed with post swim ease and warmth in mind, they have since reached for their W Y L D I N G  suit on many occasions - camping, SUP, post surf, chilly beach days, dog walks, sailing, gardening and for any outdoor spectator sports, festival or outdoor social event you can think of. If there is ever a time that you pop on a coat but wish you didn't look and feel like the Michelin man the  W Y L D I N G  suit is for you.

For lots of Wild swimming info please head over to their website or checkout @wildswimmingstories for lots of inspo!

Please use our exclusive code ROCKTHISJUMPSUIT at Checkout to get 10% off