BTS: Our winter swimwear favourites

Does swimming and surfing outdoors stop in the winter? Not for team D&B! As the weather – and water – starts to cool down, we’re looking forward to cold water dips. We’re also thinking about what’s in our kit bags. What extras do we need to pack? And what will we wear?

When it comes to winter swimming swimwear, it’s about warmth, confidence, comfort under wetsuits and ease of dressing and undressing. When you’re thinking about what to wear in cold water, nothing beats personal recommendations. From extra-warm swimsuits and swim shorts for coverage to easy to wear bikinis, we asked our team and models for their winter dipping favourites.

Alice’s favourite: The Long Sleeve Swimsuit

“In warmer weather, I wear it more for sun protection. But I love wearing it in the winter underneath my wetsuit because it’s so comfortable. The fabric is very smooth. It feels soft on my skin and very lightweight to wear when I’m surfing. But at the same time, I feel protected,” says Alice, who surfs all year around.

“I love that I don't even have to think about what's underneath my wet suit when I'm wearing it, which is amazing. Normally, I get changed on the public beach and it's freezing and difficult, so I have to wear something under my wetsuit. So, it's really important for me that my swimsuit is smooth and comfortable because when you're lying on a surfboard the wrong swimming costume can be very uncomfortable.

“This swimsuit has smooth lines and smooth seams, so it feels really good to wear while I'm surfing and I don't even notice it. It also offers me that little bit of extra protection with the mesh sleeves and it makes me feel like my whole body, my whole torso is warmer.”

Rosie’s favourite: The Signature Swimsuit

“The Signature Swimsuit is the first one we ever made when the business started back in 2017 and I still love it now as much as ever,” says Deakin & Blue’s founder, Rosie. “The high neckline, elastic under the bust and the shaping in the bust panels means that I find it to be our most supportive and shaping swimsuit – I feel like my bust is supported exactly where it should be, but not crushed flat. And I feel like it really defines my waist with the mesh panel and I also love the bum coverage.

“Because it really suits my body shape, I feel like the best version of me when I wear it. I just feel completely relaxed. It's the swimsuit I wear to take my youngest, who's 11 months old swimming because it makes me feel completely relaxed the water. I can be worry-free that everything is in place, held where it should be and just enjoy splashing around in the water, swimming or leaping about with my boys.

“In cold water, it’s one of a few of our pieces that’s made from bonded fabric, so it’s thicker than normal swimsuits and makes me feel warmer. I just feel absolutely incredible in this swimsuit.”

Kelly’s favourite: The Swim Shorts with The Long Sleeve Swimsuit

“I think the nature of swimming is that it’s an exposed sport. Deakin & Blue has an amazing long-sleeve swimming costume, which I love,” says Kelly, D&B model and founder of Black Tri. “But before I had worn it, I found it was always quite difficult to get the mobility in your arms because other long sleeve tops and swimsuits - those with inbuilt bras and padded support - can forfeit other things.

“Even when I went swimming prior to wearing Deakin & Blue swimming costumes, I'd always wear a tight sports bra or binders under my swimwear because otherwise my chest area just goes all over the place. It's incredibly distracting, not just for other people, but also for me because I'm conscious about it. I just want to get on with whatever activity it is that I'm doing.”

Rowan’s favourite: The Essential Tankini

“Cold water gives me that endorphin rush, that feeling of doing something extreme and daring – and I just love it when the temperatures get really icy,” says cold water swimming coach, Rowan. “And the right swimwear feels like your superhero cape, making you brave enough for the cold – that’s why I love The Essential Tankini.

“Like all my D&B swimwear, it looks amazing and feels gorgeous on. I just love that I can get dressed in the morning with it under my clothes, wear it like a vest top with boob support to the lake, and then feel invincible as I prance into the cold water. It’s made from bonded fabric, so it’s warmer in the water and gives that protection around your torso too.

“Then, when you get out, it really comes into its own. Getting your wet stuff off quickly with numb hands can be tricky, but a two-piece makes so much easier to get changed quickly without flashing my bum.”

Lynette’s favourite: The Signature Swimsuit

“There’s something about that Signature Swimsuit style. It just holds you in, in all the right places. No bra, no underwiring but it completely works. I don’t like underwires in a swimsuit, it makes it hard to get on and off and they’re often not very flattering. But the Signature Swimsuit just fitted like a glove. For the first time I felt like I had everything in the right place. I didn’t have to breathe in or hoike my boobs about. The designs really work for me and my body type,” says cold water swimmer and D&B model, Lynette.

“It’s the first time I’d ever felt like I could get in that swimsuit and walk down the high street wearing nothing else. In fact, last summer I was riding to the beach for a swim. I had my dress, coat and shoes on over my swimsuit. Suddenly it started pissing it down. Torrential rain. I stopped underneath a tree, took all my clothes off, shoved them in my rucksack and cycled the rest of the way to the beach in my swimsuit. People were looking at me but I was thinking ‘I’m the one in the right outfit for this weather!’ If it wasn’t that good a fit I wouldn’t have done that, I wouldn’t have had the confidence. It feels like a power suit. I could wear it anywhere. It feels like you’ve designed the suit just for me.”