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July 15, 2019,
It’s always right around the corner and we can’t wait.
We know that you are supposed to live one day at a time and appreciate the moments, but we really can’t wait for summer.
We love it.
By now, here in July, most of us have dusted off our winter clothes and head for somewhere warmer.
Somewhere with a beach.
When it comes to swimwear, so many American companies do it well but we never want to forget about our great neighbors up north who design fantastic swimwear as well.
Don’t let the cold winters hit you on your way out the door.
They certainly have great inspiration.
In case you haven’t noticed, Canada has a fresh water load of talented female Olympic swimmers. They are a force to be reckoned with. They just seem to fly under the radar a little more than their American sorority.
One such talented Canadian swimmer that we would like to say goodbye to since she just retired is Sandrine Mainville.
Or did she? A recent view of her profile indicates that she’s still active.
We will keep an eye out.
Sandrine Mainville is a Canadian competition swimmer who specialized in the freestyle events.
She won a bronze medal in the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in the 4 x 100 meter mixed freestyle in Kazan, Russia. Sandrine was also part of the 2015 Pan American Games champion 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay team for Canada in Toronto.
Ms. Mainville competed for Canada’s Olympic team at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
She swam as part of Canada’s relay team in the women’s 4 x 100 meter freestyle event.
That is a very impressive resume and no doubt Canada is very proud of her.
At the Canadian athletic site olympic.ca, they praise, “Sandrine Mainville is one of Canada’s most reliable relay swimmers, winning two medals at the 2015 Pan Am Games, including gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay in Pan Am record time. She also swam leadoff for the 4x100m freestyle relay team that finished fifth in national record time at the 2015 FINA World Championships and anchored the sixth place 4x100m medley relay.”
Her success continued at the 2016 Olympics in Rio where she swam leadoff for the 4×100 meter freestyle relay that won bronze in national record time.
That’s right, national record time.
Like all great champions, at times Sandrine had to train for long periods away from her family.
She also endured many hardships on her swim to greatness.
The informative team at swimming.ca relate, “Rewind to April 2012, Montreal: Mainville failed in her attempt to qualify for the London Olympics by a tenth of a second. Disappointed, she was eager to turn the page to a new quadrennial. However, in October 2012, newly undertaking the Rio Olympic cycle, she sustained a shoulder injury that forced her out of the water. That kind of adversity might have discouraged another athlete, but Mainville showed her strength of character, determination, and resilience.”
We are so glad she did.
Born in Boucherville, Quebec, Sandrine speaks French and loves spending her time in Montreal. She has a younger sister who is also a top level swimmer in Ariane.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi2YbYMWqXM
We wish Sandrine the best in her future endeavors.
Stylish Canadian swimwear continues to live on.
There was one company that really caught our attention due to their penchant for giving back to the community.
We like how they are introduced at theloop.ca who share, “We’ve picked five of our favourite Canadian swimwear brands whose bathing suits make us wish the season would never end. True, these suits are pricier than your average fast-fashion find, but quality and ethical production means you know your suit wasn’t made in a sweat shop — and that’s something we can all value.”
Point well taken. We appreciate their ethics.
The quality swimwear company Minnow Bathers is based in Toronto.
This innovative Canadian swimwear group donates a dollar from each bathing suit sale to the Ocean Conservancy, a foundation that creates science-based solutions for a healthy ocean and the wildlife and communities that depend on it.
Here is something very special about their product. Each swimsuit is handmade to order in Toronto by a small team of women.
You’ll love the designs including some attire with high waisted bottoms and maillots being their area of expertise.
Their swimwear is inspired by 1990’s cuts and grunge prints. All of these would also look exceptional in combination with shorts as a halter or bodysuit.
We would like to meet them.
Close friends Karen Donaldsen and Vanessa Warrack are the dynamic team that propels Minnow Bathers.
Let’s swim with the current over to their site at minnowbathers.com where they warmly greet, “Minnow Bathers is proud to announce our second artist collaboration. This year we have partnered with artist Sarah Cale whose work we deeply adore and admire. Each piece of this limited edition series is one of a kind and features a different motif from the painting Amorphous Time 2.”
Minnow is passionate in celebrating the female form through the creation of high performance swimwear which looks as great as it feels.
Similar to us, the informative news and information source provinceapothecary.com looks forward to the warm weather as well while they praise this unique swimwear company. “As we head into the May long-weekend, it feels like the first glimpse of true summer and we’re picturing ourselves hanging on the beach, preferably wearing a Minnow Bather’s swimsuit. The local Toronto swimwear label was started by friends Karen Donaldson and Vanessa Warrack who still design and manufacture each piece in their Parkdale studio. We love the flattering shapes and unique patterns that look as good as they feel.”
The two women love their work and it shows.
One of the nicest aspects to being an entrepreneur and having a supportive partner is making a living doing what they love and designing pieces they feel are lacking in the industry.
For the two entrepreneurs, collaborating on designs together can also be such a fun, creative, and gratifying process.
You see what we mean? Similarities abound.
Canada and the United States have so much in common including a desire to head to the beach during the summer in some alluring Canadian swimwear with a creative vision and a wonderful cause.
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Opening photo fciwomenswrestling.com femcompetitor.com, Swimming Canada photo credit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandrine_Mainville
https://olympic.ca/team-canada/sandrine-mainville/
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/08/07/sandrine-mainville-parents_n_11379412.html
https://swimswam.com/2016-olympic-relay-medalist-sandrine-mainville-retires/
https://www.minnowbathers.com/
https://www.cbc.ca/life/style/the-best-summer-swimwear-that-isn-t-sold-out-yet-1.4800918
https://blog.urbanoutfitters.com/blog/minnow_bathers
https://provinceapothecary.com/blogs/news/women-we-admire-vanessa-karen-of-minnow-bathers
