This year, we are thrilled to celebrate International Women’s Day by introducing BARE’s all-female design team! As we’ve discussed in prior posts, the outdoor industry—and diving in particular—have historically had a disproportionate level of male representation.
But we all love to play in the water. And no matter who you are, finding the right fit can be a challenge. Wetsuits and drysuits are made to maximize insulation and protect you from the elements, so finding the correct fit is integral to performance. That said, at BARE, we’re thrilled to have a team that’s driving innovative design with an all-inclusive lens.
Anna Hepplewhite, BARE designer and cold-water diver, is one of the team’s lead creatives and was able to recently join us for a sit-down to discuss her unconventional origin story and what it’s like to work on such a unique team in the industry.
Anna’s Origins
Originally from Eastern Europe, Hepplewhite recalls that during her youth in Ukraine International Women’s Day was a big deal and enjoys widespread celebration. In comparison, she says that many people in Canada and the States don’t really know about it, so she was excited to represent her team under the pretext of the holiday.
Already 21 when she moved from her home in Ukraine to British Columbia, she has come to notice stark differences between the two places. “When you’re young, you have a different perspective on life,” she says, “but there’s obviously a lot more opportunity here, and the people are more laid back!”
Just after moving, she remembers getting off a Russian flight and onto a Canadian one and noticing the stark difference in culture.”I switched planes in Montreal and it was all Canadians and I was shocked how they were all happy and talking to you, haha.”
While still in Ukraine, Hepplewhite went to design school and became proficient as a seamstress, learning the fundamentals of her trade from the ground up. Once in Canada, she began learning English and simultaneously entered another fashion design school. “The program was very different than the one in Ukraine,” she remembers. “Ukraine was more concentrating on the construction of the garments—which is great—but in Canada it was a little bit of everything. I found the program very easy because I already had such a strong background.”
Becoming a BARE Designer
After completing the training, a friend passed along a newspaper job ad for BARE. Since her childhood days visiting the Black Sea with family and playing in the waters, Anna had always wanted to learn how to dive. With these memories in the back of her mind, the ad pulled at her and she was inspired to apply.
At the time, the fashion design industry was dying down in Vancouver. The factories were moving to Asia and Anna viewed the job with BARE as a great opportunity to continue in her field. One thing led to another and Hepplewhite has now been with BARE for many years as a designer.
After getting the job, Anna supplemented her skillsets with dive instruction. She knew that to do her best work at BARE, she had to familiarize herself with the specific demands of scuba and what a textile endures in the ocean.
“When I joined the company, I had to learn a lot about wetsuits and different materials,” she remembers. “I had never worked with neoprene before. My background was in outerwear, but … neoprene was very different, so I had to learn how it fit and performed.”
Finding a Mentor
In those early days, Anna was mentored by BARE’s longtime Lead Designer, Wendy Jinkerson. They would focus on fit and the way different fabrics performed under specific circumstances. One day, Wendy instructed Anna to put on a neoprene drysuit and study the garment from the inside out. “It was really, really tight and it was suffocating me,” Hepplewhite remembers. “It was crazy, I couldn’t believe people used those!”
Through these experiences and under Jinkerson’s guidance, Anna began to understand the idea of “comfort” on a different level. Everything has to be tight, the seals have to seal, but, as she points out, you still have to have a good range of motion. And for these reasons, using the equipment that they create is an essential step in their overall design process.
“It’s important for a designer to try everything on,” she says, “and being able to go and dive so close to home is super convenient! Pools are difficult to book with current restrictions, so being only 35 minutes from a dive site is critical to our team’s success.”
One element in which the BARE design team excels is designing for a vast diversity of people. Being led by three women puts them in a context where they’re designing approachability and inclusion into the DNA of everything they create. Translation? BARE makes amazing suits for everyone.
A Suit for Everyone
“Some companies,” Anna says, “they just use factories. They change the size. They change the color. But they’re not really modifying the fit for women specifically. And generally across the design industry, having all-female design team isn’t unusual, but not every dive brand has a female team in-house leading design.
“But as for BARE,” she continues, “it’s great that we have such control over the fit. We have lots of people in the company that dive and test the products. So yeah, having this hands-on ability is always helpful.”
As for her relationship with her colleagues, Anna’s grateful that they all create a well-rounded design team. Each has their particular specialties together, and when working in close accordance, they’re capable of things that no single individual on the team could accomplish. “Some of the strengths we have are very similar,” she says, “and some are very different. But as a team, we have each other’s back. … We’re really, really lucky to have each other’s backs!”
