Hello #JLSbabes! I'm Jordyn, the designer, creator and much, much more of JORDYN LEAH SWIM! I'm really excited to be starting our very first blog for the brand! I'm a little nervous because, let's face it, it's intimidating starting something that is pretty personal and I'm definitely breaking out of my comfort zone here! What other swimsuit brand do you know that has a personal blog from the designer or owner?! But I think that's a big part of what life is all about, breaking out of those comfort zones and being real with yourself.

I want to give you some personal insight into myself, the vision behind the brand, where I see it going and what it takes to be a swimwear designer in an insanely vast industry. I'll show you behind the scenes at photoshoots, give you information about the textiles and fabrics I use, my models, what it's like to be a business owner, our environmental impact, pop up shop events, etc. You get the idea. I have so many ideas and information for you that I'm really excited about! I've decided I'm going to post once or twice a month with fresh, interesting content for you to take a look at and read. Because who wants to read dry, boring words anyways, right?

I had the idea of JORDYN LEAH SWIM in the Spring of 2014. Living in Edmonton, AB, born and raised, I had just finished a year of a Business Administration course at NAIT. During that year and with the experiences I took in, I decided it just wasn't something I was super passionate about. I did learn a lot of valuable information that I still use to this day though. I had to sit down and really think about what I loved and could see myself doing because I really didn't want to get into a career I wasn't passionate about and to be honest, I don't recommend it. Been there, done that. I took my love for the Ocean (I'm an Aquarius sign, go figure), and my extreme love for fashion and immediately researched a Fashion Design program within Canada.

The first school that popped up was Blanche MacDonald Centre in Vancouver, BC. I did more research throughout Canada but Blanche just ended up being the perfect fit for me. It's funny thinking back because my boyfriend at the time mentioned that he wanted to move to Vancouver and this was the school I wanted to attend so it just happened to have worked out! My family and friends were super supportive and only wanted the best for me and my happiness. We moved in the Spring of 2015 and I started school a couple months later, which I will touch on in detail in a future blog post. Fast forward I received my Fashion Design Diploma in the Fall of 2017 and starting working on my brand.

It took me an entire year to launch my First Collection and I couldn't have been more proud and excited for it. I spent that entire year designing, researching, sampling, testing, more researching, emailing, going to meetings, etc. and it didn't feel like I was "working", rather a hobby I really enjoyed and hoped my future customers would appreciate and enjoy too. That's when I knew I was on the right career path and was truly happy with the choices I made throughout the years. I love nothing more than seeing a vision or inspiration transform into a beautifully designed garment that I can feel and hold. It's truly inspiring for me. I get to design a mood, a feeling of inspiration and have it come to life. #ilovemyjob!

In addition to this brand, creating my swimsuits to be Eco Friendly really made me feel good about what I was doing, especially because the fashion industry is one of the largest polluting industries in the world. Fast Fashion is actually the 2nd "dirtiest" industry in the world. You better believe there will be future blog posts coming up! I would love to give my insight into that part of the fashion industry. It's actually really interesting and might have you think twice about going a little more green when you look to purchase your next swimsuit ;).

There is so much more content to come from these blog posts and I hope this little bit of insight into myself creates some sort of a personal connection with you. I'm going to be super real and genuine with you guys and I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I really enjoyed writing this. I'm not going to pretend like I didn't get two of my very well loved friends to proof read this either but, that's how it goes! 

Much love #JLSbabes, chat soon,

- Jordyn Leah
Designer + Founder