The prototyping and testing phase was easily one of the most fun and rewarding aspects of building Surface Athletic. 

We received our first round of prototypes in early July 2024. These reflected our initial patterns and cuts, made with the Italian performance fabrics we’d selected, and included several trims we’d later carry through to production. Our goal for this round was to nail the shape and cuts of the suits, but also, since bonded taped seams like ours are more common in technical outerwear than swimwear, we worked closely with our manufacturer to make sure the construction methods translated seamlessly to our suits.

The first suits weren’t perfect but they came with us on a few adventures. We booked a surf trip to Costa Rica and spent some days throwing the suits around in the water. Our biggest take away from this was how much we loved the fabrics we’d chosen. Leigh was extremely comfortable in the pieces hours on end. In-and-out of the ocean, in maximum humidity, we realized exactly how quick drying our suits would be. 

Our second batch of prototypes, with revisions and edits from the first round, arrived December of 2024. 

These were still missing some finishing details but when we pulled them out of their packaging it was the first real “okay, we’re making some special here” moment. 

Because it was the dead of winter (in Canada) we primarily put this round to the test in our local pool. Leigh had the opportunity to work on her diving skills and we were very happy with the results being that this batch was our first chance to test out our integrated gripper bands.  The suits stayed put, which was the exact result we were hoping for.

We started to fit on other bodies as well to test. Feedback from friends, family, and fit models was overwhelmingly positive and their notes helped us make some minor changes. We added a few millimetres here and there, changed the placement of a couple of things but really, we were so close to nailing it with this round. 

The last stage was receiving our final samples. This batch we received in all sizes XS - XL so we could take a look at how they fit on as many body types as possible. We tested with so many different women, ranging from a 5’2” gymnast to 6’0” professional beach volleyball player. Once again, the feedback was strong. Hearing others’ enthusiasm validated what we had hoped: we were building something that worked, and resonated.

Now, the Surface Athletic suits are almost ready for launch and we can’t wait to see how you use them in action.