Inclusivity Without Fanfare: Nettle's Tale Swimwear Lookbook

By Cora Harrington August 23, 2016 in canada, diversity, independent, swimwear 5 comments

I'm not sure how I heard first heard of Nettle's Tale. Maybe on Twitter. Or perhaps Bustle. All I know is that I've had them bookmarked for a little while as an example of a company doing this inclusivity thing right.

Made in Vancouver, BC, Nettle's Tale has an appropriately Pacific Northwest mood. Super chill. Very casual. Completely unstructured. While I sometimes like to imagine myself as a glamorous poolside swan, honestly, this lake mermaid vibe is much closer to who I am.

As mentioned above, Nettle's Tales models are quite diverse, covering an impressive range of body types, ages, and ethnicities. Yet, unlike other recent campaigns, they've not chosen to position themselves as "the most diverse ever." The imagery is simply presented without comment, as part and parcel of their branding and how they want to be seen by the world.

More importantly, this diverse imagery is present on the pages where you actually buy the product. It's not a case where a specific, one-time campaign is somewhat diverse but everything else adheres to traditional industry beauty standards. This strikes me as a much more honest treatment of diversity...as opposed to a simple PR grab.

Nettle's Tales swim collection is simple and relatively unstructured, but I don't see that as a negative. Rather these suits feel accessible to a wide range of people. That accessibility is reflected in their size chart which goes up to a 4X in some styles.

The models are shown in a relaxed and natural way, not posed into extraordinary positions or photoshopped to "perfection." The entire presentation is eminently appealing. I want to be a part of this world, and that's how any good lookbook should make you feel.

With so much "body positive" marketing out there right now, it can be difficult to separate the brands talking about diversity from the brands actually doing it. It's always nice when you run across one of the latter. Nettle's Tale's swimwear collection can be shopped here.

What are your thoughts on the brand and their imagery? Would you give them a try? And if you liked this post, please give it a share on Facebook!