The Story Behind the Size Names

The Story Behind the Size Names

If your passion is the water, Truli Wetsuits wants to make sure a good quality and beautiful women's wetsuit is available for you.

We understand society's traditional sizing system does not reflect who we Truli are.  In fact, this original system never represented a realistic segment of the female population and over the years it has barely evolved in a functional way.  

Instead, women have been trying to accommodate for the inadequacies of the system.  Believing that the system reflects how things "should be", I've witnessed women (myself included) usually do either (or both) of these things:

  • Focus on changing our bodies, so we can fit the garment sizes set out by society. For some, this has become an unhealthy obsession, even resulting in privately shaming ourselves for not fitting into society's status quo
  • Reluctantly accept the traditional sizing system for what it is.  Women wear the ill-fitting wetsuits designed for their husbands, boyfriends, brothers or rentals.  We do this because the discomfort of wearing ill-fitting gear is worth more than sitting on the side-lines and not getting in the water at all

Not Anymore.

Truli Wetsuits promotes body liberation and advocates for a healthy lifestyle through our connection to water.  

The Truli Wetsuits sizing system recognizes that our bodies are not straight cookie cutter shapes.  What we need is the flexibility to move between sizes until we find that perfect fit for our body.  Feeling a little tug in the thigh area or pressure on your chest? No problem - Move up a size for a slightly larger fit without it becoming too loose anywhere else.

With just millimetres of difference between sizes, Truli Wetsuits allows you to move up or down a size to accommodate for boobs, bums, and bellies without worrying about it being too loose or tight anywhere else.

In 2019, after a year of developing, trying and testing, we introduced not only 2 new designs, but a new size range that included a total of 14 standard sizes and 7 long torso sizes.  In 2021, we added an additional 2 more sizes to the range for a total of 23 sizes overall.  In an effort to demonstrate the inclusive nature of the system, I did not differentiate between standard, long torso, or plus size wetsuits.

Finally, I realized that the traditional size names do not accurately reflect the women who are wearing the wetsuits, which is an annoying aspect of shopping for wetsuits.  I wanted the entire experience with Truli Wetsuits to be positive from start to finish.

After reaching out to Truli fans who submitted names of inspirational women during a size-naming contest, I came up with key words that encompassed them.  I assigned those words to each size category by randomly picking a key word and a size category out of 2 hats and matching them together.  

Now, when you reach for a size, you will see a word that you can feel proud to be associated with and belong to.  The size category name is on the inside front left chest, so it will be close to your heart.  Anytime you see this name, it will connect you to inspirational women and will also remind you of what you, yourself, are capable of.

These are women who have inspired us, trail-blazed and have left an impact on our world for the better.  Read about every inspirational women that was nominated here (Do it - It really is moving and see if you can figure out who your size category was named after!).  I believe that regardless of your size, these words will be relevant and inspiring to you. 

 

 Size Names

Long Torso Versions

Freedom

Devoted

Leader

Persevere

Truth

Explorer

Legend

Heart

Fearless

Achiever

Dreamer

Adventurer

Trail-Blazer

Confidence

Empower

Courage

Visionary

Daring

Bold

Fierce

Determined

Hope

Defender

You may find an old sizing table that included body weight and dress size on the internet; however, that one is not accurate and should not be followed!  I created that one in 2018 when I only had a vague idea on how I would be fitting customers.  Now that I have the feedback from customers, I have more accurate information to base our size recommendations on and there are way more factors than just your body weight that goes into deciding which size might work best for you.

Sizes Hope and Defender were added with the new stock order in 2021.  

The mission was to create options, sizes, and style - not just cute wetsuits.  Because when a woman has the appropriate wetsuit that she feels good in, a barrier is lifted in the world of water sports.  Unfortunately the systemic challenges of the textile/neoprene industry and rising costs have prevented me from being able to continue to grow the business.  Truli sizes are no longer being re-stocked.


2 comments

  • Mia Toose

    Hi Alice,
    Thank-you very much for this comment! I think you are not alone in your feelings here. I wanted to write a personal note to let you (and everyone) know that you are meant to share whatever information you DO feel comfortable with. Many people don’t even know their measurements/weight/sizes. We get this. The information helps us make the most accurate sizing recommendation and we will do the best we can with whatever information you are able to share in order to offer you a personalized custom-fitting experience. Please don’t hesitate to contact me directly if you would like to discuss this further.
    Yours Truli,
    Mia (Founder/CEO/Designer – Truli Wetsuits)

  • Alice

    I understand your goals here but I am VERY UNCOMFORTABLE detailing my weight and sizing info to another human being and would vastly prefer to “self service” and order my products without a complicated weight conversation. :(


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