Are Tailor Made Wetsuits The Answer To The Sustainable Wetsuit Dilemma?
Did you know that an ill-fitted wetsuit is the second most problematic reason why a wetsuit will end up in the bin, and by bin we mean a hole in the ground in our beautiful planet earth?
The first reason, obviously, is general wear and tear. But the second - holes under the armpits, cracks in the seam of the chest and rubbing is simply caused by a wetsuit that doesn’t fit right. Usually it’s because we understandably reach for suits the same as our clothing size, when we’re, in fact, supposed to size down or because everyone wants to jump into a suit as easily as possible the first time around so we grab the wrong size even though neoprene naturally stretch after a few wears or because we just have very different bodies trying to squeeze into a stock standard suit.
Cue Leo Wetsuits from Biarritz.
Now anything from Biarritz is automatically ten times cooler than anything else on the planet in our eyes and Leo Wetsuit is no exception. Double confirmed with his recent collaborations with Peels and Token, Leo is a one man team handmaking superior quality tailor made wetsuits from start to finish. He grabs specific measurements of your body and then creates a custom wetsuit perfectly fitted to you. A tailored suit for surfing. And what’s more, Leo really fucking cares. And he loves surfing. The combination of someone who is passionate and knowledgeable about what he does is felt in the quality of all of his wetsuits, which will not only fit you better than anything else you put on your body, but last longer and look better. We chatted to Leo about what goes into making a custom suit.
How did you get into making wetsuits?
I think I always loved making stuff or just to try repairing stuff. Then back in Covid, a bunch of my best friends escaped to the Basque Country because surfing wasn’t as controlled there with the lockdowns but it was a lot cooler than home so I just tried to make a wetsuit. I had lots of time to kill and bought a few tools. I didn’t know how to sew at the time so I just wanted to glue a wetsuit at least. I took an old wetsuit with me on which I drew different lines than the actual patterns that I cut into pieces to make my first patterns. Then I made a few prototypes trying to understand how I would put that together to make it work. I moved to my friend Robin Falxa, who is one very talented surfer, who let me use his veranda to use as a workshop space. He had something like ten cats in the house, so the neoprene used to get pretty hairy (laughs). But after working out of there for a year I was able to make a fairly wearable wetsuit. I wanted to learn from someone who had been making wetsuits for a long time but it was pretty hard to find someone that wasn’t in a sweatshop in Asia! But eventually I found Derek LeVault from Hawaï, and worked with him for three months. Always searching, experimenting and trying stuff. He had some sort of crazy colors and camos wetsuits in his workshop.That was the last part of my learning even though it’s like shaping surfboards or anything really, you never stop learning.
What equipment do you use to make a wetsuit?
Not much actually. I built a big, high workshop table with wheels so I don’t hurt my back bending over all day and to be able to move it around. I also have two different sewing machines, one that I use for sewing every part together after the gluing and the other one is just a zigzag to stitch the zippers on.
Instead of that I use a clamp to erase the air bubble that could get stuck in the glue and a roller blade to cut the neoprene, it’s like a pizza roller blade but for fabric.
Did you study any kind of design or fashion to know how to make a wetsuit?
No, I did not study any kind of fashion design even though I've been thinking about taking a remote class lately to learn how to make digital patterns and 3D models. I did spend a month with a professional sewer to make my own first patterns. Then I just tried every part of the process myself. You can actually learn everything from the internet. I read blogs, found videos of factories or Japanese guys making wetsuits and showing some part of it.
What are the kinds of customisations that someone can make to their wetsuit?
The most important part of the custom wetsuit is of course the sizing. I do the tailoring to make the wetsuit fit perfectly because there’s actually a lot of people that simply don't fit the standard as each body is very unique. Either they’re tall and skinny or short and chubby. Some people ask a leg to be shorter than the other. It’s every kind of sizing.
I take fifteen different measurements on the customer’s body - the width of shoulders, chest, mid section, biceps, thigh,…Then there’s a few options available like choosing the color of neoprene or of the zipper. I’m working on some diving suits right now too.There’s a lot more ways to customize though because divers need knife pockets, spoon pockets, wrist and ankle seals. Different kinds of pads too and camo coloring. Surfers don’t really need much other than just being warm and stretch. Basically people can ask everything and I try to make it. Right now I’m adding some shi shi zipper to diving suits as people like to put it out and pee outside their wetsuit.
What sort of rubber do you use? And where is it sourced from?
I’m using Japanese neoprene from Yamamoto. It is Limestone neoprene, so it is an organic neoprene compared to petroleum based neoprene. It’s supposed to be one of the most eco friendly neoprene, at least before it takes a plane and probably a few trucks between Japan and my workshop in France. Neoprene is basically a sandwich of rubber between two slices of another fabric like nylon or could be smooth skin (like seal skin) or supratex (knee pads fabric) and what’s very good with Yamamoto neoprene is that it’s very dense. So it is more resistant to water, lighter, warmer, more stretchy, just better. You can really feel it when you’re cutting it or even stitching it or just when you touch it.
Where do you go for a drink after a long day of making wetsuits?
Really depends on the season in Biarritz. I’d say at the Cafe du Fronton or down at the food trucks in Parlementia. Most of the time during summer I’ll be at La côte des Basques. And the rest of the time at the PMU or chez Gégé. Oh and a lot of time around the food market (Les Halles) in Biarritz. I usually finish quite late but if not La Cote Des Basques is good for an afternoon.
What’s it like living in the greatest place on earth (Biarritz)?
It’s probably like living in Amsterdam or Sweden because everyone is beautiful and happy, but with waves and sun. Seriously, it is very nice. Everything you can ever want is around, Spain is very close, during winter the waves can get very good and the mountains are pretty close too so you can easily go for the day to the ski stations. During summer there’s so many things to do every day, there’s a lot of things popping up everywhere now. Biarritz brings a lot of people from all kinds of environments together to create a very interesting mix of people. But it’s also a lot busier since Covid. I think that’s like everywhere near the beach around the world though.
Can we order a wetsuit even if we don’t live in France?
Yes of course, actually I think that 50% of the people ordering my wetsuits are foreigners. It’s very easy, all you have to do is fill out the self measurements form online or just book an appointment if you’re around town.