Hello, wonderful swimmers!
I’m Rachel, the creator of Scorpia – a small, independent swim gear business based in Devon.
I started Scorpia in January 2022 with the aim of creating bright and utterly unique gear which injects the fun into swimming, whether that’s in the pool, pond, lake or sea!
My personal swim story begins in my official hometown of Aldershot, where I was incredibly lucky to grow up with an Olympic Pool on my doorstep (thanks, Aldershot Garrison!) and parents who were keen to take advantage of it.
Growing up, I can’t remember a time when I didn’t swim. At the age of eight I joined my local swimming club where, as I got older, I was pacing up and down the lanes at least six times a week (and teaching swimming at the weekends!). Even with the familiar scent of chlorine and the permanent goggle marks, I always left the pool a lot happier than when I went in.
Although I was never one for competing, swimming was always a big passion of mine. Sadly, as I left to go into the big, wide corporate world at the age of 18 to train as an accountant at one of the Big Four, I stopped swimming, becoming consumed by career and pursuing what I thought would make me happy instead of what actually did.
What happened next?
It all worked out ok for a while, but then in 2017 some really difficult times were thrown into the mix and I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety.
I went straight onto medication and had some time off work but didn’t really change anything else, and it took me a few years to realise that all I was doing was putting a plaster over a wound, instead of dealing with the root cause.
With the amazing support from loved ones and a lot of soul-searching, I built up the confidence last year to really re-assess what I was doing and make some big changes to my life…including falling back in love with swimming and starting Scorpia. I’m so proud to say that, thanks to swimming, I’m the happiest I’ve been in a long, long time.
Scorpia is all about fun, bright and (most importantly) happy swim gear for fellow swimmers. I owe a lot to swimming, and I’m so proud to be a small part of this brilliant community.
As a small business still in its infancy, your support means so much and I really hope you love the products as much as I loved designing them. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Scorpia and I hope you stick around to see how the journey continues.
Happy Swimming!
Rachel x