Design: Lady B. G. Swimwear
My key message is to empower and embrace every woman.
In society and with increased use of social media, we're always shown a particular type of woman. Be it what she looks like or how she acts. I want to encapsulate the fact that there is no one style of woman. We’re all different and we all deserve a platform.
When people are confident, that’s a massive power. We need to lift other women up and I want to use social media to do that.
My fashion ideas initially stemmed from buildings. I see buildings as a massive work of art. Before I focused on swimwear, I designed dresses based on architecture: the Eiffel Tower, Vietnamese pagodas, Machu Picchu etc.
I thought of swimwear because I love one-piece swimsuits. Everyone has their own preference, but I feel most comfortable when I’m wearing a one-piece.
When I’m on the beach or away with my friends, people always comment like, “Oh, you’re wearing a one-piece.” And I felt that people thought one-pieces aren’t sexy, or they’re just to cover things up more. But, you can do so much with them.
In Asia, I still feel that there is such a stigma when it comes to disability. I feel that I need to make a stand for those women in particular. We need to educate people about being open-minded.
I am a teacher – that’s my main job and I feel like I want to educate people, make people feel comfortable and confident in their own skin. I want us to be compassionate.
When I moved to Bangkok, seeing how people act differently towards disabled people and seeing so many disabled people on the streets really affected me.
In my tutor group, I have a student with a disability and I have such admiration for him because he really fights for everything. His resilience really touches me. I feel like I learn so much from him. He’s my inspiration.
I do take inspiration from actresses, the red carpet, buildings again – especially when it comes to patterns, mandalas... I’m a science teacher and I’m also working on an ongoing project creating science-inspired swimsuit designs with animal cells, plant cells, electric transport chains – turning scientific ideas into swimwear.
I studied art up to ‘AS’ level at school, but my parents are quite traditional, so I was encouraged not to pursue an art career. It’s a generational thing. I don’t regret that because it’s made me more inclined to do art as a hobby. I studied science, but art has always been a part of me.
I’ve been a science teacher for 12 years and still absolutely love it, but one day I would love to have my own swimwear brand.
I do, in the future, want these made. So, I’m working towards getting a good portfolio, then hopefully in the future I’d love to see people wearing these swimsuits around the world and feeling, “Yes! I can do this, I can wear this.”
About Shaggy. B. Marsh
Shaggy. B. Marsh was born in Coventry, England, in 1986. She achieved a BSc Honours Degree in Biomedical Sciences from The University of Durham in 2009, however she has always been passionate about fashion, creativity and design.
She initially started to design dresses based upon architectural beauty and patterns. This allowed her to capture different landmarks and cultures from around the world and to include them within her ‘dress to discover project’. She continues to work on this project, however, currently has been designing ‘statement-swimwear’ to raise awareness for many significant topics including health, disability and self-confidence. She values the importance of empowering women around the world, to embrace who they are.
Follow Shaggy’s designs on Instagram @lady.b.g.swimwear