Fit and female focused

Words by Jamie Crocker

A wetsuit brand built on first-hand experience, field-testing and female insight.

When Jenna Goldsack talks about wetsuits, she speaks plainly, drawing on years of cold-water dives, heat-struck fashion shoots, skin flare-ups, long-haul flights and hard-won lessons about the limits of both neoprene and patience. Fulmar, her Cornwall-rooted wetsuit brand, began not with a business plan, but with a rash.

“I’ve always suffered from eczema,” she explains. “Every time I rented a wetsuit on a dive trip, I’d come up in hives.” That recurring problem, itchy, inflamed skin after just an hour underwater, prompted her to explore the materials being used. She found that standard neoprene, derived from petroleum, didn’t suit her. “I bought one made from limestone-based neoprene instead and had no reaction,” she says. “It was softer, more flexible and way more durable.”

That discovery planted the seed. At the time, Jenna had already spent over a decade in the fashion industry, a career she still maintains, fitting in modelling assignments around her growing business. But the draw of the sea and the disconnect she felt between glossy shoots and meaningful work left her wanting to build something of her own.

Jenna Goldsack

Fulmar, named after the fishing boat her father once owned, reflects that shift in direction. She grew up on the Cornish coast, in Cadgwith, “right on the beach until I was about five,” she recalls. “I’d either go out on the boats with Dad or watch the other fishermen heading out and coming back. I wasn’t scared of the sea like a lot of people, it just felt normal.”

After taking up diving around six years ago, Jenna also became an ambassador for the Sea Life Trust, working with the team behind the world’s first beluga whale sanctuary in Iceland. “They were rescuing two whales from captivity in China,” she says. “I went over there and wrote about it for Vogue. But I didn’t want to just post about it on Instagram and feel like that was enough. I wanted to be more involved.” Fulmar now donates a share of profits to the Trust.

The business started with two products: a long wetsuit tailored to cooler waters like Cornwall’s, and a two-millimetre spring suit, better suited to milder climates or shorter swims. “A friend went surfing for four hours in the long one and came out saying she was still warm,” says Jenna. “That’s when I knew I’d got it right.”

She kept the initial run small. “I didn’t want to mass produce anything or end up with stock sitting in boxes,” she says. “So, I started with just two colours, a rich blue and a soft brown and produced only what I knew I could store and ship.” That storage, as it turns out, is in a shipping container on her parents’ land in Cornwall. “My dad had bought it as a home gym, and although I had planned to run my business from the US as I spend a lot of time there with my modelling work, when US tariffs changed I messaged him saying I might need it instead!”

Although Fulmar’s wetsuits are made in China, Jenna is clear about the reasons. “There’s still this stigma about Chinese manufacturing,” she says, “but I’ve had a brilliant experience. The factory already makes wetsuits for other brands, and they were recommended by the supplier who makes the limestone neoprene.” She keeps all stock in Cornwall and sends out orders with help from her parents. “It’s become a bit of a family thing and means I go home a lot more than I used to – I’ve been back three times this month already.”

Functionality is central to Fulmar’s appeal, not just in terms of thermal performance. Jenna has rethought design details that are usually treated as afterthoughts. The full-length wetsuit includes a back zip (“because I have tight shoulders and hate the constriction of over-the-head design”), reinforced knee pads, and a secure internal key loop. The cut is intentionally shaped for women, with a nipped-in waist and generous chest area. “Most wetsuits are designed for men,” she says. “That’s why they feel frumpy and we often end up with all this extra material.”

The material itself plays a significant role. Limestone neoprene isn’t without environmental costs – quarrying still carries a footprint – but it does offer advantages over petroleum-based alternatives. “I never want to say it’s sustainable,” says Jenna. “You’re still making something in a factory. But it lasts a lot longer than regular wetsuits, so you’re not replacing them every year. That makes a difference.” Fulmar suits also use recycled yarn in the outer layer for colour and texture and excess material is turned into accessories. “We had some leftover fabric from the long suits, so I made headbands. Great for diving, or running, or just keeping hair out of your eyes.”

The longer-term aim is to expand Fulmar’s product offering while sticking to small-batch principles. “I’d love to do a beach bag from old suits,” says Jenna, “or a wet bag for swimsuits. I’m also researching Yulex, a plant-based neoprene alternative.” Currently working on achieving the perfect stretch and feel, there are designs in the works for next year. “I’ll likely trial the Yulex as a sleeveless suit, maybe something for warmer waters, and am excited for the feedback once the prototypes are launched.”

Feedback is key. Jenna listens closely to the women buying her suits. “I didn’t know which sizes would be most popular, so I launched with limited range.” The suits run from UK sizes 6 to 12 at launch, but she’s mindful of stretch. “I’m usually an 8, but I can wear a 6, so the 12 is more of a UK 14. They’re very forgiving and the subsequent fit is nice and tight, as a wetsuit should be.” 

That attention to detail stems partly from her background in fashion. “I’ve seen how much gets pinned behind the scenes,” she says. “I didn’t study design, but I’ve worn enough clothes and wetsuits to know what feels good and what doesn’t.” Her hands-on approach has shaped every part of the brand, from sketches to final stitching. “I was my own fit model. I changed the arm seams three times because they felt too tight when I moved.”

Fulmar is also unashamedly focused on women and unapologetic about it. “Some men have asked why I don’t make suits for them,” Jenna says. “The surf industry is still male-dominated and I just don’t feel that there are enough women-specific options.” Her goal is simple: to give female surfers, swimmers and divers kit that fits properly and performs under pressure.

As the brand grows, that principle won’t change. “I don’t want to make thousands of wetsuits. I want to make ones that people buy and keep,” she says. “It’s not about chasing scale. It’s about making something that lasts.”

fulmarworld.com