Meet Laura Templin | Owner, Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laura Templin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Early in college, I found my niche in Industrial Design, in the School of Architecture at Auburn. So while I was swimming, I was able to connect my creative side into an education I was passionate about. Post college, I was a little lost and wasn’t sure how I was going to be a ‘designer’ like my peers – as they were super talented and motivated in a way that I really wasn’t at the time. I didn’t embrace the idea of working as a boat designer, a sunglasses designer, a kitchenware or utility truck designer or anything else. It just didn’t seem to spark anything as I started looking for jobs. While I was finishing up my last few months of swimming, post college, I connected with TYR Sport, a competitive swimwear company, who was sponsoring me as a professional athlete at the time. I was asked ‘where do you see yourself in 5 years?’ and answered that I would love to be designing swimwear equipment and working for them as a designer some day! Talk about manifesting. Later that year, I accepted a job offer as a product designer for them and quickly moved my life to Huntington Beach, CA. It was a bold move, but a move I felt a deep sense of peace about. From there, the people I met and the connections I made helped me gain experience and taught me so much about the business side of the sport I loved. I was able to find meaning and connection while moving into a different aspect of something I was passionate about from the beginning. I continued to work in California, then transitioning to Minneapolis with my husband and made the bold move to work for Speedo at about the same time. As I grew and my family grew, it was time to me to take a step back from working and help my family with our transition from Minneapolis to Athens, GA. A huge life change for all of us and I needed to be present with my 3 young kids in this new life we were creating. We were spending lots of time at the pool and that’s when my lightbulb moment happened to start my business. It was a little bit by accident, but at the same time meeting a very important need for me and how I spent my time. A swimsuit that could keep up with me (as a former professional swimmer) as I chase my 3 kids around the pool was extremely important and when I started the journey of suit shopping, I was so frustrated that I had to do something about it – and turns out I had the connections and means to take it on.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh you’d need a week to fit it all in! For breakfast, we’d go to Cafe Racer Food Truck or their location on the east side of town. The best coffee in town is at Molly’s Coffee Co, be sure to say hello to the owner, Molly, who’s there just about every day. We’re an active family, so finding ways to burn off steam is important to us – I’d check out Let It Be Yoga after coaching my Masters swim practice, my husband enjoys mountain biking on some of the best trails all around town, visit Georgia Cycle Sport to get the scoop on the trails! And of course, my kids love to practice their climbing skills at Active Climbing, an indoor rock climbing gym. We’d go shopping downtown at Cheeky Peach for the most stylish and fun women’s clothes, we’d stop at Heery’s to pick up some Little Light Co candles and Caroline Swetenburg’s Bulldawg gear, and hit Empire South for some great Peach State Pride shirts for the guys! Maybe some early afternoon treats at Condor Chocolates after all that shopping and happy hour at Creature Comforts. Dinner at The National, Chuck’s Fish or our favorite mexican restaurant, Agua Linda. The Athens farmers market on Saturday mornings in the summer is amazing and highly recommend grabbing breakfast there and planning your afternoon meal with whatever fresh, local goodies you find! To rest and recharge, Drench Sauna Studio will get you relaxed and feeling ready to take on another day in Athens! We’d make appointments for Facials with Dina LaFera or ear piercing with Ashford Aesthetics. Of course, because we’re a college town, any UGA sports are so much fun to check out depending on what season you’re in – swimming, basketball, softball, baseball, soccer, tennis, gymnastics and of course football if you can snag tickets!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I believe that my success is fully based on every person I’ve met along the way. From my early days at our summer league pool, growing up in a family that was supportive of my dreams, to knowing exactly where I wanted to go and having the courage to pursue it in college. My shoutouts are to all of those people along my path, from timers and officials at swim meets who were always so kind and encouraging, to my dear friends who understood that I had to be in bed early on Friday nights for Saturday morning practices, and now to my husband and kids who have embraced this journey of entrepreneurship that I’m on and are the biggest cheerleaders I could’ve ever asked for. I’m thrilled to have had so many supportive people throughout my life and couldn’t be more grateful.

Website: www.LTSwimwear.com

Instagram: @LTSwims

Linkedin: @Laura Templin

Facebook: @LT Swimwear

Image Credits
Evermore Photo Co, Wendy Horton Photography