“My mission is to make women feel comfortable and confident in the ocean, no matter their size”
Marie-Kristin Krause has lived in the tropical haven of Bali for more than 7 years, moving from her home country of Germany. In this time she’s been using her clothing and textile expertise to build a sustainable, female-focused brand Zealous Clothing (and of course continue her passion for surfing!).
Having faced difficulties fitting into Roxy clothing, even as a normal athletic European size 38/40, or medium, she decided to make her brand more size-inclusive, going up to cup size G bikini tops, and offering options from modest to cheeky cut designs. She’s also been working with local Indonesian manufacturers, using recycled fabrics and local sourcing practices.
“I simply felt a need for products that are not marketed to this skinny, girly surfer chick” — Marie-Kristin Krause
We grabbed a moment to chat to Marie about sustainable fabrics, her inspirations, what she sees for the future of women’s watersports and LGBQT+ diversity. Let’s dive in!
Could you tell us briefly your story of how you ended up in Bali and when you first started surfing?
I came to Bali without much of a plan to stay. What was planned to be a semester abroad at the university here, turned into more than 7 years so far. Besides partying hard and surfing, I started setting up Zealous’ swimwear and apparel production over here. 3 months in, I was producing some t-shirt designs, towels, and sarongs with a few local tailors, and started sampling the first bikini because I was so disappointed by the bikinis big surf brands were selling.
Fast forward, I am now working with a handful of Indonesian manufacturers here in Bali, who work by themselves, or in small to medium sized manufactories. Many of them can work from home and spend more time with their families, whereas others are working in small groups of 10 or so. The swimwear collections now range from cheeky to modest surf bikinis, flirty tops to high coverage ones, flattering open back one-pieces to long-sleeved swimsuits and leggings, with a lot of them being size inclusive. My mission is to make women feel comfortable, confident, and worry-free in the ocean, no matter their size.
Oh, and of course: I fell in love with Bali, its people, the palmtrees, and waves. It’s always been my dream to swap my rainy hometown of Hamburg for a place where I can live in bikinis.
Cold water or warm water?
Oh my god, defo warm water. I’m such a frostbite and even surf in a 2mm springsuit (over my swimsuit + 1.5mm neoprene shirt on top haha) in winter next to girls in bikinis.
Why did you decide to create sustainable and size-inclusive swimwear for women?
Sustainable products are the only way to go, it’s the new normal in any industry. We put products on the market which are related to our passions of being in nature, therefore it’s our responsibility to protect what we love in every possible way.
Sustainability to me comes down to more than just using recycled fabrics, and I can get into quite a rage talking about it, haha. As a clothing and textile engineer, I question for example how fabrics are recycled, what energy consumption those recycling processes entail, and why I should import recycled fabrics that have been flown around the world instead of using non-recycled local fabrics?
I try to do my very best regarding sustainable practices in many areas, from using fabric waste, to offsetting CO2 emissions, to fair manufacturing, to plastic free packaging.
As I have been making bikini tops until cup size G, expanding my size range for bikini bottoms and one-pieces was the next logical step. Women like Kanoa and Elizabeth from Curvy Surfer Girl inspired me to make it happen rather sooner than later. And it’s been so rewarding and fun working with curvy girls for our photoshoots too. This year’s catalogue photos have been created together with Jeannie, our fellow Indonesian surfergirl, who is amazing in front of the camera and you can see how she shines from within (Editor’s note: Jeannie is a BlueBound Ambassador! You can read about and listen to our podcast interview with her here: BlueBound Podcast / Episode #3: Interview with Jeannie, plus-size surfer and diver in Bali).
“I always wanted to make the products I never found in those conventional surf stores. I wanted to design apparel and swimwear that is either badass cool and sometimes cute, never too girly but always about function.”— Marie-Kristin Krause
What are your inspirations?
After working for big surf companies besides school and uni, I simply felt a need for products that are not marketed to this skinny, girly surfer chick. I myself, wasn’t fitting into the largest size of Roxy denims we were selling in that store at some point. I mean, wait a second. I was a 38/40 or Medium and rocked a normal, athletic body that has been playing field hockey all life long. Yeah, the thigh muscles were strong, and my bum fed by German chocolate. But too big for denims? I couldn’t believe what kind of fitting models they must have used for their product development.
I always wanted to make the products I never found in those conventional surf stores. I wanted to design apparel and swimwear that is either badass cool and sometimes cute, never too girly but always about function.
As I mentioned above, I get inspired by fellow waterwomen too who talk openly and straight forward about issues in this society, community, and industry. They encourage me in making those changes that are needed.
Color and print wise I get inspired by nature, architecture, paintings. I like to travel, especially to cities and soak up their vibes, and watch out for beautiful color combinations of house walls, shoes, or cars – whatever crosses my sight.
What’s your opinion on the state of inclusivity for women in watersports?
I see some big brands using curvier models already, and some have even extended their size ranges, which is great. This just needs to become the norm now, and I’m excited that some influential women and a lot of small brands have fueled this transition.
From now on, it’s only going forwards. I also hope for more gender fluidity and open mindedness towards LGBTQ+ surfers in the future.
Who are your favourite water women?
I’m inspired by water women who defy all norms of their origin. For example our ambassador Restuning who’s Indonesia’s first female Padi Course Director, as well as a freediving instructor and yoga teacher. I’m in awe of these women, pursuing their passions no matter what.
What do you predict for the next 5-10 years for women in surfing?
Definitely more inclusivity across size, race, sexual orientation. Hopefully more sponsorship deals for women who rip but don’t look like Alana Blanchard, more professional surfers opening up about their sexual orientation (Tyler Wright did a massive step in this regard), and I hope to see more and more Indonesian women getting into surfing.
