Frank Wautier is one of the key people of the French Kalypse brand, which offers a new take on wetsuits. Using state-of-the-art technology and a new style approach, the label is offering a new and completely improved experience to diving, both from a technical and an aesthetic point of view.
How did the idea of Kalypse come about?
Frank Wautier: With a biomedical engineer diploma, I created 20 years ago, a home health care company in Montpellier, in the south of France.
For various reasons, I sold this company 3 years ago. Passionate about scuba diving, I decided to create Kalypse 2 years ago.
Everything started from a simple fact: wetsuits are generally not easy to put on, they are uncomfortable and generally have no style or nice colors. I noticed that in dive shops, all the wetsuits were black. Moreover, nothing today is proposed for women and their specific body shape.
So, by creating Kalypse, I wanted to propose well-designed wetsuits that are also comfortable and made in France. Coco Chanel said that “if a woman is poorly dressed, you notice her dress, and if she is impeccably dressed, you notice the woman”. I wanted to make all women who wear wetsuits more beautiful!
What makes your wetsuits different?
FW: There are four aspects that define our wetsuits: comfort, style, made-to-measure and the fact that they are made in France.
First of all, in terms of design I work in collaboration with a Parisian stylist who drew all our models. All sketches were submitted to a panel of men and women divers, who participated in the selection of models.
Then, I created an experts committee, which was a collaborative partnership between Kalypse and professional diving instructors, who helped us definite the innovative technical solutions. For two years, they tested by actual diving all the prototypes in order to create the four models.
The second pillar of our wetsuits is the comfort. In parallel to working on the styles, we have succeeded in developing an exclusive 3D design software: the wetsuits are created using an avatar. Using modern manufacturing techniques, after cutting the different parts of the wetsuit, when we glue and sew them together, we find the same volume present on the avatar. Therefore, when a wearer puts on the wetsuit, they slide freely inside. It’s really easier than with any regular wetsuit and much more comfortable. Its an unmatched fit and feel!The made-to-measure provides a high degree of comfort: it’s works just like a second skin. Lastly, all our wetsuits are designed and fully handmade in our workshop in Montpellier.
Our fully controlled production cycle incorporates rigorous quality assurance processes, enabling us to offer a 3 years warranty to all customers.
In addition, years of experience in wetsuit design and manufacturing have resulted in an exceptional overlock seam quality, which can be found in all of our products.
How do you use the digital measurement techniques?
FW: All the avatars we use come from measurement campaigns – 3D scan data from our international sizing catalogue, carried out by the IFTH (Industrie Française de l’Habillement – the French Industry of Clothing). This is how we can create avatars for all the divers from all continents. For the moment, when we create a tailor-made wetsuit, we take the different measures of the customer’s body, as a classical tailor would do. These measures allow us to recreate the avatar of the customer. Then we apply the parts of the wetsuit on their avatar.
To facilitate this measurement, we are currently working on the development of an automatic solution based on photos taken by the customer with his smartphone.
How does getting a custom fit help the wearer?
FW: The first thing you feel when you dive with a custom fit Kalypse wetsuit, is comfort.
Many of our customers, even diving instructors, tell us they have the feeling of diving in a pajama! This is true even if the customer’s girth comes out the standard. Then, the control of the compression template allows us to further increase the comfort by eliminating the sensations of constraint and breathlessness.
Finally, the custom fit makes it possible to obtain a true second skin wetsuit. The air pockets, water pockets in diving, are eliminated, thus increasing the thermal performance of the wetsuit. This is why some of our customers have dropped their semi-dry wetsuit in favor of a Kalypse.
The air pocket, often present in the woman’s waist and lower back, no longer exists with our wetsuit.
The use of a particularly stretch neoprene, dedicated to diving, will increase the feeling of well-being as well.
How do you see the future of wetsuits?
FW: Many young divers are turning away from this sport because the wetsuits are not elegant.
It seems to me inevitable that diving brands will propose more suitable products. But they are subjected to high criteria of profitability which hamper them in this approach.
The biggest revolution in the future would be to get rid of the use of neoprene in favor of a more eco-responsible material.
Thank you!
Fraquoh and Franchomme
Further reading:
Fashion and technology in InCompany by Attire Club
P.S. We want to hear from you! What do you make of the Kalypse wetsuits? What innovations would you like to see in the diving world? What other swimsuit-related innovations would you like to see? Share your feedback, questions or thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on style, fashion tips and cultural insights, you can subscribe to Attire Club via e-mail or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!