“Majority Worldwide Cannot Swim; Most of Them Are Women” – (Gallup, Blog 2021). About 55% of the world cannot swim according to the Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll, 2019, most being women.
The PLAVO Modular Flotation Swimsuit changes the way women gain self-assurance in the water. Its detachable buoyancy inserts enable
swimmers to progressively decrease assistance as their comfort, confidence, and ability levels increase, resulting in a learning process that
progresses at their own speed. PLAVO delivers a dynamic, customised progression that combines safety, comfort, and style, in contrast to
traditional flotation devices that offer fixed buoyancy and may restrict independence.
PLAVO swimwear is designed to promote and motivate weaker female swimmers to learn how to swim and feel safe in the water.Globally, around 55% of people cannot swim confidently or unassisted, with women disproportionately represented due to cultural and social barriers (Gallup, 2021). In Ireland, 23% of adults cannot swim at all and another 32% feel uncomfortable swimming long distances (Irish Water Safety, 2017). Assuming 40% of Ireland’s 4.1 million adults need to build water confidence, this equates to 1.64 million potential user groups, with women forming a significant share of this underserved group.
Initial ideas focused on creating a solution based around a physical buoyancy product that would be customisable to the users’ needs and could change shape or function as the swimmer progresses in skill level. An adjustable swim aid emerged as one of the potential solutions. Following this our concept development began analysing elements brought to light the possibility of developing a system in which assistance might progressively decline as user proficiency increased. Building on this idea, the concept studied how buoyancy inserts could be removed one at a time, allowing swimmers to lower floatation as they proceed.
PLAVO – BE OPEN.pdf