Adidas teams up with Soul Cap to make swimming more accessible

Sportswear giant Adidas is teaming up with London-based start-up Soul Cap to launch a swim cap designed for people with long or voluminous hair in a range of sizes, for adults and children.

The partnership aims to promote “greater diversity and inclusivity in the world of swimming,” explains Adidas, by helping to break down social barriers in the sport with a debut swim cap designed for a range of hairstyles.

The collaboration follows the launch of Adidas’ full-cover and inclusive sizing swimwear ranges last summer and is part of the brand’s ongoing commitment to making water sports more accessible.

Celine Del Genes, Adidas global general manager specialist sports, said in a statement: “We’re excited to collaborate with Soul Cap to jointly tackle one of swimming’s biggest barriers: accessibility. We’re driven to make the water a more fun, inclusive, and social space and this partnership is another step forward in making that ambition a reality for all.”

The idea for Soul Cap was born in 2017 when founders Michael Chapman and Toks Ahmed took up adult swimming lessons after not having learned how to swim as children. They noticed a problem during their classes that every swimmer wore the same size swim cap, no matter what hairstyle they had, which often resulted in people struggling with ill-fitting caps. This observation led to them creating Soul Cap, a company that makes swim caps designed for people with long or voluminous hair.

Soul Cap co-founders, Chapman and Ahmed, added: “Partnering with Adidas has given us a global platform to hold conversations around the barriers and lack of accessibility to swimming. Through this collaboration, we hope to encourage more people to take up the sport and build confidence in the water so they too can experience the joys of swimming.”

The Adidas x Soul Cap swim cap is made from 100 percent silicone, which creates less snag on the hair ensuring a more comfortable fit. It has also been built with extra space to provide a snug fit and tight seal to keep long and voluminous hair dry and healthy through every type of swim. The collection consists of an adult cap in sizes Regular-XXL and a children’s cap in sizes Regular-L, in an exclusive linen green colourway.

The Adidas x Soul Cap swim cap is available at Adidas.com and via the Adidas app.