Photographer: Simone Ainsworth 

Model: Alyce Jade

Location: Northern NSW, Australia

Swimwear: 'Caroline' one piece in 'Envy Green'

Jewellery: Custom made P.O.A.

Searching for our first Seamone Swimwear muse was something that I had been considering for quite some time. It was really important to me that I begin this business with the right intentions and surround myself with the right people who embody a positive and grounded energy to be creative with... people in it for the art, people that show up and want to come to the party. I knew in my mind the girl I was searching for... a organic, natural, humble, sweet and modest woman... I guess even in a way someone who had similar qualities to myself, that would be able to express the story I wanted to tell in this debut collection. I wasn't looking for just a pretty face, or the girl with hundreds of thousands of followers and selfie count to match... I was looking with depth and soul, someone real and relatable. I flew to Bali with no model booked and only a few days left before the shoot was intended... I had to find someone. I wasn't too worried though, Bali always has a way of offering what you are searching for (plus we all know its a hub for beautiful people). I had many people working behind the scenes contacting and sending me images of the most amazing and beautiful girls....Myself being very hard to convince, I think people where beginning to think I was leaving it all too late and that I was running out of time. But I did not want to settle on just any girl. So when I came across Sveta's profile... I could tell straight away that she was the one, my heart was set on her. Our Seamone Muse is the girl next door, lives a nature based lifestyle, she has a big heart, cares about the environment, she does not seek attention, she is warm and approachable, she lives in the present. I was so lucky to have Sveta for the day too shoot Black Rose, it was such a pleasure. I actually don't think I have ever been in the presence of someone more naturally beautiful! She is classic and sophisticated, a little bit shy but behind a lens she transforms into a goddess with 70's style movements as if she is dancing like no one is watching.... actually I was speechless. Sveta truly embodies Seamone... you want to get to know her more, understand what she is about... where she comes from where she is going... she is mysterious and in her own world... a diamond in the rough, delicate yet independent. The shoot was intended to display a journey, of emotion and solitude. A raw connection to ones self... an explotartion of love, religion, freedom, desire and perhaps dispare in discovering what you believe to be real... sometimes is not. The shoot was totally raw... a cave as a change room... no makeup retouching, no directing... I just wanted Sveta to just be who she was in that moment... to feel out her own interpretation of Seamone Swimwear. Yeah she nailed it.

Photographer: Paulius Stefanovicius

Model: Sveta Kafafova

Jewllery: Pakaria Powell

Stylist: Simone Ainsworth

Makeup: Mia Lsa

Location: Seseh Beach, Bali

It was so relaxing to be just in the moment of the day we shot the first Seamone Swimwear lookbook and campaign in Bali. It felt freeing to just enjoy the energy without thinking about social media or checking my phone or trying to collect as much visual content as I possibly could. It was enough to feel the weight lifted off my shoulders to have a team I trusted there with me. I went into relax mode as soon as the first shot was taken, it felt like we had all worked together a hundred times before even though fate had only all bought us together only a few days previous.

We started the day with coffee at 'The Slow' in Canggu. With a basket of bikinis and amazing jewellery by Pakaria Powell we took a short stroll down the lane to Shirleys Temple Villa, where we where greeted by beautiful villa owner Emily. Who generously opened her space to us to get our lookbook images shot against her amazing concret walls, she was so very proud of. Then with half an hour to kill before our driver was picking us up, we managed to get a few shots in around the stunning villa pool that matched our Tarot Tartan print perfectly.

From there a scenic drive through the rice fields led us to our tropical beach location. Seseh Beach a deserted black sand beach with the odd fisherman pondering about the shoreline. We carried our gear down to a wall of moss and pandanus. It actually reminded me of home... the pandanus trees felt nastalgic like a merge between my home on the Gold Coast and Bali. We continued to wander shooting around the barnacle covered rocks and where white foam contrasts against black sand... we walked up further to a grassy beach front villa... with lush green grass and palm dress, deck chairs... a very secluded haven. With a family of cows and ducks over looking our production. Up a bit further north, green mossy mermaid rock pools awaited... where we where approached by local kids singing dancing and playing guitar... We could see a storm brewing over the ocean... we decided to head back to the rocks for those final last photos in the water. There was a moment where I just wanted to chuck on a bikini and get in the ocean too! But I had to stay professional ha ha. The clouds grew over the ocean as it typically does in the afternoons. As it started to rain it bought the crew a refreshing shower after the day in the hot sun. Sveta already wet from the waves continued dancing, unaffected by the down poor.... she looked so beautiful! You can see in some of the photos at the end of the shoot, the camera lens fogs up and the light dims to create a soft and natural mood. The raw images turned out perfect just as they where and have an effect that most editors strive towards. Paulius and Sveta where amazing together and needed no direction from me or each other. The shoot was natural just as I hoped for.

Before we knew it the day was over. All covered in black sand apologising to our driver for our black feet getting into is perfect car... "no problem, no problem"he assured us. It was home for a shower... to deserved cocktails in Seminyak and a stroll around the shops with the beautiful Mia... imagining that maybe Seamone will have a boutique of our own in Bali one day soon.

Founder & Creative Director of Seamone, Simone xx 

Photographer: Paulius Stefanovicius

Model: Sveta Kafafova

Jewllery: Pakaria Powel

Stylist: Simone Ainsworth

Makeup: Mia Lsa

Villa: Shirleys Temple, Canggu, Bali.

Location: Seseh Beach, Bali.

The History of the trident is fascinating, a common symbol in so many different cultures, religions, and mythological stories. When I was designing our logo I wanted to incorporate a symbol that meant something to me, also to remind me who I am, where I come from and not loose sight of my goals. For me the trident is a shape that is constantly appearing around me in my life, I believe its a very strong and sacred sign. As Seamone is essentially an extension of myself, it was just natural to include the trident when I was sketching up the original ideas for our branding. 

I'm a text book Pisces, ruled by the planet Neptune. I have a very strong astrological connection and astrology makes sense to me. I have found so much valuable information about myself and others through studying the stars, moons, sun and planets. I enjoy learning about the unique traits, and I love to guess strangers star signs! The glyph for Neptune is of course the trident. The trident is also the result of the connection between two symbols, one that depicts the semicircle of the soul sitting on the cross of matter, so that the top of the cross becomes the middle and third prong on the trident. This represents the need for the human form to work through the trinity of body, mind and soul in order to achieve enlightenment or nirvana. Which is something I practice in my personal yoga and meditation. With Seamone I believe that swimwear isn’t just something we wear to serve the purpose of swimming in style…. It’s what we wear, when we are serving our mind, body and souls purpose, so including the trident in our brand resembles that aspect.

Another connection of the trident and the planet Neptune is found throughout mythology. The god of the seas has had many names; to the Greeks he was known as Poseidon who traveled the world with his war chariot of seahorses. Zeus gave him his realm and an island to live on. Upon this island were three women, with whom he had many sons, one of which was Atlas. This is thought to be where the name of the Atlantic Ocean derived and where the myth of Atlantis originated. Similarly we all know the Romans named the god of the seas Neptune! These sea gods are always depicted holding a trident, with their power to create new oceans, rivers, earthquakes and tsunamis. Neptune’s oceans are of feelings and emotions. A celestial musician who plays his music and lulls sailors into false passage, the myth that the sirens grows from his tunes. Neptune also rules the dreams, the unconscious, and the world of unreality or fantasy. He also presides over the spiritual aspects of life, the ethereal side of human nature that is felt, but not seen, such as intuition, dreams, inspiration, mystical experiences. I personally find these ancient stories really beautiful in the way that they illustrate this world and other worlds, even so relatable in this modern time. Seamone is born out of a deep admiration for the sea, the symbol of the trident reminds us that the ocean is powerful, we should respect it and do all that we can to preserve it.

Throughout my yoga practice and philolosophy teachings, I have have also become familiar with the Hindu legends and stories of Shiva the Supreme Being and The Great Yogi. A God who holds the Trishula (trident) and possibly the original inspiration for the greek and roman gods Poseidon and Neptune. In Hindu religion, the three points of the Trishula have various meanings and significance. They are commonly said to represent various trinities— creation, maintenance and destruction; past, present and future. Shiva uses this sacred weapon to fight off negativity in the form of evil villains. Shiva is both the "destroyer and transformer" who creates, protects and transforms the universe. Shiva and Yoga spirituality helps one look beyond, understand interconnectedness, and thus benefit both the individual and the world towards a more blissful state of existence.

So in conclusion, the trident really represents a tool as an extension of ones inner self. It was never the trident that was powerful, it was really the person who holds it. Seamone like the 3 spears of the trident has a past, present and future, just as all business do. I hope to use this swimwear label as a tool to combine my past experiences to fulfil my creative passions, be more in the present and conscious of my impact on the environment and those around me and to hopefully make a positive contribution on the future of the fashion industry at the same time fight to protect and save the oceans. 

Founder & Creative Director of Seamone, Simone xx