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Love swimming, but hate the fit of the caps? You need to see this

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Photographer mom Nomvuyo Treffers was frustrated with having to be a spectator next to the pool while her water-loving girls spent hours splashing and playing in the pool.

Her dreadlocks made it near impossible to find a suitable swimming cap. Not always up for the hours of hair admin, she mostly stayed out of the pool. 

But felt she was missing out on quality time with her girls.    

"I would sometimes agree to splash and play with them and deal with the long process of drying dreadlocks, but mostly I would sit on the sidelines," Nomvuyo remembers. "It frustrated me knowing they would soon grow older and I was missing out on quality time, sharing something they really enjoyed."

And even though the girls used swimming caps, the irritation from wearing them began to take its toll on their curly tresses. 

"The swim caps my daughters used were small and uncomfortable. There was a lot of pulling and stretching over their high-volume hair," she says. 

Realising that there was a huge gap in the market, she decided to design her own.

"The process started with research and a search for a manufacturer that could produce. There were lots of hits and misses but eventually it was a success," she says. 

The innovative design is the first of its kind. 

Made with silicone material, the caps comfortably accommodate big curly hair, afros, braids, long hair and weaves. As Nomvuyo says, "Swimma Caps is about inclusion."

It’s no surprise that since launching, Nomvuyo has been inundated with requests, both locally and internationally, and plans to make Swimma Caps a household name. 

We'd say, she's well on her way!

Check out more of Nomvuyo's designs here.

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If you could design an item to simplify your life, what would it be? Which products in SA are still only designed from a Western perspective and can do with innovation? Send us your comments and stories to chatback@health24.com we might publish your response. If you would like to stay anonymous please let us know. 

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