It all started with a swimming cap for more voluminous black hair – but the ambition to make swimming more accessible for the black community is the foundation of the SoulCap brand.

Swimming is an essential survival skill. A skill that has traditionally been very inaccessible for the black community to learn due to many deeply rooted barriers – resulting in a shocking drowning incidence rate.

We worked with founders of SoulCap, Toks Ahmed and Michael Chapman, to build a powerful brand around swimming in British Black communities. Together with Studio Exception, we went on a journey to better understand our audience. 

How does the black community feel about swimming? What’s holding them back? What are their biggest fears and barriers? What do they love about it?

Based on in-depth interviews we conducted with swimmers and non-swimmers, we gained insight into the barriers that keep the Black population from learning this valuable life skill in the UK. The thought of swimming can be anxiety-inducing. Bringing up feelings of fear, discomfort, shame and a deep sense that they don’t belong in the pool. All this takes a lot of strength and bravery to overcome.

After conducting interviews with Black swimmers and non-swimmers across the UK, we identified six significant barriers that are limiting the Black community from seeing success in the water:

- Inherited fear and disadvantage
- Pride and shame
- Myths and prejudice
- Racism and representation
- Access
- And hair.

Each one of these barriers plays a significant part in keeping the Black community out of the water and away from swimming.

But every single one of them can be overcome.​​​​​​​

A crucial first step to overcoming whatever is holding them back from learning to swim – whether that is fear of the water or hair care – is the realisation and conviction that swimming is in fact for them too. 

Soul Cap want to get more black people to learn how to swim by showing them that the pool is an arena that they can inhabit.

Pride is at the very heart of all the issues that surround black swimming. As is it’s counterpoint, shame. Shame, embarrassment and stigma have been associated with black swimming for far too long. This is where we find the cultural tension to build our creative territory.

Black swimming has and is being held back by shame and embarrassment and stigma. But with the products, community and attitude that Soul Cap create we can squash all three. For now, and forever.

We’ve talked a lot about the struggles of Black swimmers. In fact, it’s always been the driving force behind everything we do. It’s the reason we designed the SoulCap, and it’s the reason we’ve been involved with so many campaigns and partnerships over the years.

We’ve always tried to put our money where our mouth is. And with our latest initiative, that’s exactly what we’re doing: Through the Swim Proud Fund, we’re donating £100,000 over the next 5 years to Black swim projects and programmes.

And if you’re someone who works to promote swimming in the Black community, you can apply for a share of that fund — to help you reach more people and create more opportunities for Black swimmers everywhere.

We are committed to supporting swimming programmes and water-safety initiatives throughout the UK. Through our the SoulCap Foundation, we will help mobilise grassroots initiatives. The fund can be used in various ways, such as supporting the cost of swim lessons, providing financial assistance to aspiring swim teachers, purchasing equipment, and promoting community-based swim initiatives within the Black community.

Michael and Toks’ founder story starts with them taking pride in helping each

other to learn to swim. Through mutual support and tenacity, they went from

non-swimmers to swimmers. No mean feat for 2 guys in their late 20s, who had

to overcome their masculine pride.

They started by creating a black swim cap that gives black swimmers the

confidence to get in the pool. They understood black swimmers needs, they

took pride in removing an obstacle that stopped black people from getting in

the water.

Today they take pride in the fact that the Soul Cap has now been approved for

use in Olympic competition. Soul Cap now supports black swimmers’ goals at

the most elite level. And shows all the beginners in the pool that they can

achieve greatness too.