2020 Highlight Reel + What’s Coming in 2021

Happy New Year from everyone at Deep End!

While 2020 was a challenging year for many, it was, in a way, one of the most exciting years for Deep End. The year presented new obstacles and challenges that we’d never faced before.

As a result, it was one of our most formative and impactful years yet, and thankfully, for the better. We’ve experienced more growth in 2020 than all the past years combined!

When looking forward to a new year, it’s easy to idealize the future and to overlook all the positive things that have happened. I’m hoping that by sharing our 2020 highlight reel, you’ll feel inspired to also write out the good things that have happened in the past year as well!

Here are Deep End’s 2020 Highlights:

• March:
  • As the pandemic made its way over to the US, the entire world went into panic mode. Small businesses, especially retail, took a big hit. All our events and pop-ups (which were a substantial part of our business) got canceled.
  • Online sales came to a halt. It was a bleak month, probably the worst since we began.
• April: 
  • The “new normal” began. After a dismal month, online sales began to pick up again. Soon, they mysteriously began to skyrocket. More people were stuck indoors, so they had nothing better to do than to shop online.
  • We also learned finally how to run paid advertising, which helped pick things up even faster. We made up for March, and then some.
• May (this was a big month!):
  • The New Deep End HQ: After operating out of my parent’s (very cramped) garage for 4 years, we finally moved out. I’ve wanted an office space forever. And because things were going great, we were finally able to afford one!
  • We got a team! Our first hire was my sister Elena (who’s now our creative director and designer). Our entire team at the HQ – from designing to shipping – is either a good friend, an old teammate, or a sibling. They say not to mix family with business, but I disagree. I love that I get to work with family every single day!
• June – December 2020:
  • New Designs: 16 tees, 4 sweatshirts, 2 hoodies, 31 stickers, 3 beanies, and 1 keychain to be exact!
  • We shipped out our 20,000th order!
  • Going Green: All our US shipments are now carbon neutral. All our locally made goods are no longer packaged in plastic, and we’ve changed our mailers to be 100% biodegradable and recyclable! Imported items are still packaged in some plastic, but we’re working on eliminating that in 2021 and beyond :)
  • Upgrade: Believe it or not – before 2020, I took almost all our photos on our site and Instagram with an iPhone. Now we’ve got my professionals (including my sis) to take our photos!
  • A New Blog: (what you’re reading now!) We wanted a place where we could post things we’re into and things that might be of help to the swim community. We’ve got more planned for 2021!
  • Collaborations & Giveaways: We partnered with some of our favorite brands for giveaways, including Get Back Necklaces and Drift Goods.

What’s coming in 2021:

• Collabs: …with some of your favorite brands. We’ve got a major one penciled in with one of the best swimwear brands out there. Stay tuned!
• More giveaways: We’ve been reaching out to a lot of companies that we really vibe with. We’re hoping to run a lot more giveaways to help showcase other cool businesses that make things we personally love and that we think you’ll love too :)
• Going Greener: We’re working on completely eliminating single-use plastic from our packaging. It’s a lot more complicated than it seems, but we’re working on using recycled paper and corn-based materials for our packaging. We’re also hoping to make more products with recycled and sustainable materials. More on that soon :)
• Working with artists: We love the idea of working with artists we’re into (such as ceramicists, printmakers, and woodblock artists). If you are an artist or know of any, let us know!
• Lifestyle Goods: We’re super into making items that are for the home – not just clothing. It’s where most of us are spending time these days. Ideas are still in the air, but you can look forward to some unique items coming to the store in 2021.

As a team of swimmers and water polo players, our goal has always been to share our love of the water with others. We want other aquatics athletes to know that the water isn’t just a place for intense competition. It’s also a place to unwind and reinvigorate. We think swimmers are the coolest people ever, and we aim to make items that encourage others to swim and explore the water too.

2020 was quite the rollercoaster, but we are grateful to have amazing supporters like you. Thank you for all the love. We can’t wait to surprise you this year.

Wishing you the very best in health and happiness in 2021,

Team Deep End