(Image: Mariam Gomez)
Model, podcaster and body‑confidence campaigner Rachel Peru is about to launch her first swimwear range, putting under-represented women in the spotlight while challenging unrealistic beauty standards.
Rachel, 56, who is based in North Yorkshire, is best known for her modelling career, her chart‑topping podcast Liberté ~ Free to Be, and her work to campaign for fairer representation of midlife women.
Her own journey has been anything but conventional. Since entering the modelling industry in her mid‑forties, she’s worked with major brands alongside global big-hitters, including Lizzo and Ashley Graham.
Her industry knowledge, gained from working with many high-street brands, plus her work as a speaker and campaigner, has inspired her to design swimwear that offers more choice and confidence for fuller-busted women of all ages.
'My work is driven by a determination to place women over 40 in the spotlight, and a refusal to conform to unrealistic standards, whether it’s age, appearance, or size,' says Rachel.
'No matter where we are or what we’re doing, we should feel strong, supported and unapologetically ourselves, not hidden away.
'Swimwear is no exception; I want women to feel confident, not self-conscious, wearing swimwear.'
The Liberté ~ Free to Be range will focus on timeless designs, supportive fabrics, inclusive sizing, and styles created specifically with fuller-busted women in mind.
All marketing will feature a diverse mix of women over the age of 40. Pre-orders are now live, and the first swimsuit will be available from October.
Each suit will be named after an iconic woman, and in a special touch, Rachel has named one of the pieces after her own mum, Glenda.
'I still have my mum’s swimsuit from the 70s - in fact, its timelessness inspired my first design,' she says.
'This is another way to put amazing women like her in the spotlight.'
Rachel adds: 'This collection is incredibly personal to me. Even the 24k gold-plated buckle on each suit is meaningful - it’s a feather, which for me symbolises letting go, and a feeling of lightness. Exactly how we should feel when swimming!'
One pound from every swimsuit sold will go straight to Smart Works Yorkshire, which supports unemployed women in getting the coaching, clothing and confidence they need to secure employment.
Visit liberteltd.com and Instagram @libertefreetobe