WoW Woman in Sexual Wellness I Salomé Bazin, founder of Tides
Salomé Bazin is a french designer and artist, founder of the sexual wellness brand Tides and experiential design studio Cellule.
Bazin gained experience in her early years as a freelancer in media art, lighting and experience design, working for a portfolio of high-profile clients including Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Samsung and WhiteCube, amongst others. She founded Cellule studio in 2018, acknowledged by the British Design Council as one of the ’10 UK emerging design practices of 2018’. Cellule is a design studio bringing a creative and collaborative approach to science and healthcare innovation, envisioning the future of the human body and health.
Her work with Cellule was showcased at the Science Gallery London, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Barbican centre, Venice Biennale and Sadler’s Well theatre. Her studio got an honorary mention from the STARTS Prize Ars Electronica and is part of the Lumen prize Longlist in 3D Interactive art. She also got co-nominated for the prestigious Beazley Design Award from the Design Museum in 2020.
In 2023 she found Tides with Giulia Tomasello, a sexual wellness brand on a mission to celebrate the power of pleasure for women in midlife. The first prototype is currently showcased at the Design Museum in the exhibition ‘The Future of Ageing’. Tides is a sexual wellness brand celebrating the power of pleasure and sexual health in midlife and above.
Tell us a bit about your background and your projects so far.
After a degree in industrial design, I started in fashion and scenography. At the time I was quite keen to explore interactive media and technologies, specifically on how to use this to tell a story to an audience or make them relate to a topic. I have then created my own company, with a keen interest in innovation and health, and how interactive could make us relate to the way our bodies work, change, or heal.
This led me to work in collaboration with female taboos with Giulia Tomasello, an interaction designer with a focus on participatory methods to empower female bodies together we developed the last year Tides, a sexual wellness brand for women in mid-life. We started to want to see more innovation in the menopause and sexual health sphere, something that wouldn’t come from a porn/sex-driven approach but a more holistic view of sexuality and its role in the construction of the self.
How did you get into this industry? Has it been an easy industry to get into or have you had many challenges?
It all started with a client brief who asked us to design a new vibrator collection for menopause. We had never thought of designing vibrators before yet here we were! The client never paid the advance, so we dropped them but decided to go our own way and get funding for it as we really believed in its potential in breaking the taboo on sexual health and age! In fact, the path has been quite unlinear and challenging many times. There is little research on sexuality and menopause, not only little dedicated funding to the cause, so it took us a while to find the right partners to start this journey with. For this reason, we have decided to take a community-led approach and launch the product pre-orders on Kickstarter, in partnership with several influential figures of sexuality in mid-life.
How long did it take you to be where you are now? What was the biggest obstacle? What are the challenges of being in the industry you are in?
We have been on this journey for around 2 years (and my own tech/innovation journey for 8 years), with a relatively slow start in the first year of Tides due to covid and physical meetings to work on the engineering being rare. That gave us enough headspace to really think through the strategy and our positioning in this market, as well as secure the necessary partnerships to get things started. We have had a few obstacles yet I think the biggest obstacle is still yet to come :) We have been amazed to see the motivation and interest from our different partners, and the real desire to make things change in the narrative of sexuality and ageing. Hundreds of women responded immediately to very intimate questions as part of our survey, and supporting strongly the project. Now we feel things will heat up when the reality of the market and requirement of the scale of production will get more real from next year onward. I think there is still so much taboo on sexuality and age, and how to build a brand around it that can be from a holistic perspective.
What are your biggest achievements to date?
I am so proud to have our first innovation showcased at the Design Museum as part of the exhibition ‘The Future of Ageing’, until the 26th of March. It is a huge achievement to see that a world-class museum is open to talking about topics such as sexuality and intimacy, to be totally honest with you they started being quite shy about it, yet Tides is there now next to other innovations responding to the needs of an aging population. I am also really proud to have secured a partnership with a wonderful dance company at Sadler’s Wells called the Company of Elders, with whom we shot the campaign.
What are the projects you are currently working on?
We are currently focused on getting the crowdfunding campaign ready, so we can get production started and this project a reality. Tides are there to echo women's needs in this period of life where our body changes and evolves. Learning from participative workshops, and experiences shared in the women's community, Tides is developing a unique language on sexual health and the Power of Pleasure. That’s why we are creating a Power of Pleasure video course alongside our essential massager, gathering introductory sessions from pelvic floor experts and wellbeing practitioners on the role of pleasure and how to unleash it as our body changes.
Is the #WomenInTech movement important to you and if yes, why?
It is so important to feel surrounded by and supported as an innovator and founder. I am still wondering when this is settling in in our career, but it seems true to be the case that being a female in the industry despite the experience and the inner strength, we can feel vulnerable, and not always know where to find the resources nor knowing the people to ask the right question too.
What will be the key trends in your industry in the next five years and where do you see them heading?
I think in the next 5 years we will see a shift in the perception of the ‘elderly’ in the fashion and beauty industry as role models and trendsetters. I am really looking forward to seeing the decay of all the anti-aging products and marketing and seeing a proper celebration of age and its beauty. From a tech perspective, I see much holistic use of interactive media and sensors: using vibrations, frequencies, and digital tools to reach a higher realm of being.
What is the most important piece of advice you could give to anyone who wants to start a career in this industry?
Hmm. Meet people. A lot of people. Don’t be scared to tell them your dream genuinely and what you would love to get from them. Ask them for advice, and do not be afraid to look like the one who doesn’t know. And be good with money, learn how to make a budget, how to save, and how to do the most with a little, that will become a great skill as you scale and expand.
Who are three inspirational women in your respective industry you admire?
Pfiou that’s a tough one, there are so many! My first would be Esdevlin, I was really inspired by her drive, and ambition yet her caring and nurturing approach to work when working for her. Another huge designer I worked for was Matali Crasset, I loved her genuine imagination, way of asking questions without protocol, and real visionary mindset. And the last one would be Elaine Chew, a groundbreaking professor of cardiology I met a few years ago, a fabulous researcher and musician with the most humble and welcoming personality.
Find out more about Tides on their website.
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This interview was conducted by Marija Butkovic, Digital Marketing and PR strategist, founder, and CEO of Women of Wearables. She regularly writes and speaks on topics of wearable tech, fashion tech, IoT, entrepreneurship, and diversity. Follow Marija on Twitter @MarijaButkovic and read her stories for Forbes here.