The Surprising Technique That Helps Swimwear Designer Katherine Hampton Fall Asleep

Welcome to Bedtime Stories, an interview series where we ask inspiring individuals to share their nighttime routines and sleep secrets. For this instalment, the Camp Cove Swim founder Katherine Hampton shares the inner-self-care steps she takes to keep her work and personal life separate.

Starting her own brand at just 23-years-old, the Newcastle-born founder of Australian swimwear label Camp Cove Swim Katherine Hampton has been revelling in her self-made success since the brand's inception seven years ago.

What originally started as a fun hobby with her friends, making clothes and designing wearable pieces. Then, Katherine decided to pursue studying fashion and textiles after high school, and enrolled in TAFE. “My mum is a teacher in fashion at the Newcastle TAFE I studied at, and funnily enough she taught me and my classmates the swimwear module!” she shares with Bed Threads Journal.

Katherine's extensive knowledge on fashion and swimwear design has allowed her to create an inclusive brand that embraces the human form in all of it's different shapes and sizes; Camp Cove Swim encourages their customers to love and respect their bodies.

It can be hard to know when to switch off from work, especially when you’re your own boss, but over the past few years Katherine has set personal boundaries which have helped her to keep her work and personal life separate. “I try to work roughly an eight-hour day and don’t look at emails or work other than social media once I’ve left the office.”

Prioritising self-care is paramount to Katherine’s daily routine. “I think self-care can take many shapes and forms but prefer to see it beyond the beauty treatments and skin care,” she says. “I think it’s more about taking care of your inner self – putting boundaries in place or knowing when to call it when you’re feeling physically or mentally drained.”

Below, Katherine shares how she winds down after work each day, and her tips on getting a good night’s rest when it's extra hard to fall asleep.

What is your solution for those nights you simply can’t nod off to sleep?

Meditation or reading a book. Meditation especially for those nights where your racing thoughts or the to-do list for the next day is what is keeping you alert. I also use the trick of mentally recounting your drive to work, focusing on counting the amount of traffic lights you pass through. I swear there’s only a handful of times I've visualised arriving before I’ve fallen asleep!

What time does your alarm go off in the morning? Can you walk us through your morning routine?

Usually between 6 and 7.30 am is when I'll wake up – depending if I have an exercise class booked in before work. I absolutely love starting the day back in bed with a black tea with oat milk. I'll even make one for the road if I'm off to exercise. Again I’ll try to sneak in a 10-minute meditation if I’m not running late. I’m a big fan of breakfast so that will be a highlight of the morning. Porridge, a smoothie or vegemite toast with a boiled egg are my go-tos.

How are you able to mentally and physically switch off from work?

I have fairly good boundaries (which took years to put in place) in regards to work hours. I try to work roughly an eight-hour day and don’t look at emails or work other than social media once I’ve left the office (no emails on my phone). I’ve also been pretty good at keeping weekends as weekends, unless we have an event on.

Can you share a little bit about your career journey so far?

I studied fashion design at TAFE both in Newcastle where I grew up, and in Sydney. My mum is a teacher in fashion at the Newcastle TAFE I studied at, and funnily enough she taught me and my classmates the swimwear module! I worked for a fashion accessories brand while I was in high school, and once I graduated from TAFE they gave me a position as an assistant buyer. I was 23 when I started the brand so I didn’t have many jobs prior, and it’s been my full-time job for I think seven years now!