Dive Safely with a Custom-Made Suit

Céline, Fabien, and Franz, experts in neoprene clothing, share their expertise: a perfectly fitted wetsuit is key to aquatic comfort and safety. Discover the secrets of these passionate artisans.

Text: Alexie Valois

The importance of custom-made for demanding divers

Regular divers know the importance of suitable equipment. While thermal insulation is crucial for battling the cold, other aspects matter just as much. As early as 1968, Jacques Milhares, founder of Topstar, understood this. “This Bordelais, passionate about aquatic environments, was an inventor of diving. He developed products with his neoprene manufacturing partners. And, for Commander Jacques-Yves Cousteau’s team, Topstar created specific custom-made suits,” explains Fabien Dubois, the company’s buyer in 2021.

For Fabien, the goal is clear: “It’s not just about being comfortable in a garment but diving with maximum support from the equipment.” A well-fitted suit improves stability, while a poorly adjusted model can create harmful folds. An inappropriate semi-dry suit can cause pain, and an overly loose drysuit leads to excessive buoyancy. Custom-fit radically transforms the diving experience.

Topstar: French expertise for over 50 years

Fabien Dubois, passionate about sea and lake diving, chose to take over Topstar for its unique French craftsmanship and pioneering history. The company, based in Gironde, produces everything in France. Its team of twenty people, from designers to tailors, masters the art of dry, wet, and semi-dry suits.

Topstar expertise at the service of all divers

« Our products, designed in different materials (fabric, neoprene, and fabric or all-neoprene), are suited for both recreational and technical diving. Our suits allow all types of exploration under ice, at great depths, freediving, etc. And we are focused on safety, because that is no joke! » Fabien asserts. Topstar equips professionals such as firefighters, the army, divers, the Andromeda Oceanology team, Jean-Marc Bell’s ice diving school, IFREMER, INRAP, One Ocean, and Tara Expeditions, as well as apnea champions.

The importance of details for a perfect feminine wetsuit

Topstar offers women’s models with studied cuts and attractive colors. Specific neoprene panels prevent unnecessary compression, providing targeted flexibility and thickness. Every detail is designed to fit each female diver’s morphology.