Flomotion Limited

The start of Flomotion

In September 2020, Beatrice Russell took the plunge and started her own company known as Flomotion Limited. The company offers bespoke designs, development, and prototyping services in competitive sports garments for elite athletes. Driven by the desire to achieve outstanding sporting results, Flomotion meets the needs of all clients, sustainably and ethically.

Banks Mill Studios

In January 2021, Flomotion moved into Banks Mill Studios and over the last two years, the company has achieved phenomenal success. Within the first year, Bea received an order for both European and Global Olympic and Paralympics kits and had the opportunity to produce suits for several athletes- 12 of these ended up on the podium.

Young woman in black and white dress sat in front of a sewing machine, feeding fabric through

Bea first visited Banks Mill Studios as a Derby College student and was instantly impressed by the iconic creative space. As the studios are managed by the University of Derby, Bea reflected that the decision to make Banks Mill the original home for Flomotion was a ‘no-brainer’. Every step of the way, University of Derby has been able to offer help and support on her business journey.

During her time at Banks Mill, Bea has introduced approximately 20 new specialist sporting products for cycling and triathlons. Bea shared...

“I am now able to bulk manufacture so I can supply teams as well as individual clients. My client base is now global as I work with many international teams for worldwide competitions.”

Young woman smiling at camera, wearing a sage green jumper and red, brick wall backdrop

I love the ‘culture’ here. Everything is tailored to helping businesses develop and expand to achieve their best. I am lucky to have forged some great associations and indeed new friendships whilst under the supportive umbrella of the University of Derby.

Beatrice Russell

Owner of Flomotion Limited

Young woman wearing light brown shirt holding a measuring tape in front of tall, dark mannequin that is wearing a tight, blue lycra cycling suit

Productivity through Innovation

Flomotion has recently had the opportunity to offer a fully funded internship to an undergraduate Fashion student, through support from the Productivity through Innovation programme. Thinking back to her time as an undergraduate, Bea was keen to offer a student the opportunity to gain experience in her niche field of work. Flomotion tasked their intern with all elements of bespoke suit building from pattern cutting to printing, construction and final quality control. The intern gained an insight into the specialist field of garment manufacturing; the design process and creative practices of the business; and the likes and dislikes of the industry. Subsequently, the internship with Flomotion has positively influenced the student’s next steps as she has now secured employment in her chosen field of creativity- as a Junior Garment Technologist. Reflecting on her positive experience with the PtI programme, Bea shared...

“The intern had experience working in a bridal setting and so, went straight into manufacturing sewing- an ‘extra pair of hands’ when I needed it most in the infancy of my business. It was a fail-safe method that illustrated the exact help I needed to take my business forward to the next step.”

Bea and her team are so grateful for the time and support from the Intern and hope to be able to offer the same opportunity to another student in the very near future.

The future of Flomotion

Bea also works as a Development Consultant for triathlons and has recently started working with a wearable tech company. Flomotion is now working in conjunction with National Institutions, Pro-Teams and global brands, and continues to go from strength to strength. As the business continues to carve a name for itself in the field of specialist sportswear, longer-standing companies in the industry are approaching Flomotion for guidance and expertise on projects they are working on. Bea is looking forward to increasing the business workforce and is also planning to further develop the wearable tech arm of the business into applications outside of the sporting world. We can’t wait to see the developments!