FIGUR is an Australian shapewear brand empowering brides to love their body

FIGUR BY JULES is a complete shapewear line designed for all women – of all shapes and sizes. We caught up with its founder, one-time Married at First Sight star Jules Robinson, to find out more about the brand that’s striving to empower every woman to love her body shape.

The idea for FIGUR BY JULES was born after your own experience wearing uncomfortable shapewear during MAFS filming. So, what sets FIGUR apart from other shapewear brands?
After wearing shapewear every day for three months while filming MAFS (and struggling with discomfort!) I knew I wanted something that you could wear all day and night without feeling restricted – and it wasn’t available. 

I also had a lot of women reach out, telling me they had similar body shapes and that they wished they had as much confidence as me when wearing accentuating clothes. I know shapewear is my superpower and I thought, there has to be a better way. Being a consumer of shapewear my whole adult life, I was sure I could design an excellent range, and so, after some in-depth polling with women through my Instagram, I discovered what they also liked and disliked about current products. Like me, their standout issues related to comfort and toilet concerns, and so I created FIGUR – the perfect solution. FIGUR is for all women, all shapes, all sizes.

Having been in the wedding-day spotlight yourself, why would a bride feel more confident wearing FIGUR?
Firstly, because once it’s on, you don’t know it’s on! All-day-and-night comfort is crucial for a bride. And you want a seamless shapewear experience. I had so many women share horrific wedding day experiences with me –like having to go to the toilet, take the whole dress and shapewear off, and not be able to get it back on! Can you imagine?

FIGUR is an integral part of a woman’s wardrobe, a staple piece to have. It accentuates your curves and smooths lumps and bumps; certain sheer fabrics look a million times better with FIGUR (especially fitted dresses). Shapewear is also great for posture, postpartum support and chafing. At my wedding last year I was in the final stages of perfecting my ULTIMATE line in FIGUR, so I wore my final sample with my wedding dress, and it felt great!

Have any specific pieces been designed with a bridal or formal gown in mind?
I would suggest the ULTIMATE for a wedding or formal gown; it is for max body contouring and accentuating your beautiful natural shape, and with a seamless finish you won’t see it underneath. Currently, all FIGUR shapewear designs finish under the bra line and don’t roll down… but stand by, a low-back FIGUR line is in the future.

The brand has a strong and clear focus on body positivity. Why do you think it’s essential for women to foster body confidence?
FIGUR is more than just a shapewear brand – the core of FIGUR is women supporting women. We need to encourage women to not only love and accept themselves but also to love and accept each other. We must transform competition into collaboration, and lift and inspire each other rather than pull each other down. Real confidence has no room for jealousy and envy.

When you know you are great, and when you accept yourself and your body, then you have no reason to hate or judge others, you accept and love the world around you. As a confident and curvy size 14 (and sometimes size 16) reality TV star, I didn’t fit the typical stereotype. While I did have some lovely people reach out to me, I was also trolled and entirely and utterly body-shamed by a few less-than-nice people. The whole experience gave me flashbacks to the sadness I felt as a teenager who believed that being super skinny was the only way to make it in this world. We place immense pressure on ourselves to think we have to be a ‘perfect’ shape, instead of accepting ourselves for who we are. With FIGUR, I want to help reset these thought patterns and encourage women to believe in their uniqueness and individuality.

Your campaign photos are such a glorious celebration of womanhood. How did you choose your ambassadors?
I chose to launch with a body positivity campaign for several reasons – mainly though, I wanted all women to be able to connect with an ambassador’s story and to be able to see themselves in the reflection. For this reason, my ambassadors needed to have diversity in appearance (our oldest is 64 and their sizes range from 8-24) but also various reasons for wanting to be a part of the campaign. Choosing our 2020 ambassadors was the hardest job I have ever undertaken. I laughed, I cried, and it was indeed a humbling experience – and one that I am about to do again very soon. And, trust me, ladies, when I say this: after reading thousands of applications, we are all the same. All the same!

You’ve described shapewear as your “secret superpower”. Can you share any other tips for women struggling with their body image?
Life can give you a thousand reasons to feel ‘not enough’, but you are the one with the power to change that story. So know this: that little tag inside your clothes may say size 6, 16 or 26, and you may be challenging fear or insecurity, but regardless of the number, that tag does not control your destiny, your potential or your purpose. You do. Speak kindly to yourself – there is so much power in this, as thoughts become things. Sexy isn’t a size, it’s a mindset – and while shapewear can help unlock that confidence, it goes hand in hand with feeling good in mind and body. When you feel good on the inside, you naturally become more confident in all aspects of life – so be kind, have integrity and engage your moral compass. (Then, don your FIGUR, stand tall and radiate confidence.)

Tell us about your commitment to Australian charity Share the Dignity…
FIGUR is for women reshaping the world. So, FIGUR donates $1 from every purchase to Share The Dignity – a charity that fights for domestic violence victims and fights for [help with] period poverty for women. Share The Dignity supports women and girls who don’t have the resources or money to access sanitary products such as pads and tampons. It’s easy to spend time focusing on first-world problems like smoothing out our lumps and bumps, however, when some women don’t have access to a product that enables dignity, it’s just not right. Share The Dignity is all about supporting women, and so is FIGUR.

What’s next for FIGUR BY JULES? We’re super-excited to hear about the maternity range!
Oh, so am I! And we’ll be launching very soon. Wearing FIGUR Maternity (bellyband shapewear) offers max support for your stomach, hips and back without compression under the belly. It stretches and grows with you – and I can tell you from my own experience, it feels fantastic! We’re also super-excited to launch FIGUR FEMALES. This is a platform to showcase women – their businesses and their brands – who are reshaping the world. Oh, and did I mention that we have an activewear collection in the pipeline? Busy times ahead but all very exciting. Stand by…

Visit figur.com.au for more info.

Want to join the body positivity movement and help reshape the world? The 2021 FIGUR Ambassador search is now on. For entry details, head to figur.com.au and follow @figur_co on Instagram. Go get ’em, girls!