How Mormaii Develops Its Swimming Accessories
From testing with Olympians to making Storm fins in Brazil, Murillo Caldas details behind-the-scenes brand operations.
Murillo Caldas reveals how Mormaii's swimming division was born and built its training and racing accessories line. In a talk on Natação Stemma, he details the development of fins in Brazil, goggle production, and partnerships with elite athletes like Alan do Carmo and Leonardo de Deus.
When Mormaii's swimming division began taking shape around 2009, the initial challenge was translating the brand's watersports heritage to pools and open water crossings. Rather than just slapping a logo on existing gear, the project required creating a consistent catalog to keep pace with swimming's evolution in Brazil, catering to everyone from beginners to world-class athletes.
To validate and refine the equipment, the strategy relied on direct collaboration with the sport's biggest names. In an interview on Natação Stemma, Murillo Caldas recalled how an introduction facilitated by coach Horácio Piroca opened the door for Alan do Carmo to test and select goggle prototypes until finding the perfect fit. Feedback from elite athletes served as a technical benchmark to solidify the training and racing lineup, which now includes paddles, front snorkels, fins, and goggles.
The Alchemy of the Storm Fin and Domestic Production
While much of the sports market relies on direct imports, Mormaii chose to develop and manufacture its swimming fins in Brazil. The process, however, required successive rounds of technical adjustments. The first prototype used a stiffer, plasticized compound—effective for bodyboarding, but unsuitable for swimming kick cycles, where excessive rigidity strains knees and ankles.
To reach the sweet spot, Murillo and the technical team modified material formulations until making the blade more flexible without sacrificing propulsion. The design was extensively tested by coaches across Brazil before arriving at the final version of the Storm fin, produced domestically in single-color and multi-color options.
Goggle Development and the LD200 Model
In the swim goggle segment, the economies of scale led the brand to partner with specialized international manufacturers. To ensure technical standards and quality control during development, the team traveled directly to factories to fine-tune straps, nose bridges, and gasket seal systems alongside design engineers.
Individual athlete preferences also shaped specific products. Olympian Leonardo de Deus, for instance, wanted a low-profile model that fit directly into the eye socket without the bulky silicone gaskets typical of recreational goggles. This demand gave rise to the LD200 model, which underwent rigorous testing by the team during training sessions.
The product development process also yielded valuable lessons about the market. Murillo notes that attempting to create overly generic, 'all-in-one' goggles proved to be a past misstep, as swimming gear demands precise anatomical and functional specificity to satisfy both elite athletes and recreational swimmers.