As millions of couples around the world attempt to adjust to a new normal in self-isolation at home, there is one husband and wife duo who are experiencing a strange sense of deja vu right now – former MAFS golden couple Jules Robinson and Cam Merchant.
The loved-up pair, who tied the knot (again, but for real this time!) in a lavish Sydney wedding last year, became so used to living on top of each other while filming MAFS season six, that they have found themselves surprisingly well-prepared for the challenges of living in self isolation.
“I honestly feel like we’re back in the experiment,” Jules told Now To Love.
“We spent 24 hours a day, seven days a week with each other for three months. It’s a long time,” she said.
Both are working from home – Jules is hard at work on her new shapewear line Figur, as well as her other ambassador roles with Olay and WW, while Cam, a keen cricketer, works for a sporting goods company.
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The coronavirus pandemic is killing relationships as well as people – one Chinese city saw a huge spike in the divorce rate following its mandatory quarantine period – but for Cam and Jules, self isolating in Jules’ lush Double Bay property feels like a holiday compared to the six long weeks they spent holed up in a tiny North Sydney apartment during MAFS.
“I said to Cam: ‘We’ve done it once before, we can do it again’. We’re lucky, because we’ve done it all before,” Jules said.
“But we do work well together and we are a great team. Plus, he has his cricket in the afternoon so I get a bit of time on my own!”
Couples who moisturise together, stay together!
(Image: Instagram)
Now there’s plenty of time for hand-holding on the couch.
(Image: Instagram)So, could this extended time in isolation result in a new addition to their family in 2021?
“Yeah absolutely, that’s always something that’s always been on the cards for us,” Jules, 37, said of her family plans with Cam.
“But everything in good time. Right now, my focus is on Figur. Figur is my first baby.”
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Cam and Jules are “absolutely” looking to start a family soon.
(Image: Instagram)Figur, which launched earlier this year and features six different shapewear styles – the brand’s sculpting shorts and skirts, which come in nude and black, cost between $89 and $119 – was created out of Jules’ frustrating experiences on the Married At First Sight set.
She would find herself squished into uncomfortable shapewear during the show’s dinner party episodes, where contestants get glammed up as they put their best feet forward, and would end up with her knickers around her ankles in the bathroom, discarding her undergarments halfway through filming.
That experience, combined with Jules’ love of a figure-hugging dress, spurred her to create her own product – one that wouldn’t slip down, and that allows the wearer to easily use the bathroom.
Jules poses in her own shapewear collection, Figur.
(Image: Instagram)
The products cost between $89 and $119 and go from size 6-24.
(Image: Instagram)Jules says Figur’s point of difference in a crowded shapewear market is inclusivity – “sexy is a mindset, not a dress size”, reads the brand’s tagline – and the range is offered in sizes 6-24, with the premium “Ultimate Figur” range available in sizes 10-18.
“I want it to be inclusive of all women. I want you to feel amazing in your clothes” she said.
“Some people say there’s a bit of irony in saying shapewear can help with body confidence, but it’s about owning what you’ve got. I’ve had so many mums contact me and say ‘I’ve had two C-sections and no ab class is going to change my stomach, but this is the best shapewear I’ve ever worn in my life’.
“It’s just a part of your wardrobe that makes fabric fit better over the top.”
Her ad campaigns feature women of all shapes and sizes and the imagery is refreshingly Photoshop-free, with cellulite, stretch marks and C-section scars all allowed to exist freely.
“I wanted people to be able to see themselves reflected in the campaign,” Jules said.
“We are all the same. Everyone has their insecurities. But the underlying core of Figur is women accepting themselves.”
WATCH BELOW: See the moment Cam proposes to Jules on MAFS. Story continues after video.
While many small businesses are suffering in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, and consumers are spending less in categories like fashion, Jules says women still want to invest in feeling good.
“People do consider shapewear as an event item, but I consider it an everyday item. I don’t wear underwear, I wear shape wear,” she said, when asked if the government’s restrictions on social gatherings would affect her business’s bottom line.
“I believe it’s something that’s just a staple piece. I’ve had women who have bought one pair, then they’ve gone and bought four more pairs!”
Furthermore, Jules is donating one dollar from the sale of every Figur item to Share The Dignity, an Australian charity providing free sanitation products to disadvantaged women.
“I do believe there is a silver lining in everything,” she said. “I know that there will be positives out of this.”
