Mr. Wonderful is used to being the “villain” in the Shark Tank, but when Sarah Buxton pitches TuTu Blue, her line of “Long” beachwear, he may be over-matched. Buxton is most famous for portraying bitch extraordinaire Morgan DeWitt for several years in The Bold and the Beautiful. In that role, Buxton was a super villain who routinely schemed murderous and adulterous plots against her fellow co-stars. If she retained any attitude from that role at all, pitching to the Sharks in Shark Tank episode 717 should be a piece of cake!
Whether Buxton is a business villain or not, she invented Tutu Blue for a very serious reason: she had a skin cancer scare. She originally created TutuBlue suits to give her a light-weight, quick drying, long cover-up to protect her skin from the sun without the need for applying (and reapplying) sunscreen. Sarah is a beach lover and lives in sunny southern California, so she spends much of her leisure time in the sun and surf, proper protection is a must – skin cancer scare or not.
The suits currently only come in women’s styles, but plans for men’s and kid’s versions are in the works. Picture a Tutu Blue suit as a long-sleeve, long pants bathing suit that offers 50 UPF protection. They come in all kinds of wild colors and patterns and are readily available on Amazon and in upscale beachwear retailers in Laguna Beach, CA and Miami Beach, FL. The suits will set you back around $200, so they are on the pricey side, but if you factor in all the money you’ll save on sunscreen, it’s not too expensive!
Will a Shark think Tutu Blue is a suitable investment?
My Take on Tutu Blue
Since moving to Florida, I’ve taken to wearing a lightweight, long-sleeve, hooded sun shirt when I am out fishing or at the beach. It’s very similar to the TutuBlue tops, but it has fish scales on it! I still wear shorts, but I find I have to apply a lot of sun screen to my legs. I might try a long pant bathing suit or sun pants, but it probably wouldn’t work on me with some of Buxton’s wild patterns.
Since she doesn’t have men’s suits yet, I really couldn’t say I’d use the product or not. My wife liked the styles and the concept as she’s fair-skinned. She even “hinted” that she’d like one (The Aqualung to be precise). Whether she gets one for Mother’s Day or not, she likes the product, so I guess I am “IN.”
Will Sharks Swim with Buxton?
It will be interesting to see if any of the Sharks know Buxton’s soap opera persona. Beyond that, this could be a challenging pitch. There is some synergy with Mark Cuban’s Tower Paddle Boards, but I am not confident he’ll see this as an invest-able business. The same goes for Kevin and Robert. Daymond would have been a good “target Shark” for Buxton, but he’s not on the panel.
That leaves the Sharkettes. They may like the styles, but I think the high price will keep Lori from going in. Barbara likes the beach, but there will have to be great sales numbers to entice her. As always, sales trump a lot of objections in the Shark Tank, but I think unless Buxton has some outstanding numbers, she leaves without a deal.
Entrepreneur, auteur, raconteur. Rob Merlino is a blogger and writer who enjoys the Shark Tank TV show and Hot Dogs. A father of five who freelances in a variety of publications, Rob has a stable of websites including Shark Tank Blog, Hot Dog Stories, Rob Merlino.com and more.
I LOVE this idea! I want to buy them!!! These would totally sell (especially for Asian cultures who like to not get too tanned) internationally. Not all women want to show skin while snorkeling, fishing, swimming, etc.
Sharks….I think you all missed the chance to help ms. Tutu blue turn her idea and project into a gold mine. I am 50. My sister is 46. My nieces range from 14 up to 25. Lastly, my mom is 73. All of us LOVE these swim suits. We are all pretty darn good-looking and we hope to continue to exude confidence as we play outside. We also know that the sun has caused many of our close friends and family members to have become victims of sun damage, hence some resulting in fatal diagnosis of melanoma. My point is that these tutu suits are completely adorable, fun, spunky, sexy, and most of all, healthy. You know what they say. Most fashion goes full circle. My great grandmother actually wore something quite similar in the early 1900’s. The difference then was more of a modesty factor. 100 years later, someone actually is bright enough to bring these all covering swim suits back, but for a reason completely different. I only wish I could have thought of this first. Come on sharks. Give her another shot! I just have a feeling????
Love it
All I do is burn in the sun
I wear tights with my swimsuit and a swim top over my one piece
This is great and my breasts won’t look hanging for I can now wear a real bra
Just a little idea for her suits….contact The Lupus Foundation of America for advertising online sales. Research the benefits this suit could have for Lupus sufferers. Maybe even recruit Selena Gomez, as she has been diagnosed. She’s beautiful and she’s young.
Too bad. I’d buy one. I’m a water lover and have had melanoma.
I play tennis, and have been looking for years, for attractive, , stylish UV tennis outfits forever. They are simply not there. I would love to some options here or to perhaps partner on the design side Newport Beach, Ca.
I find the comments made by “whatshisname” on Shark Tank regarding the Tutu Blue swim suits, to be beyond sexist, and I regret that the women Sharks were not more protective their sisters. I am 60 years old. I am attractive, but have those middle age issues which are not “beach friendly”. But beyond that, I grew up in Southern California during 60’s/70’s and now have skin cancer. In all the seasons of Shark Tank, this is the best thing I have ever seen. Not for nothing, because it is clear to me none of you are concerned with anything but your “bottom line”, I will no longer watch Shark Tank. I am a small fish in your great big ocean, but I am standing on principle here. To put your pocketbooks over the health and safety of the general public is plain selfishness. Shame on you! I will not be able to buy something that would have enabled me the freedom of spending time on the beach.
Where can i buy a Tutu Swimsuit. I am allergic to uv rays
Amazon has them. http://www.amazon.com/tutublue/b/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=tutublue&linkCode=ur2&node=13608475011&tag=asseenonsharktank-20&linkId=X3JWL33RNUVJTZFP
I just saw that you can get them on Amazon
BUY HERE: https://www.sharktankblog.com/ygi7
Love the idea but this would look terrible on us not so fit ladies.
I have to find one of these for me and my mom! My mom is a skin cancer survivor (with vitiligo, so she is also embarrassed about the appearance of her skin). And I have since been extremely careful of getting out in the sun because I’m afraid of going down the same path. Plus, those suites were cute! If they sale online, I would like someone to contact me please!
you can purchase from their official website http://www.tutublue.com/
I was burned over 55% of my body and about 35% was skin grafts I live in Redding,Ca. I Love it here because we have LAKE SHASTA and WHISKEY TOWN LAKE I LOVE THE WATER. This swimsuit would set me free to go boating Also the Sacamento River runs through Redding. Rafting tubing ect. This suit would set me FREE, But I’M NOT as small as you girls and now that I’m on disability that only pays 800 a month I don’t know if I can afford it , never caught the price when you were on shark tank. I died 3 times was helecoptered to UC DAVIS was in the hospital for 6 months ect. Ect.To bad you couldn’t take me to the Shark tank. Maybe then they would really understand. There are alot of people that are burn BY FIRE. THAT SUIT REALLY WOULD SET ME FREE AGAIN. PLEASE CONSIDER GIVING ME A GOOD PRICE I CAN AFFORD AND I PROMISE I WILL SPREAD THE WORD FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. PLEASE .I HAVE 3 BEUTIFUL GIRLS AND ALOT OF FAMILY TO SPREAD THE WORK, My OLDEST DAUGHTER IS A BOSS AT MERCY DIGNITY HEALTH, HOSPITAL AND I KNOW FOR SURE SHE WOULD GET ONE FOR MY 7 YEAR OLD GRANDSON. REALLY TIRED OF LIVING MY LIFE AFTER THE SUN GOES DOWN.
Think it’s a great idea, but listen to Mr. Wonderful, & don’t brand it as a ” bathing ” suit so much as athletic clothing. At 57, it’s as much about the cover up as the sun protection, but I would use it as a workout suit, since I get seizures in the sun, also I think you could market it as zeika clothing for pregnant women & children.