How I Started My Own Swimwear Line

It’s been a crazy year to say the least. For one, I ended up starting my own swimwear line that would never have been possible if 2020 never happened. For a year that was dreaded by many – when you look back – you realize how much freedom it gave you to pursue what makes you happiest. It definitely did for me; I always had a desire to start my own brand but it didn’t seem attainable before then and I never knew where to start.

That’s why I wanted to share how I started my own swimwear line when just two year prior, I thought it was a far-off dream that didn’t seem possible. Well, it’s definitely possible. Because of the pandemic and being at a loss of what to do with my time, I decided to do what felt the most natural to me. I started my own swimwear line, which had been a decade in the making. Read on to hear the whole process!

My Why

After three long months 0f being stuck at home and having little to do, I started to get an intense itch to get creative again. At first it felt like a long summer vacation with all the free time but then it became unbearable. My mind needed stimulation and I wasn’t going to get it watching Netflix all day.

I decided to reach out to a mentor and ultimately, I shared that one of the things I wanted to achieve was to start my own swimwear line. I’d always wanted to start a swimwear line to help smaller women like myself feel good. After establishing that was my ultimate end-goal, I started to get to work. The decision to start gave me the most anxiety I’d felt in awhile but in the end, it really was worth it because I got to see my designs come to life!

Creating a Mood Board

I’d graduated from design school nine years prior so designing a collection felt completely foreign to me. I didn’t know where to start or how to begin putting together a mood board anymore. However, instead of trying to think of a theme, I ended up collecting images on Pinterest I simply liked. That ended up working like a charm.

Pictured above is the first mood board I’ve put together in almost a decade! I went with a dreamy colour palette with a nostalgic feel to summers in the city and a touch of whimsy. It would be the perfect mix of feminine and edgy. This ended up being the turning point in my business journey from being just a dream to turning into a full-on reality.

The Sketching Begins

After deciding on a theme – which was honestly the hardest part of it all – next came months of sketching. Summer of 2020 will always hold a special place in my heart because I spent most of it outdoors in the park just sketching for hours. I hadn’t sketched in so long and even when I did, I had no direction of what I was sketching for. This time it was for my own swimwear collection and I already had a theme in mind. I eventually did over 50 sketches until I had a clearer idea of what it is I wanted to create.

I wanted to focus on classic cuts with a two-tonal colour palette with pastel shades. It would be minimalistic with an added edge to it. You could say it’s bold yet subtle with feminine cuts. Surprisingly, I ended up putting one of my first sketches into production. Pictured above is a sketch I did on a park bench. I wanted to produce a soft and feminine collection that would also empower. The process that followed was the fun part as many unexpected hiccups arose.

Choosing a Manufacturer

After having a clear idea of the collection I wanted to produce, it was time to look for manufacturers. The main focus of my swimwear line was to help empower smaller-chested women like myself who may not have confidence while wearing a bikini. I was looking at a couple manufacturers in Bali, Indonesia that I felt could help bring my vision to life. Both had eco-friendly fabric options.

The relationship you have with your manufacturer is so important that you should always choose the one that you have the best working relationship with. I ordered starter kits from both to see their fabric swatches up close. I ended up going with the one that was more professional in presentation and had sustainable fabric options. Though they didn’t have the molded cups I’d initially wanted, I realized that my swimwear is ultimately about empowering women. I decided to take a chance and use softer padding in my swimwear instead, which made it easier to bring my collection to life.

Custom or Ready Design

When designing this collection, I had planned to do all custom design. However, when looking for manufacturers, I came across the option to do ready design as well. Ready design, for those that aren’t familiar, is when you have a selection of pre-designed styles to choose from. It’s great because you get to decide the fabrics and colours for them, which makes the whole process a lot faster and cost-efficient.

I was a bit torn on which to choose but ultimately, it was the smartest decision to go with ready design. I could save money and also focus on the business side instead of doing a million revisions to get each design perfect. Pictured above is one of five ready designs I chose. I decided to tweak it a bit by lowering the back panel. It seemed like a simple modification but there was a lot of miscommunication along the way that it took me awhile to get the design right. FYI, doing custom designs can take many revisions to get right so constant communication is key!

From Sampling to Final Production

After going through a long process that took about six months from the sampling stage to receiving my full bulk order, I would highly recommend doing ready design. It saves you time and money so you can put it towards marketing instead. I plan to do custom designs eventually but for now, I’m so happy to have chosen designs known to sell well in today’s market. I also ordered all my accessories from the same supplier that allowed for everything to be branded with my logo.

Pictured above is my branded cotton mesh bag that I use to package all my orders in. I decided to name my swimwear line Avery – meaning the ruler of elves, which are known to be magical and beautiful creatures. I’ve always loved the name and the meaning fit the brand so perfectly. The result was a collection that’s light and airy with a feeling of nostalgia tied in a pretty pastel colour-palette. Thus, Avery was born.

Seeing Your Designs Come to Life

Seeing my designs come to life felt a little surreal at first. When I received my samples last spring, I felt a mix of emotions but mainly excitement to see how all my five designs had turned out. The quality of everything exceeded my expectations and I was really happy with the unique fabrics and colours I went with. I ended up choosing a mix of shiny and matte finishes that gave it that fairy-like feel I had intended. The collection was simply magical and I was ecstatic to try everything on.

Pictured above is the Mai Bikini that’s been the best seller of the first collection – the Memories Collection. It’s shimmery mauve on the outside with the option to be reversed for its matching matte colour. Aside from using sustainable materials sourced from recycled materials, I wanted to give women something different. The feminine pastel colour palette mixed with the vegan leather accents makes this collection truly one-of-a-kind.

The story of how I stared my own swimwear line is a simple one but ultimately, took 10 years of self-doubt to start. For many years I had this idea in my head to start my own fashion brand but I never really knew how. After going through this process, I’ll tell you it doesn’t matter if you don’t know how. Taken from a podcast I listened to during the pandemic: as long as you do one small thing a day that gets you closer to your end-goal, eventually you’ll get there.

Pictured above, I’m modelling my own swimwear in my very first photoshoot for Avery. It was completely unplanned that I would model on this day but it ended up being so much fun. The best part was being able to wear my own brand! If you had told me a year prior that I’d have my own brand a year later, I would never have believed you. It’s crazy how much can change in a year and how much it can change you. Check out my new sustainable swimwear brand that was born out of the summer of 2020 – the year that we finally went after our dreams.