As Seen on VoyageLA | Meet Andréa Bernholtz of Swiminista in Calabasas

As Seen on VoyageLA | Meet Andréa Bernholtz of Swiminista in Calabasas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andréa Bernholtz.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I grew up in Southern California dividing my time between Calabasas and Laguna Beach, and eventually moved to Hawaii. I moved back to the mainland and I had Co-founded a company called Rock & Republic back in 2002, after selling in 2011, I started a family and had no desire to start my own business again.

Flash forward a few years later to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico where a group of my friends and I were complaining how our swimwear never fit right, and I was convinced to create swimwear that was comfortable, sized to fit larger busts, was eco friendly all the while being Chic.

I combined my love for fashion and swimwear and Swiminista was born.

We focus are sales to high end resorts and our on-line sales over the world.
www.swiminista.com

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Like any start up there are rough roads, from trying to find specialized manufacturers, high end recycled fabrics and custom components.

Navigating the retail world for a strong online business and learning new marketing strategies with technical aspects that challenged my sophomoric computer skills had me pulling out my hair a few times.

Breaking into the swim world where I had not “swam” before (Pun intended), had also been challenging like being the new kid at school. Creating a great product and not giving up, has been our strength, I have been down rocky roads in the past but have managed to smooth them out.

Swiminista – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am proud to create, empower and support women while helping the environment.

Swiminista literally supports womens bust up to a size DDD, we sell adjustable tops and bottoms separately so women can get a customizable fit, while looking chic and being eco friendly.

None of our swimwear ever binds behind your neck and is designed so you only show what you want to show, we make our tops supportive so you don’t pop out.

Our mission to be eco friendly is another aspect we are very proud of from the fabrics all the way to our recycled packaging that is also compostable.

We have a few surprise collaborations coming out within the next year as well, we are very excited, stay tuned and follow us @swiminista to stay in the know!

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success has many different faces, from creating swimwear that actually makes women feel great (yes, we get fan mail), To creating a sustainable brand and supporting Ocean cleanups and causes and supporting women to employing and collaborating with a wide variety of people. that is success, the financial success comes when our customers are happy.

Pricing:

  • Contemporary Designer priced

Contact Info:

  • Address: PO Box 8008
    Calabasas, Ca.
    91372
  • Website: www.swiminista.com
  • Email: info@swiminista.com
  • Instagram: @swiminista
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