Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Chiou.
Hi Linda, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
From a young age, I’ve always been very entrepreneurial. By 19 I had started a variety of e-commerce stores in the fashion and beauty category. I was always growing, improving, brainstorming and eager to turn new business ideas into a reality.
By the time I graduated University while working my 9-5 corporate job, I decided to start another online business. This time IVY Swimwear was born. I was always sketching up fashion designs from a young age and was fascinated by this industry. I noticed a gap in the market for swimwear that fit petite bodies at the time and came up with the business idea during one of my trips to Mexico. I didn’t want to give up on being an entrepreneur because I knew that was the only way for me to achieve that freedom to travel and to control my own schedule I yearned so badly for. I achieved my goal of bringing my swimwear brand to Miami Swim Week four years later which was a dream of mine for years. I was also able to quit my corporate job and focus full-time on my own business. I look back and I’m so proud of myself for taking the leap. There is nothing more rewarding than building something from scratch and seeing it come to reality. I’m doing what I’m passionate about each day and it doesn’t even feel like work. I can travel when I want to and I don’t need to ask anyone permission! The freedom of this is priceless.
Today, I attribute a huge factor of our success to social media. Social media is such a hub of creativity and helped connect us to incredible talent across the world. We’ve been published in print, shot by extraordinary photographers and worn by influencers and talent across the world. Social media has allowed us to increase our brand recognition with networking and organic word of mouth even before having a large budget for advertising. We utilized the power of social media to the full force and with the support of this network quickly amassed our following. It was the beginning of how we garnered enough attention to have the privilege of showcasing our collection at Miami Swim Week and bringing IVY Swimwear to the next level in front of more press and media. We’ve met so many talented people in the industry through the launch of our brand and we wouldn’t be where we are today without their support.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The fashion industry is so competitive. Continually adapting with trends, coming out with new unique products at the right moment, or having competitive pricing is always going to be an evolving obstacle.
Not a lot of people know this, but in the beginning, we solely sold crochet swimwear. This was costly and very challenging with sizing and production for us. It took a lot of trial and error to find our specialty and narrow down what our audience really wanted to see from us. I really reflected on which of my needs weren’t met in order to determine what kind of products would have most demand. Being a petite girl myself, I noticed there weren’t many bikini brands that flattered petite bodies at the time. I also loved lace and feminine details and noticed there was minimal brands out there doing lace and doing it in a flattering way to wear on the beach. So we quickly changed our brand strategy and evolved our designs. Lace has quickly become our top seller and by targeting this niche audience in the beginning, it’s how we built traction.
Another big challenge, in the beginning, was sourcing suitable manufacturers who understood our vision, quality standards and timelines. I don’t have a fashion education so there was a lot of design challenges in the beginning. I had to start with the basics and learned about tech packs, sizing, stitching options, fabric selections, cuts and aftercare. There was certainly a lot of money spent doing revisions and perfecting our templates. I’m most proud of the fact that I had a goal and didn’t let anything get in the way to achieve that. So many people told me it was impossible because I didn’t have that technical skill, but I continued to perfect my samples, focused on building my brand and expanding my knowledge on manufacturing processes.
There have definitely been growing pains along the way but we’ve learned from our mistakes and will continue to push to overcome any obstacles that come our way. This is what makes the journey that much more rewarding.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about IVY Swimwear?
IVY Swimwear is proudly a minority and female-owned brand. Founded in 2015 by Linda Chiou, a Canadian entrepreneur now living in New York. IVY Swimwear is driven by making women feel confident and beautiful in their bodies and offering feminine, flirty and fashion-forward designs for the trendsetter!
Most of our designs take 3-4 months per item so we pour our heart and soul into designing one-of-a-kind pieces! Lace, textured fabrics, and high-quality hardware are some of the exciting fabrics and accessories we love to work with when creating our unique designs.
IVY Swimwear was named after the plant – poison ivy, and our collections are inspired by nature and the beautiful colors and textures of Mother Earth. Our brand is taking steps forward every year in our efforts to be better for our planet.
Our packaging is a mix of recyclable and biodegradable materials including our customer cards, packing boxes, and components of our order packaging. We aim to be more conscious of all processes from manufacturer selection, and production to packaging and we know we can continually improve. We ensure that all our fabric is ordered to quantity and any leftover fabric is used in order to ensure no waste in materials. We also gift reusable satin pouches in most of our orders to encourage reuse for our customers.
Educating our customers on proper product care, to ensure the longevity of the product is very important to us to prolong their lifespan. We are an independent label and are committed to learning more about eco-friendly processes and researching sustainable materials tor future designs so that we can become a more ethical brand for our planet.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
COVID has taught us that life is precious and fleeting. Although our team works hard, they also play hard and that is the culture here at IVY. We believe that there needs to be a work/life balance and that what matters most is family, loved ones and creating memories together. Our IVY Swimwear bikinis are taken all around the world during our customers’ special vacations and trips and helping our customers build these memories means a lot to us! IVY Swimwear is a lifestyle, and now that COVID is a chapter that has almost passed, it feels amazing to see people traveling and enjoying these moments again.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ivyswimwear.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivyswimwear
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopIVYswimwear
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/IvySwimwear
- Founder: https://www.instagram.com/xolindaa/
Image Credits
Runway Resource – Thomas Concordia Alexis Brown Photography
