Sustainable Swimwear That Actually Fits with Tiffany Asamoah of BOLD Swim

Hey, friends. Welcome. And welcome back to nosey AF conversations about art, activism, and social change.I'm your host and friend Stephanie Graham, and it's the 31 days of black Business series that we've been doing here at nosey af, where we have been speaking to super smart, super wise, super brave and innovative entrepreneurs every day this month in celebration of Black Business Month. So we are in the last stretch of summer, which means the last stretch of lakefront pool days.And it's been tough because especially here in Chicago, we've had a lot of storms, but we are all still trying, as soon as the weather breaks, to head over to the pool into the lakefront. And so it is the perfect time to talk to Tiffany Asamoah, the founder of Bold Swim.Tiffany built Bold Swim because she couldn't find swimwear that was sustainable, comfortable, and available past a large. You guys, this is such a wonderful conversation. I'm just so inspired by fashion and sustainability and responsibility. I don't know. I just had fun.So let's play our lovely theme music, and then I am so excited to introduce you to Tiffany Asamoah. And welcome to nosey af. Gotta get up, get up to the whole world. You will win a winner Vision of a star with a mission in the cause.What you're doing, how you doing, what you're doing and who you are. Flex yourself and press yourself.

Check yourself, don't wreck yourself.

If you know me, then know that I be knowing what's up. Hey, Stephanie Graham is nosy as Tiffany. Welcome to nosey af.

Thank you, Stephanie. I'm so glad to be here.

Yes. I am super excited to talk to you because in August, you know, swimwear is all the rage, right?Like, we're all trying to be at the lakefront, at the pools, you know, being outside. So I love it. What was your relationship with fashion and swimwear growing up?

Oh, wow. So very, very different. So I would say two things.My relationship with fashion growing up was I was a kid that was child model, doing all kinds of things, looking in the back of all the 17, all the magazines, trying to call France for this dress. Had no business. Don't know where I'm gonna wear this dress, but I was trying to get this dress.And then with swimming in particular, my birthday is July 4th, so I'm definitely a swimming.

Oh, no way.

Wow. Yeah. So we'd always go at the pool. Grew up in a pool in the backyard, learn to swim.But, you know, just always kind of mod swimwear, kind of all, you know, very conservative. Church upbringing. So, you know, it wasn't. We were swimming, but it was, like, with restrictions a bit.

Yeah. How would you describe bold swimwear? I mean, obviously the name's in the title, but what would you say?

I would say bold swim is just out of my love of what I said, love of fashion that I was able to kind of come back to, my love of being in the water, the summertime, you know, being outside. But it was really out of a need of going on vacation and couldn't find a swimwear that fit. It was, you know, nobody that looked like me.There was no sizes past large. I'm tall, I'm curvy. So I was like, wear the swimwear. That's cute. I don't want to go to Walmart for some, you know, old 19.You know, I'm born in the 80s. But, like, I don't, you know. Me too. We're in the 21st century. Like, let's get something that's modern, that fits the. I'm grown woman. Sexy.So I couldn't find anything and just really disappointed. And after I started talking to other people or where they got their swimsuits from, you know, everybody, they had the same experience.And I was like, well, I think I can. I think I can do this. I think I should do this. So it was just about being bold and just kind of changing directions.

I think that that's so wild that, like, what was it that made you think, yeah, I can do this, and then going to actually do it. Like, did you have, like, design experience? Like, how did you know, like, what your first step would be?

Not at all. Not at all. I don't come because I'm a little crazy. Yeah, I don't. I didn't have any fashion experience when I started this.It was just literally, I'm like, okay, so if I'm gonna do swimwear, what is that? What does that really mean, Tiffany? Like, what does that really mean?I have a creative background, like I said, kind of circle back into getting into fashion. But I've always drawn. I'm a photographer first before I started this brand. And it was really. I had the opportunity of learn from somebody near.She was a tailor, and I was like, can you make this swimsuit? And I just asked her, and I just watched her do it. She taught me a few things along the way. I was able to ask better questions of manufacturing.My first manufacturing company was in Brazil. So I had to, like, communicate virtually with this person to tell her what I want.I was just picking and Choosing and then over time, just getting better at the design. And what I wanted was it expensive,.

Like, this trial and error, like, going back and forth. Like, it seems like it would be pricey.

It was so pricey. You don't. You don't count those things in the end because you're very naive to what's going on. So I was in Texas when I started the brand.I'm currently in Los Angeles, so I was in Texas. Didn't.Even though I knew how to, like, get a swimsuit made from this tailor that just happened to be in my neighborhood, I still had to figure out how to get the materials and make this a real business and, like, mass produce, because I don't. I don't sew, like, since, like, what, seventh grade home EC class, right?

The pin. The, like, pin cushion we all made.

You remember? So I had to go to New York. So the trip to New York, I had to project this out. I was going to this sourcing show.I met a couple people that, you know, just piqued my interest around sustainability.I sat in a couple of, like, lunch and learns and breakout sessions, and I was like, okay, so beyond just what I want to make, how do I want to bring it to market and what fabrics and things that I want to bring. And at the time, it was around transparency and sustainability.So I was like, well, I can't come in making something that the industry's already talking that they don't want or should be better. So if I'm already innovating that it should be for all body types, you know, as inclusive as it can be. Right?And why would I not have the latest technology to bring my brand to life?

How did you even learn about sustainability? I feel like it's such a fashionable term right now. Like, yeah, maybe it is.It Forever 21's fault with the whole, like, fast fashion and then the sustainability. I only knew that term, like interior design, you know, but, like, now everybody's like, oh, sustainable. Sustainable, yeah.

And I think there was a few brands around at the time. And like I said, it was like where your materials come from, where you're sourcing, all these things.So it was around people, like, having QR codes to, like, have full transparency of, like, you know, this fiber came from this country, blah, blah, blah, and sustainability. So the first time I really had full conversations around it was when my first trip to New York to get sourcing and find vendors to supply the fabric.And I started doing, reading and researching about it. And of course, it's greenwashing it's still greenwashing to this day because there's a.

What's greenwashing?

So it's just a marketing term that they use, a buzzword that they use. Not that sustainability is not achievable, but we all, you know, even my education and knowledge of it has changed is like sustainability.And then the UN has goals where it talks about what sustainability is from the industry perspective of manufacturing. Right. Which fashion is manufacturing. And they're about equal pay, equal rights, use of water and energy, materials that regenerate.So it came out of that and learning what fabrics were available that were not forever chemical, you know, chemically treated, that had toxic dyes that are not certified materials, those type of things where they're just made any kind of way. Or sustainability talks about how that custody chain, those logistics are all followed in rules and regulators and compliance, basically.

Oh, wow. Because my follow up question is going to say, like, why should we care? But all the things you listed is like, why?I definitely do not want a chemically treated shirt on me all the time. Especially like with swimwear.

Microplastics is ending up in our food, our soil.

Yeah.

Our everything. Our everything.

Our private parts. Right. Oh, my gosh. Like putting that.

I don't ever want to.

Let me check this shirt.

Like, oh, my God.

Oh my gosh. Okay.

Yeah, yeah. So it just like, it clicked to me that it just is like, okay, so if I can, can I do something better? What. What is available?We can't get away from all of it. Right. Um, you know, things are packaged in plastic and. Okay, so let me not package my swimsuit in plastic when I ship it.Like going down to like every part of the operations of the business is what I had to get really good about. You know, what programs were out there that made sense? Who was just collecting badges under the name of sustainability without any governance?Who was checking all of this? Right.

Yeah.

It took the world by storm when it started happening. And you know, I participated in some of those things unknowing.But when I started getting better at researching and really reading, I was like, absolutely not. I can't be attached to this. I need to just show people that it is possible.But we also have to force legislation, change, blah, blah, blah, to get the real structures in place where this is actually feasible, achievable, attainable. Because what fashion has taught us now, like you mentioned the fast fashion brands, is that a shirt should cost $4 and it should be okay. That's not.I mean, in manufacturing. Yes. Volume Brings price down. Supply and demand. Right. Economics 101.However, we know that the people that are making this shirt for $4 are not getting paid properly. Yeah, Right. So yikes. Human labor, slave labor, child labor, bad facilities. Right. We know of them around the world.We know of the Global south getting a lot of the trash that is not bought in stock because it's not, you know, consumed. So it goes to other countries, and they receive it for income, but it pollutes their environment.So it's like this whole chain that's just really connected and unseen for the better part of it.

Yeah, it really makes me. It really makes me sort of sad now, going. Thinking about, like, the lakefront, like, all the kids running around.I'm going to be like, that auntie, like, come here. Is there swimsuit sustainable?

Right?

Where's your mouth?

Oh, my gosh.

Yeah. Geez. Yeah, we need to, like, be better about thinking about where our fashion comes from.I also blame Instagram, I think, because I remember seeing a girl who's like, oh, yeah, we can't be repeating outfits on Instagram.

And it's just like, why not?

Yeah, why not?

I know who's watching you, like, change up your top. Change. Like, I love thrifting, so I love, like, finding unique pieces and wearing them different ways. I don't care how many times I wear it.Like, my imagination is not limited to just, oh, this was one outfit that I just did for this day.

So how long has Bold Swim been around?

We've been around since 2017.

Wow. That's a minute.

Yeah. So what, nine years?

Yeah, nine years. What was your first collection like?

Oh, my gosh. It's so embarrassing. You're really being nosy. And it's good because I've never been asked these questions.And it's always funny story because, you know, you have your polished version, your interview, you know, all the different version of. Oh, of course, the marketing. But my first collection was horrible. It was horrible. And.And even, I'll tell you, my first collection in Texas and my first collection in California. So my first collection in Texas was a tailor who helped me make these. It was, you know, I loved it. I was like, I'm doing something in the world.

Yeah. I mean, you produced the swimwear collection.

This is pretty impressive. Thank you. And I had all the neighborhood ladies coming over to model for me, so I was like, I got this. I got this. I'm gonna get some models together.I'm already a photographer. I got this. I'm gonna do it. When I look back now, I was like, oh, my God. So it looks just like the worst. Sorry, Zara.Or H and M. Something other fast fashion swimsuit that you can think of, right?

Yeah.

And then my collection in. But that got me started. And then my collection in Los Angeles was a little bit more custom. I was trying to bring a lot of, like, the Di.The African culture, and like, using Idinkra, making something very custom print. So I had to figure out how to do custom prints. I had to do all. I was learning too much, doing too much too fast.And the collection wasn't a collection. You know, what we know of a fashion collection is, like, the color schemes go together, the patterns go together. So it's just seamless.This collection girl was all over the place. It was like seven different things. And I had them on hangers. I could only have and only had enough money to, like, get these produced.

Yeah.

You know, see if anybody wanted them. So when I got to Los Angeles, I would go to, like, every yoga studio, every fashion thing that made sense.And I was like, hey, anybody want to buy these? Or let me set up to, like, market my stuff? I was using leftover fabric, Joann's and all the place. I was just trying to put something together.

Oh, my gosh, I love it so much. And also, like, did you ever feel cringe, like putting yourself out there, going to a yoga studio, saying, does anybody want to buy my swimsuits?

I did. I was. That's one thing that, yes, I definitely felt cringe. Definitely felt like, ooh, I don't. I don't know if this is going to work.And coming from Texas is a different fashion aesthetic than coming to Los Angeles.

Oh, sure, Sure.

I was definitely in transition and a lot of things. So it was like, okay, I don't even know if they're going to want this, but I'm going to still ask because I'm already here. I did this.I said, I'm coming to do this. We've moved here for this. I'm doing this. So definitely cringe until it started to hit. And then I got into abandoning that collection.Got something a little bit more like, I learned relearned the environment where I was, how people moved around in the city and what they're willing to wear.So the first real collection after that, you know, I was doing a lot of the testing and market fit was like a halter top and just regular bikini bottoms. And they were like, you know, plain. It was red, it was pink, and it was green. That collection took Off.

Okay.

Yeah. So it really gave me more confidence to be like, okay, so I'm not as cringe as I thought. I just need to refine some of what it looks like.

What is that research process, like, for yourself? Like, you said you came from Texas to Los Angeles. Did you move to LA just to. Just for the business?

Yeah, I did.

Oh, okay.

Yeah.

Wow. What prompted that over, like New York.

Or just the atmosphere? Like, so the first time when I was making the decision after I came back from the sourcing conference in New York, I was like, oh, I love New York.It's my first time in New York. I really love the city. It was a lot because obviously Texas and New York are different, but I still love the energy of New York and everything.All the people I met, everything I was learning. And then when I came back to Texas, we had the choice of going, obviously California, New York.And I was like, california, because to me, it made more sense because it's by the beach, the weather's more fair, and it's just agreed with our lifestyle. So it was like, yeah, let's do Los Angeles because it's fair weather. It makes sense for a bikini brand.It makes sense for where I'm trying to fit in, in the market versus New York, which is funny because I have a lot of New York customers.

But when you're like, researching, I think I go back to equating with interior design a little bit when, like the whole way finding of seeing how people maybe in. In a neighborhood or like in a specific building culture interactive. How did that like, apply to your process for researching for your swimwear?You said you were sort of like watching how folks in LA moved around and stuff. How was that like, translating into like, oh, okay, this can be a design, like, I don't know, it's just.It's a weird question to ask like, about like the inside of your thought.

Process, but yeah, no, it's a great one. Like, I think just like, okay, so if I'm gonna make a swimsuit, right. I did the mistakes of the before, right?

Yeah.

Okay. Material, style, you know, cut. And if I only have limited resources, what is the style that I can bring that many people will wear?

Yeah.

So it was definitely a one piece, Right. The standard two piece and maybe something with shorts.

Yeah.

That fits a lot of different areas of even at the time, my life. Right. So I'm a mother, I'm a wife. I'm still a woman with a body. So I want to be seen and sexy. Yeah.But then I Got to cover up sometimes, and then I want to be a little bit modest other times. So I was thinking about, okay, so if I bring the basic, maybe three styles, this will work. And then also, just like we went.Talked about, the fashion is. And not, you know, repeating fashion. How can I make this more than just an occasional purchase?And because people are half naked in Los Angeles, or crop tops half days, or going to yoga Pilates in the afternoon, I want them to wear this all the time. So if it's a halter top, they can put it over their yoga pants.And then if it's like a triangle top, they can put it under a nice, I don't know, T shirt to have no bra kind of day.

Yeah.

So I just really learned and watched what people were doing. And then I. Obviously, I was doing these things. I'm definitely a yogi. So I was doing these things anyway, so I was like, oh, this makes sense.And in the first model shows or trade shows that I went to to, you know, showcase the brand or do shoots for it, people were showing me how they were interpreting my swimwear. So I'm thinking it's just the bikinis. The bikinis. The bikini. No. People were putting it under underwear.They're like, oh, my God, I can wear this as underwear. Oh, my God, I can wear this as shapewear. And then I just started wearing my swimwear all the time.And I was like, oh, yeah, this has gotta be not only sustainable for materials and use and, you know, functionality, it's gotta be functional. It's gotta be worn all the time. I gotta be comfortable in it all the time.

Yeah, it really makes me think, excuse me. When I would just be hanging out in swimwear all the time.Just like, you might go to your local pool and just hang out, and then somebody might be like, oh, you guys want to meet up? And maybe you're out of the pool. But, like, you're talking so now you actually are dry.So you're like, well, yeah, you just go and, like, throw, like, the body wash, like, over your body in your, like, swimsuit even. And then, you know, put, like, a big T shirt on. Ride your bike up to, like, meet a friend.And then you're like, you know, it's so hot outside, you're dry again. And you've literally been in your swimsuit all day.

Exactly. And so I thought about that, and not that one where you're, like, pulling it because it's so soaking wet, and you're like.I was like, it's gotta dry Fast. It's gotta be soft. It can't be pinching. It can't be, you know, creating issues. Antimicrobial extra salt. Like, it's gotta do all those things.

Like you're saying, bold celebrates diversity in both sizing and in its marketing. Was that something that was important to you from the beginning or is it something you like, realized later on?

No, very much from the beginning. That was my reason for starting. I could not. And I'm not plus size, but I'm plus size by the whole sizing. Whatever. Whoever wants to believe that.Right. Because some people are very, like stuck in that mindset and that training. Right?

Yeah.

It was very important for me to be able to fit as many bodies as possible. And as many ways as that meant I could do it. I was a down for.Because if everybody is going to go swimming and people are used to swimming and they have their reasons for not swimming or showing up in, you know, a swimsuit. And most of it, what I found translates back to confidence. And I saw how I.It changed my life on a trip where I just stuck with a bapekini that I could barely fit. And then on how I was covering up the whole time and self conscious, kind of ruining my own experience of why I want to.

Yeah, like, what you got that on for then? Right?

Nobody told you to do this, Right. Just walking around angry on vacation. I'm like, oh my gosh. Yeah, yeah. So I, I was like, I don't want anybody to feel that way.You know, if big girls, bigger than me are having the time of their life in the smallest of things, what is my problem? Yeah, what is my problem? So I was like, it just needs to be comfortable. You need to fit in it.And fixing some of the issues that make it not be able to fit most bodies. That's why there's like 10 and 12 and there's never the 11.So trying to figure out why fashion brands don't do that and then trying to figure out how to manufacture that half size or that different way because it's just manufacturing. Right. It's just a technical change in a garment that makes it more appealing or wearable by everybody. That's the only difference. Yeah.

Confidence is always such a funny thing in that way because it's like even, you know, going back to like the public pool or like the beaches, it's like, I don't know what, what folks, even myself think is going to happen, like being on a swimsuit, like somebody going to come up and like push me or something, because, like, nothing's going to happen. It's just, like, all in our head, you know, like, nobody's gonna be like, take that off.

And, like, you know. Yeah. The weight of other people's opinions, right?

Yeah. Like, people really do not care. They might, like, look, but, like, it's not like anybody's gonna say anything.

So.

Yeah.

And then when you look around, you're like, if you're judging me, look at. Have you seen you, like, and then, yeah, you just start like, okay, that's not what we're doing. That's not what we're doing.We're here to swim, enjoy the exact. Like, get over it.

Yeah. And just have a good time.

Just have a good time.

What does representation in fashion look like beyond just simply, like, putting different people in an ad campaign?

That's a good one. So that goes back to your previous question, is, like, when I started thinking about it, I was like, okay, I need sizing matters. Right.There are some technical things that change as the sizing gets, you know, the grading gets higher, past, you know, extra large or two extra large. So there were some support options that I didn't always gather, but it was just confidence. It was not just representation from a size perspective.It became about cultural representation. Okay, so we know that there's more than one culture in this world. So how many people can I get? I have Asian friends, I have Indian friends.I have black friends. I have white friends. I need all these people in this marketing campaign. I can't just have one.So it became about just trying to get as many people, and then it even became where, you know, I got involved, where I'm with the trans community where they wanted to wear a swimsuit. I was like, okay, I. I don't know. Like, we've got to figure out a different way to make you feel comfortable and you can wear it. Yeah, yeah.Because there's different needs you have. I don't know if I can solve it all right now, but I'm definitely thinking about it. Then it became about. I went to a New York show.Were people that had mastectomies because of breast cancer.

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

And they don't want to be feeling as most people don't want to feel as other. Right. And we talked about this confidence in just showing up, let alone just showing up in the body you have. Right. Your. Your abilities.Well, people that have different abilities still want to have a sexy swimsuit. So thinking about something that's not, you know, medically designed to show that they've had a mastectomy or a double mastectomy.They just want to show up. So I started doing things where it was easy for most people to get in the swimwear or add padding or things that they needed inside of it.I had the opportunity to design a custom swimsuit for a person who was wheelchair bound and learned about her abilities and then learned about how that. Why it can't be mass produced in the way. Because we're still individuals when it comes down to individual needs for things like this.But on a mass level, how could I just get as many people to wear this without too many hindrances to them?

Yeah, that's really smart. In designing, when you were working with somebody wheelchair brown, like, did that, like, open up? You know, what did that do for you as a designer?

Oh, my gosh. It was. It was so amazing because it was like, okay, let me stop.Kind of this thing that I have to do, because this is a different project, different needs. So I met her because she was working at Target. I would go there and kind of just research what are the styles that are popping now.You know, who's looking for something, and then kind of slide them a little bull swim card, right? Like, yeah. I watched them there, and I'm like, you know. You know, you want to take a look. There's. This is a better brand.But she was working there, and I was like, hey, I'm sorry if this is very personal, but do you swim? And she's like, yeah, I love to swim. I said, okay, full transparency. I'm a designer. I would love to design a swimsuit for you.She took me up on the offer. We talked about where her needs were, what she could and couldn't put on by herself, what she wanted.She wanted something she could put on by herself and not always have her helper do. And I was like, okay, so what is a better thing based on your needs? This is what I think I can do. And we went through the whole process.I think it took about three months to actually from concept to design, and made something for her. And it just. The day we did the fitting and tried it on, did a photo shoot, I'm even tearing up thinking about it, like, her face, her helper's face.I mean, she was just floored. She had a swimsuit that was designed specifically for her needs, and she felt comfortable, sexy in it, and just dolling her up for the day.

That is amazing because.And also, I could see, like, still sort of posing the challenges from the original of, like, okay, this has to be, you know, I have to feel confident, sexy, you know, covered up, optional, you know, and then also the whole independence piece, it's like, oh, my gosh, what a challenge. But I love that, like, it worked out and that she actually loved her swimsuit. Did she feel sexy too?

Oh, she felt sexy. She was like, I wanted to come down a little. Oh, go ahead.

Okay, Okay.

I was like, noted. She wants to show boobs. I love it.

You know, Tiffany, you have such, like, bold marketing ways about yourself. What other, like, okay, so let's sort of see. Like, you'll go up to the yoga studios and place and say, hey, does anybody want to buy this?You're putting business cards in competitor brands, you know, like big box stores. What other fun things have you done?

Oh. Oh, my God. Like, Stephanie, you're asking some great questions because, you know, over the time is like, you forget some of these.You're like, oh, my God, I really did that. That was really me.

I would be so scared. Like, I probably should go out in front of, like, place and be like, I have a podcast. I'm like, I don't know.

Yeah, sometimes I get like that, like, right away. No, I just think that I have to be true to myself. And when you.I think when you're a creator and when you really find that you get into it and, you know, I hate it some days I love it other days, and then when I stop and I'm like, oh, I have another idea. I can do this. And so it just keeps calling and keeps tapping at you. So I just, I always just say, I don't have thousands of dollars to market this.I can't be in thousand of places. And I said, the only way that I know how to do this is pick up the phone, I call people until they tell me no.Do what people are not doing, do what people are not willing to do. I pitch to hotels first.

Wow.

To non crowded spaces. If they're already gonna be talking about these other brands, I can't compete with that. I'm not ready for that.And I can't bring in that type of sponsorship until I'm ready. Cause I don't even know what I don't know yet. Right?

Yeah.

So I just started competing in small projects, small places where I had enough inventory to be dangerous to sell and to just. Just see what happens. Just see what happens.And every day I just kept finding new things to do, to sell, to talk about it, to promote my brand, promote myself.And not just from the product Standpoint, because I was very clear on how I wanted to show up as a founder or brand is because over time, some of these things get lost because of how, you know, we talk about fashion. But I wanted to show up as a person talking about a category that I really enjoy. How I'm trying to change it. Why is my swimwear different?And then I'm trying to do as much as possible for as many people as possible through fashion, albeit, but as many people that I can help show up for. That's what I'm about doing. So it was just about me just staying true to what I said I was going to do.And I'm only responsible for me, right, Whether it happens or not. And just by me doing that, I got so, so many opportunities. Like, I've been in Vanity Fair, Fashion, Fashion magazines all over the world.Vogue Italia, Vogue Portugal, Vanity Fair, Glamour, the uk. I got a lot of my NBC Universal partnerships. I've been Sports Illustrated Swimsuit with no ordinary noir influencer.Like, you know, and that I thought was a scam. I was like, let me look this editor up and see if this person is really. And, you know, it takes weeks before they.They contact you, and then they follow up and then you send it out and you're like, sure, whatever, it's going to happen. And when it got published, and I'm, you know.Because you have to be your own PR person to see if this thing is ever getting printed, because nobody's following up with you after, you know, so I'm like, scouring these web pages and these magazines, and when I saw it come up, I was like, oh, my God.

Wow, that's so cool.

People would find me and just write articles about the brand. And because I was speaking and promoting the brand and not just a product, I think it stuck more.So I was duplicated in so many ways to be able to, like, just get the reach I needed across the Internet.

I feel like people talk about, like, oh, yeah, I should be doing more marketing and promotion in their business, but they find it a hard time. But you just. It doesn't seem like it's hard for you from what you're just talking about.

Thank you. Because I'm like, some days I'm like, what should I be doing? Yeah, the constant on is always a challenge with me. I definitely am like an omnivert.I can have extroverted tendencies, but I'm like, let's chill, let's read a book. Let's. Let's do something quiet at the house. Small group of friends. Like, we don't always gotta be outside.But I think because, you know, I've been in leadership since I'm 19. I know that if I'm convicted on the idea, I just have to, I just have to do it because it won't leave me alone.And everything that I have done has turned out positively right. I may not have always gotten to the outcome that I'm envisioning, but it to me, it's always been the journey along the way.So for me it's just around again. Just showing up authentically for myself again. Who cares if anybody likes it? At the end of the day, I did something different for myself. It is hard.It is challenging. You learn about yourself, people will tell you no, people will call you stupid. They will, they will do all kinds of things to sabotage.I've been at an somebody because I didn't even know these people, but I had been invited so many times and I would show up and be so grateful and, you know, glad that I'm here and just trying to do my work. Just trying to sell a few bikinis today and talk about full swim and threw water on me and I was like, what? Never in my life. Never in my life.Never in my life. I was like. And I just stood there and then, you know, my just like flicked water at you. Threw water.

Wow.

So hard it almost got on the table of merchants.Like my niece, she went and grabbed the thing to just drive me off and I just kept talking to the customer and I was just like, I. I don't even know what happened. I don't even know what happened because it was like so like clear that it was somebody throwing, not somebody bumped and tripped.

Yeah, yeah, of course.

Because a person never came to help clean it up. I was nowhere in like a walk space. I was kind of tucked in a corner so they came out of their way. It was just a whole thing.But yeah, like it's just showing up every day authentically. I've worked full time jobs, you know, throughout this process, trying to make it happen. You know, I've traveled a lot trying to make it happen.Being a wife, being a mother, you know, raising my child, like just doing the hustle. Just doing the hustle because of what I believed in and where everybody was inviting me to.I just showed up because I was so grateful to just be able to do this thing and see how long it could go and where it could go. Wow.

Well, I'm so sorry that person threw water on you. They probably like, I don't know. Haters are gonna hate. It's like, you can just come and ask for a discount.Like, you don't have to, like, throw water or, like, ask for a swimsuit.

Wow. Geez. That's what they're there for. But let's. Let's put it on first, right?

Oh, my gosh.

What a fool. That's crazy.

Yeah. That is super crazy. What is something, like, in entrepreneurship, you think that folks assume that's just so easy, and it's totally not.

I made a website. I made a product. I put it on. Where are the people? Where are the money? Where's the fame? Where's the. Where's the celebrities beat down my door?They think it's overnight. And I've had a, you know, fruitful business, corporate career in sales and leading teams and things like that.And going into entrepreneurship, it was always that transitionally scary. And then I was like, okay, I did it. Oh, this. That's. That's not scary. Oh. Oh. It's really about you. It's not about anybody else.It's about you being convicted. So it's like, every day, you have to be convicted.

Yeah. You have to get ready. Like, you have to believe in your product, believe in yourself.

Right. And so it's like a.

Like a mirror project. Entrepreneurship.

Yeah. And so when people think that, oh, I've done it. I've done this cute thing, I've got all the.The marketing, the boxes, and then the things don't happen the way they expected is because I think that's. That's really it. That's a fallacy. I made the website. I built the project. Okay. It should be coming, and it should be coming all the time.Or if they have early success out the gate because of X, Y, Z, then they think it should be sustainable. That's not. I wish. Right? All businesses, you know, I've heard the statistics.In the first five years, if you make it to 10, you're doing something, you got to keep going. And then eventually, you know, the legacy brands that everybody falls today, they've been around for hundreds of years of years.

Yeah, I know. I didn't even realize. I don't know what I was thinking, but I didn't realize that Gucci was a real person until the movie came out.I'm like, oh, yeah, I guess that was started by Gucci.

I know, right?

I don't even know, like, what I was thinking. But, yeah, I was just, like, so shocked by that. But you're right.Like, so many of these brands or Folks that you see have been doing stuff for such a long time, like, we're just now finding out about them doesn't mean that they're just popping out.

Yeah. Because I remember, like, some of my favorite brands when I was like a teenager, we're talking about. Right. And these brands are still along today.So that. That is at least 30 years. That's at least 30 years. And they're like, popular. Like, it's crazy.

Yeah. It is so wild. Like even, like Disney, like, can't even believe they've been around, like forever, you know. What does living boldly mean to you?

Living boldly, I think is just, you know, everybody has a gift. Some of us answer the call, some of us don't.Some of us hear it, but we're not sure what it is because it may be something completely different than what we're doing or what we been told we have to do or, you know, have to do. So when we hear it, living boldly is just answering the call and just showing up every day because nobody is gonna.And if you don't do it, and I found this to be true so many times, if you don't do it, that gift will give. Go to someone else.

Where do you want bald swimwear to go? Like, you know, do you want to expand? Would you do a Walmart line?

So funny enough, so I've been in a few different retailers and that was always. That's always a goal when you're independent, emerging designer or all these things. And I have been. I've been in J. Crew. Well, Madewell is owned by J.Crew. So I've been in Madewell.

Very cool.

I've been in Macy's online and I've been at Walmart online.So over some time to kind of separate the brand from its core kind of demographic, that boutique, that fashion customer, the sustainable customer, into the fashion and price conscious customer. But I had to do that after some time. Right. You can't like cannibalize $150 bikini for the 24 style. Right. They're not the same.So one is a little bit less material, one is more intricate. And, you know, they're the same fabric. Because I will not go off. Everybody should have this fabric.

Yeah.

But I will not, you know, different designs cost different things, blah, blah, blah. So I've been able to scale into those retailers and I think, you know, and I'm with some in the UK and other retailers online.And I had a lot of E commerce partners before COVID happened. A lot of COVID took a lot of those retail partnerships away.Some of the commercial partnerships, the Love Island, I'm still one of their vendors in the Love island shop. So a lot of people kind of.

Like the TV show Love Island. Oh, wow.

A few different seasons.

That's so crazy. That's so cool. I've never watched the show, but just how crazy it makes everyone. Like people just go wild over the show now. Crazy.It's so amazing that you're part of that.

They always style me for the online shop of it. They do their own thing for the TV version because there's the whole, you know, the commercialization of it.But yeah, they're always put me as a vendor in the. The commercial. The NBC Universal Peacock Store.

Okay.

And I've been. I have friends that are stylists and that I was on the Anna Delvey Netflix show. I was in the Janelle. Oh, no way. Lipstick lover video show.Where's another. Yeah. So I've been in a few mute. My styles have been in a few music video styles and then TV and across the web. But yeah, like it's just.I would do it again, but I feel like once those partnerships, Covid took a lot of that out and then people weren't able to survive after Covid. And then even after Covid, all the, you know, Black Lives Matter support that kind of dwindled down and you know, people lose attention for whatever.Right.

Yeah.

So even that aside, retail partnerships are very hard because if you. Even though they invite you to be like a drop ship partner, if you're just online or even if you get the in store one, that may be only one store.And stores now because people have lost their footprint after Covid coming back. If you notice, stores don't stock as much as they used to.

Yeah.

More looks like a showroom. So they're not buying from designers. And when they buy, it's like 60, 90 net term days. So you don't get paid until forever. Now if they.The returns on how they treat their customer matter. Right. Because it'll impact your brand.And if you don't have the marketing spin, once you get the partnership to be in the physical store, meaning you don't have the money that Ralph Lauren has to have that whole corner of Dillard's. Right?

Yeah, yeah.

Right, right, right. You don't have that whole T stand of Macy's when you walk into. You don't have that front wrap.Do you have the shelf space to put all the banners around it to think about it, I guess that Analogy plus a makeup counter, Lancome, Estee Lauder, they have big signs. Fenty, whomever, they have big signs everywhere. If you don't have the money to do all of that plus be in there, plus stock all those unit, you're.

Yeah, you're just messed up.Because I'm, I'm sort of laughing as you're describing this because I'm like my little line would just, just be three things sitting on it, sitting on a rack and like no banners.

Yeah. People be like misplaced. Right. And they don't.Yeah, they don't do that because the store is allocated by the, you know, they want people that are going to come in their store and shop because they have the best assortment of brands. Right. That's why.

Yeah.

Lummies is different than Macy's, is different than Walmart. That's different than Dillard's. It's just different than all these places. Right.If they don't have the inventory or the designs that make people come in, they're not going to stalk you. And if you're not showing that global sales skill that you can inventory that you can support that, they're not going to do anything.And because these brands have been around for, you know, X amount of years, these are the brands that people have been trained to acknowledge.

Yeah.

Even if some people want something new, people, they have taught their customers, they have flexible return policies. They can turn it back upside down, inside out, purple, blue, dirty, worn tags on.You know, think about when people went to Beyonce's concert and had all the cowboy hats and the silver hats shipped back to Amazon the very next night. Like.

Right.

So it becomes where you can't eat the costs of a retailer as a smaller brand.So the smartest thing that I learned, you know, hard lesson to learn at times is that not all brands should be in these major retailers until you get to a certain point or depending on your demographic and who you serve and who I said I serve, that's not even my fault. The people that would shop normally there are not my people. These people go to Target for a real quick run. In a Target run is what we call it.

Right.

For real.

Yeah, yeah.

Getting something quick and cheap. I'm not cheap and it's not good.

Yeah, yeah.

Right. Well, you want to see, period.

Yeah, for sure.

You know, really quick.

Is returning clothes like that, Is that sustainable? Is that like, you know, if you think about sustainable fashion, is that, should we be doing that?

No, it's not. But we live in a system, I think about Purchases like, am I going to wear it more than once? Can I sustain this price at $50?Does it have more than one use? Can I dress it up? Can I dress it down? Or is it just a one time use? Is it going to be dated by this fabric?It's going to be dated by this material, it's going to be dated by this style. And I'm never going to want to look at this thing again. The return is just as much as a purchase. The packaging has to come back.The fuel that it costs, the bag, all those things, it has to be processed. Once it's received, can it even be sold again?

Yeah.

Swim. So if somebody puts the hygiene liner and I get it back and it's crooked, what am I doing with this? Selling this.And then so how do I dispose of this garment properly? Because I can't resell it. It's all safe to resell it. So we have unused clothing for this reason. Right. So now it has to be destroyed.How can I destroy it as a smaller brand that has less bulk, volume of waste? So where does it go? Right, so the fabric that we use after, you know, is going to end up in landfill.So even if they don't return it, they just keep it, throw it away, they don't care. It acts as a biomass, so it degrades five times faster than what a normal nylon, polyester, wood.In the landfill conditions, it creates kind of like these biomass conditions that releases gases and degrades. So it's more healthy. But again, we're talking about one fabric that one brand uses across a whole bunch of things. Right?

Everybody else, oh my goodness. Okay guys, no more returns. No more returns.

Because if you didn't want it, why are you returning anyway? Buyers remorse. But that's what they.

Yeah, yeah. I worked on a film where the production designer, she was heavily against return.She's like, you know, cause people will return things to like make money back on their movies. She's just like, no, find somebody to give it to.Like give it to, you know, maybe a crew member might want these set of bowls or something like that, but just try to reuse it. Like she's like, I'm not down for returning it.And it really gave me perspective because, you know, I hadn't seen anyone ever put their foot down like that before.

It hurts the brand. What I've learned is I didn't proactively include it in the packaging. So I removed all that waste that you get when you get a package.I made it just bare bones. You've been waiting on the swimsuit, and you wanted this swimsuit. I'm giving you the swimsuit. You can still contact me.There's a little thank you note, but it's just. It's. Thank you. This is about the brand. Here's your swimsuit. There's no order receipt. You got the email, right?

Yeah.

Way to exchange it and get in touch. But there's none of that extranet that prompts to me the mentality of a buyer's return.

Yeah, that's really smart.You know, my last question for you is, what advice would you give to someone who's sitting on an idea because they don't feel like qualified to pursue it?

You couldn't be more qualified. You couldn't be more qualified. You have to do it. It was given to you for a reason. This may be your purpose.And even if it doesn't work out, you tried something, you did something new, you surprised yourself, and what's the worst could happen? Failure is on the way to success. I don't have a technical fashion background whatsoever in my bone, in my body. I just like fashion. I still study it.I surround myself with other people. When I moved here, they looked at me and didn't know what I was. They're like, oh, this girl's weird.And they're technically trained and they're not doing anything close to what I'm doing. And I'm so surprised when they went to school and fashion and did all of this stuff and I'm doing everything that I would think that was their.Their dream that they went to school for.

Yeah, you. So just do it.

Just do it.

Wow, that's really great advice. This has been so much fun and so educational. Tiffany, how can. How can the community support you and Bold Swim?

Well, you can support us by following us on Instagram. We restarted our page after we got hacked because people copy our names.

You know, haters are gonna hate. They just want to ruin lives. Like, it's not even. They're not even hating. You guys are tearing up our lives.

Tearing up our lives. So we restarted our Instagram page. So, like. And follow us there. We're on substack now. We are. So that's more of the personal design journey for me.You can. You can follow us on the website. You can purchase a swimsuit. I'm online as well, so I shared my personal page.So if people want to engage, kind of like following me personally, and they want to see the brand, they can kind of see all the. The misadventures of the founder of a swimwear company and what it really looks like. Right.So, yeah, the high glossy version that, you know, gets round up in the magazines, but you can see it day to day, so it's a lot of fun.

I love it. So it's not just all pictures of you, like resting back on your elbows with like your bikinis on.

Exactly. Yes, of course. Yeah.

Period. Oh, my gosh. Well, thank you so much for talking to me on nosey af.

Amazing, Stephanie. You're a blessing. You're a blessing.

Yeah, you are too. Thank you. That concludes another episode of nosy AF31 Days of Black Business. I'm your host and friend, Stephanie Graham.I hope you took something away from today's conversation and had a good time hanging with us. Be sure to check out the show notes to learn more about today's guest and consider supporting the their work.You know how it goes, whether you're making a purchase, hiring them, or simply spreading the word. Listen, who doesn't love a referral? It truly all makes a difference.Quick thank yous go out to Queen Lex and Freddy Bam Bam for the nosy AF theme music. And Emma McGo who hooked me up with the COVID art and branding. Shout out to the partners and supporters for this series.You could check them out in the show notes as well. Super great for a partner. Hello. That's the show friends until tomorrow. Stay curious and take care. Bye.