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EDITH Swimwear - Making Comfortable Bathing Suits for Everyone
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Sean Kernan in Mind Cafe

EDITH Swimwear: Making Comfortable Bathing Suits for Everyone

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EDITH swimwear is a modern swimwear brand from Rio de Janeiro. Created by Stephanie Luyten, the sustainable swimsuits were made to fit everybody and anybody. Most swimwear is designed to look good on people that have perfect bodies, and fall short with everyone else. EDITH swimwear was designed to look good on any body type, so you can feel confident on the beach.

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The Beginnings of EDITH Swimwear

This isn’t the first time Stephanie Luyten decided to make bathing suits. In 2009, she started a small swimwear brand in Europe. However, in 2010 she decided to stop selling her bathing suits because she moved to Brazil, and the bathing suit style was much different. At first, she thought it just wasn’t her taste, but after a while, she realized something was wrong.

“After 8 years of living here I was feeling a lag and was missing some different swimwear,” says Luyten. She also noticed that there was an absence of attractive swimwear made for plus-sized people- most of them were forced to wear unflattering options because there was nothing else.

She had wanted to start another swimwear brand for a while but she didn’t get the push until a devastating event happened.

A Sudden Tragedy

“What drove me to start the brand was that my dad passed away suddenly in 2017,” says Luyten. “You really realize that life can be so short and you really have to live life the way you want.”

After spending almost a year in her birth country, Luyten decided to go back to Rio and start the brand she has always been dreaming about. She knew it would be a lot of work, but her father passing away had put everything in perspective for her.

“That’s what really drove me to start the brand,” says Luyten.

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EDITH Swimwear’s Unique Material

The first obstacle Luyten had in creating her swimsuit line was finding the right material. She wanted to create a fabric that allowed her bathing suits to be one size fits all. That way no matter what body type you were or how your body was changing, you would look good in the swimwear.

She started with a sample fabric that existed in the US and Europe, but not Brazil. The flexible fabric was adapted to be more comfortable. After doing many tests and ensuring the material was stretchy enough to fit around anybody, she settled on the material. Her dad was a textile expert who introduced her to the original sample, so she decided to name the unique material Chris.

Now that she had the perfect material, she just needed to find someone willing to make it.

Creating EDITH swimwear

“I wanted this brand to be 100% made in Brazil, and this fabric didn’t even exist in Brazil,” Stephanie Luyten said. “So it was quite a challenge to find a knitting manufacturer that was able to make it.”

It was very important to Luyten for EDITH swimwear to be based in Brazil. She felt that if she let big companies outside Brazil make her products, the quality of the brand would be impacted. Big companies are very impersonal, don’t care about workers, and only want to make money. She wanted to make her brand to help people- not to make a quick buck.

After 2 years and contacting over 100 knitting manufacturers in Brazil, she finally found what she was looking for.

“And then, when I found the right manufacturer, their response was really positive. They were excited to work with me,” says Luyten.

When she started to produce the swimwear, she put a big emphasis on sustainability. She made sure the swimsuits were designed to last a long time and made holographic packaging in Brazil that could be reused.

“You can have this made in China for a couple of dollars and have it imported,” says Luyten. “But I wanted the product to be 100% made in Brazil.”

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Editable Swimwear

Once EDITH swimwear got on the market, Brazil couldn’t get enough of it. People loved the one size fits all material and the way you can customize the suit. You see, each bathing suit has a clasp system that allows you to change the style of the suit. For example, you can use EDITH swimwear as a bikini, or you can connect it and make it into a one piece. A single set has more than 120 options.

The name of the company was inspired by both the editability of the suits as well as Luyten’s grandmother.

“Edith was the name of my grandmother. A woman who inspired me with her chic, effortless and timeless style,” says Luyten. “She used to tell me, since I was a kid, that I should be a fashion designer as I was spending hours in her closet creating all kinds of looks with her clothes and accessories.”

The name Edith is pronounced like the word “edit”, which is the whole concept of the swimwear. Luyten could not think of a more perfect name for her brand.

People loved the swimwear so much that there were hardly any returns, and soon a community built around EDITH swimwear. Many people were posting and raving about the bathing suits, much to Luyten’s delight. She loves interacting with customers, “I try to give everyone a personalized service.”

She thinks it’s amazing that Brazilian women finally feel comfortable in a bathing suit. “I think when a woman feels good on a beach, it feels like she can conquer the world,” says Luyten.

The Future of EDITH Swimwear

While EDITH swimwear is currently only available in Brazil, it will be available internationally soon. Luyten plans on having an international market available by summer, and Cerqular will be selling the bathing suits soon.

She is also making the bathing suits in more colors and is planning many more exciting things for the future of EDITH swimwear!

Check out our panel featuring the Cerqular founder, David Friedrichs!

By Isabella LaPlant.

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Credits:
Fashinnovation
Author:
Fashinnovation
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