Five Questions With Isla In Bloom Swimwear

Written by Misha Smits
on 28 October, 2020
Founder of Isla In Bloom, Misha Smits

Ready to dip your toes into Summer? We know we are. Swimwear label Isla in Bloom has joined us just in time! Combining a love of wanderlust, sustainability and beautiful bold prints, Isla in bloom swimmers are functional and purposeful swimwear for women to feel confident in.

Want to know more? Founder Misha, shares her gorgeous label with sustainability at the forefront at everything they do. With small print runs, eco-friendly materials. timeless shapes, and adjustable options, they’ve worked hard to create a sustainable and feel good model. Working on closing the loop, with an option for customers to send their pre-loved swimwear back to recycle. Plus partnering with Thread Together to donate end of line stock to support women who are less able to buy new swimwear for themselves. It’s definitely a swimwear label to feel great in this Summer. 


Don’t forget to click images to shop!

Who is behind Isla In Bloom and how did you begin your business?

I wanted to create a swimwear label that encapsulated my love of wanderlust, sustainability and beautiful bold prints, with a need for functional and purposeful swimwear for women to feel confident in.

Isla In Bloom was founded by Misha Smits. With a background in business and marketing, I’ve always enjoyed working on building a brand and the creative aspect of marketing. I wanted to create a swimwear label that encapsulated my love of wanderlust, sustainability and beautiful bold prints, with a need for functional and purposeful swimwear for women to feel confident in. I spent a year working on product and brand development from my apartment in London researching and planning the best suppliers to use back in Australia, eco-friendly fabrics, swimwear styles and boho-inspired floral prints. I moved to Sydney late 2018 to start to work with my suppliers to bring my concepts to life, before going on to launch my brand in September 2019.

What does sustainability mean to you and why was it so important to incorporate this into your business?

Sustainability was a non-negotiable for me, from start to finish I wanted to ensure we create swimwear with a high end result that is a better choice for our planet. Producing collections in small runs to reduce waste, using eco-friendly materials and production processes, right down to the packaging the customer receives the finished product in, being that recycled and biodegradable. We’ve sourced sustainable fabrications and only work with local suppliers and manufacturers in Australia to produce our swimwear to achieve the ultimate ethical collection.

We’re currently working on launching a program for customers to send their pre-loved swimwear back to us to recycle on their behalf.

Though our sustainability journey begins at time of production, we wanted to close the loop to ensure we were able to manage waste in the most responsible way possible. We’re currently working on launching a
program for customers to send their pre-loved swimwear back to us to recycle on their behalf. We’ve also partnered with Thread Together to donate all end of line stock to support women who are less able to buy new swimwear for themselves. It makes us so happy that we’ve found a solution so that our excess stock is donated to a great cause. All foundations of Isla In Bloom are in place to ensure our brand reduces our impact on our environment where possible, and we’re committed to continuously learn and adapt our processes to ensure we do better for our planet.

How do you design a new range, what’s your design process and where is your swimwear made?

Inspired by a love of the ocean and wanting to feel confident in a bikini all summer long, though never being able to find the perfect swimsuit, I’ve designed styles based on the female figure and noting how our bodies are forever changing. My ultimate goal for Isla In Bloom was to create classic swimwear styles that flatter your figure and that are designed to fit more women. Each design consideration that has been made always took me back to making them adjustable where possible, and having fabric that is soft enough to not cut-in, but firm enough to be supportive and long-lasting. This is why most of the pieces in the collection include timeless shapes, featuring tie-side bikini bottoms, adjustable over the shoulder straps and soft edging to mold to every woman’s body. Being able to adjust each piece to your figure makes the suits versatile for women looking to find the ultimate flattering suit this summer.

What are you loving at the moment and what are you currently working on? Do you have something new to share?

We’re loving seeing our prints come to life in our designs, the boho-inspired florals and fun, feminine colours get us excited for summer.

We’re currently working on new products that aren’t swimwear! We’re launching boho beach umbrellas and woven picnic throws to compliment our swimwear collection, featuring our beautifully bold signature prints. They’re perfect for sunshine filled days at the beach and having picnics with family and friends! We’re all about surrounding ourselves in vibrant, summery prints while we make unforgettable memories with our loved ones. Keep an eye out for the announcement of pre-orders, launching very soon!

We also have 4 new styles underway, but as like many other small businesses impacted by Covid, these will be now be released Summer 2021.

Can you share your ultimate Summer day and what are your go-to swimmers this season?

My ultimate Summers day involves being on holiday in a bikini, throw over dress and thongs, no makeup wearing only coconut sunscreen, spent at the beach with the perfect set-up with friends until the early evening. Then heading back to our holiday home to spend the night dining outdoors with drinks, food, good music and company – salty hair and sunkissed skin is the result of a day well spent!

It’s so hard to pick one bikini as I love them all of course! But this season I can’t wait to be wearing the Lola in the triangle top and full coverage bottoms. I’ll also be opting for the Mia set in the bralette with regular coverage bottoms to mix it up. Lola is such a fun, summery print and Mia is ultra feminine – I just love the bohemian design and mix of colours.

Follow Isla in Bloom:
Instagram www.instagram.com/islainbloom
Facebook: www.facebook.com/islainbloom
Finders Keepers Shop: www.thefinderskeepersmarketplace.com/shop-directory/isla-in-bloom-swimwear

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