Female Only Swimwear: UK-Based Tilia Rose Swim

UK-based Tilia Rose Swim is focusing on the demand for female swimwear in the world of sport. SOURCE speaks with creator Tilly Rand-Bell, to see what separates Tilia Rose Swim from other brands. Using her experience gained working for O’Neil in Australia, the brand caters for females only with the potential to expand to many types of sportswear and by 2019 all of their swimwear will be made out of recycled fishnets.

Please explain the idea behind Tilia Rose Swim.
The idea for Tilia Rose Swim came after my own experience finding swimwear for activities but also feeling comfortable to use that swimwear as an everyday piece. While traveling I wanted to participate in sports but only had swimwear that easily came off as I didn’t really like the practical swimwear available. Because of this, I didn’t have the confidence to join in and get involved with the sport.

I felt the prints on women’s swimwear consisted of the same thing and all the sports shops stocked the same brands. I always wanted the prints typically seen on boardies and after talking to other women I realized I wasn’t the only one.

Who is on the management team, and what are their backgrounds?
I am the creator of Tilia Rose Swim and built the brand after working at O’Neil in Australia. I used this knowledge to create the brand and realized there was a need in the UK for a female only swimwear brand after the conversations I had with customers. Alongside starting it up I did a personal training course to get a better understanding of how the muscles work as I felt this would improve how I designed the swimwear. Our marketing director Harry King helps build up our social media profiles, he also has his own biking brand making him a big attribute to the team.

Please give us a product category overview.
We currently have three pieces on sale till next season. This is due to the fact we want to grow it alongside the public making sure every piece is made for women in sport.
Miko, our one piece, is a bold design with a shark print graphic. It has a streamline fit reducing muscle vibration and drag, whilst the high cut leg and plunge back adds grace to the movement. Removable pads make it adjustable to the customer’s needs.
Our bikini Caiman is green with a dinosaur print design and cutouts. Its racerback design allows movement and flexibility of the arms while the adjustable clips allow a perfect fit.
Viola is a reversible high waist bikini with a bold mountain design covering the top and back. It provides coverage and support with its adjustable clip. Each design is very lightweight and constructed from hundreds of feedback forms, they come in sizes 6, 8, 10, 12 however we are currently working on widening this range.

What marketing are you running?
We are currently marketing through social media and Google; we see huge potential in Instagram and Facebook marketing and work closely building up our profile using these tools.

Collaborations are really important to us. As a small brand, we want to help others who are also starting on their own journey. Supporting active females who are also Bloggers, Vloggers, Athletes etc., is where we have been focusing. We have exciting people on board for the future who we know will help push the brand out and get it noticed. As soon as budgets allow we will be promoting the brand in print publications and attending appropriate events.

Why should retailers sell your brand?
Retailers should sell our brand because for too long the only surf active swimwear has been from the same big companies and we want to change that by offering females a new choice for a bold and outspoken option that is there to support females in sport. We use models that participate in male-dominated sports and are not scared to try something new. We listen to what our audience wants while constantly changing and growing the brand. At Tilia Rose Swim we listen to your demands and will go above and beyond to help you.

What makes Tilia Rose Swim different from other swimwear brands?
We are a female only swimwear brand focusing solely on females in sport. We build our brand around feedback and work on providing women in sport an equal opportunity. With the rise in social media young women are comparing themselves to Photoshopped, posed images instead of looking at inspiring women wearing the swimwear. For too long have brands paid models instead of using real women crushing the pressure put on us. We will continue to play with prints and ignore the gender stereotypes. We don’t plan to collaborate with just sports professionals either with the idea of a drummer onboard as well as a graffiti artist we have loads of ways we want to expand the brand uniquely.

Which athletes/ambassadors do you work with?
We are working closely with National Women’s surfing Champion Lucy Campbell to create a range of swimwear to be released in 2019. We are also working with a few other qualifying English surfers, a yoga instructor, 3 lifeguards, skaters and a pilot. Our ambassador list is constantly growing and improving as our stock does.

Are you selective with your retailers?
As a small business, making sure the right businesses stock our product is important to us. The staff on the shop floor are effectively an extension of our brand and we want to find those who have the knowledge and expertise to advise the customer on the best products for their needs. We are looking for sports shops and retailers who target active females and also male-dominated brands looking to break further into the women’s market.

What do you see for the future of the industry?
We have many plans to grow the business, there are a large number of sports which are still targeted to males and we want to work with companies to grow the female interest. The brand can go further than a swimwear brand and turn into a brand that provides shops with many types of sportswear. We also want to help fund events for females on the streets looking for sport as an escape as well as charities supporting females in many different ways. By 2019 all of our swimwear will be made out of recycled fishnets and we hope to continue working alongside interesting and inspiring people to grow in a positive direction.