We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bethany Osborn. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bethany below.

Bethany, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

A sustainable business in an industry flooded with waste. Growing up on the east coast, at 15 I realized that I didn’t want to follow an ordinary collegiate path. Naive as it was, I longed to move to Hawai’i to build my own life. This decision meant receiving no financial support from family. I didn’t abandon my dream. I took on multiple jobs, working relentlessly outside of school. I graduated and moved to O’ahu in 2017. Nearly 4 years in of juggling work and college, the pandemic hit leaving me jobless and forced to apply for unemployment. Somehow it drove me crazy not working. One day, shopping online for swimsuits I realized, not only were suits out of budget; they also rarely lasted. What if I made them instead? My mother taught me to sew long ago, and at the time I had already been at it again making masks amidst the shortage. I began with suits for myself and eventually my roommates. Many encouraged me to start a business, but a problem surfaced. In Hawai’i I witnessed firsthand the effects of waste. I wanted no part of an industry that contributed to 92,000,000 tons of textile waste yearly. To go through with it, all details needed to be ecologically and ethically conscious. Honestly in the beginning, I was unsure if it would flourish into a successful business. I did it all out of passion and love of creativity. I had no idea how much I would come to love my business as my own child. However throughout the years of meeting customers, models, other artists, I simply can’t see it any other way. I work a full time job event planning at a resort here in Hawai’i. Therefore I am great full enough to have stable income from that job. I have always said it, and I always will, I never want to put the pressure of adaswim to pay my bills. I would never want to lower the quality and passion this business has by just looking as it as a paycheck.

Bethany, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

At adaswim everything is handmade. Our wonderful team aspires to make not only comfortable, but flattering swimsuits for all body types. During our production we strive to leave as little of a footprint as possible behind. We use only the best recycled materials to ensure quality and comfort, to make sure you feel better about buying a new swimsuit! Originally designed on the floor of my bedroom, which I shared with my best friend. Production soon snuck up to the kitchen counter, then promptly overflowed onto the kitchen floor. Fast forward two years later, demand led me on the search for a larger workshop. Of course it had to be ethically owned and operated. Recently this dream came to fruition when I found just the right team. A workshop functioning with fair labour practices where the workers- believe it or not, create their own pricing in order to make comfortable wages. Now all suits are ethically produced on the island of Bali in Indonesia, shipped directly to Hawai’i and then off to our customers. Right now we are only producing women’s swimsuits, however we have plans to expand in the men’s and children’s side of swimwear as well. I am beyond proud of myself for creating this company out of a few extra paychecks I saved. I would have never even imagined it would turn into what it is today. However I have all of my friends, family, and customers to thank. Without them we would not be about to celebrate our 3rd year anniversary.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I started adaswim my sophomore year of college, not knowing that it would consume so much of my personal and work life. Like I had stated earlier, adaswim was never my only income. I worked 1 and at times 2 other jobs in order to pay for textbooks, rent, and all of my other expenses. Once graduating college last May, I had no idea what to do. I knew it was time to leave my odds and ends jobs and started looking for a career. I eventually landed my dream job Event Planning at Turtle Bay Resort and I couldn’t have been happier. However starting my first salary job where I was working in an entire new environment and sometimes 50-60 hours a week was a whole new routine that I couldn’t have prepared for. In the past couple of months I have started to manage everything better and delegate adaswim to others that can help. I now have a marketing team that is amazing and the workshop in Bali is a huge help as well!

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

Prior to the pandemic I was a nanny full-time. During that job I was actually saving in order to travel to Africa for the summer. Then the pandemic hit. I used all of those savings in order start adaswim. Then ever since I have always funded adaswim with my own income and savings.

Contact Info:

• Website: adaswim.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ada.swim/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ada.swim/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ada.swim2?lang=en

Image Credits
Photographers: Sciorra Ann Photography Elaine Simon Kaitlin Kerby Bethany Osborn