We were lucky to catch up with Marcia Hacker recently and have shared our conversation below.

Marcia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s something crazy on unexpected that’s happened to you or your business

We have had some crazy stories to tell. I will share one smaller and one that was pretty big, which set us on the path of ‘no return’. A couple of years ago we had a huge number of orders coming in on one single day. And our instagram got a lift on followers and likes. I had no idea, but also didn’t have the time to find the reason as we got pretty busy for a few hours. By the end of the day, one of our staff found that Salma Hayek was spotted wearing one of our most popular swimsuits in Hawaii, during a family vacation. We had never reach out to her, but Sauipe is sold at a number of resorts in Hawaii, and that’s probably where she got her suit. There were videos and photos of her in the ocean, showing our Donatella swimsuit from front to back.
Now for the event that changed our lives. We started Sauipe Swim in a non-conventional way. OK, to be honest, it was a very crazy way. Knowing very little about the industry in the U.S. we decided to exhibit at a major trade show in Miami Beach. Seriously, I knew nothing about how to set up a booth, or how to reach out to stores. We had a beautiful catalog and amazing swimsuits. The editor of Sports Illustrated stopped by our booth and took a number of swimsuits, as they did from many other brands.
After the show, I was pretty discouraged and decided to take a step back, build a business plan, do my research and follow the correct steps to start the business.
It was then that Sports Illustrated called me saying that they would feature Sauipe Swim on their coveted Swimsuit Edition both online and in print. Not with one, not two, but 6 bikinis. The person on the phone asked for our website, where to buy, prices, etc. WEBSITE? We didn’t have one, so you can imagine how we rushed to create all that in one month.
Since that odd beginning, we have been featured on Sports Illustrated multiple years and were included in a commemorative hardcover book they issued a few years ago. Other publications followed suit and all of a sudden I had to manage the new business while creating a business plan on the fly.

Marcia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Marcia Hacker and I knew nothing about fashion. My sister did, as she worked with beachwear and activewear in Brazil for many years. We both wanted to create a swim brand for the U.S. market that reflected the creativity and high quality of Brazilian beachwear. At that time, Americans knew that Brazilian beachwear was ‘the super small’, ‘show it all bikinis’. We wanted something different: classy, sexy without showing too much, and timeless designs. Our goal was (and still is) to focus on high-quality materials and ageless styles. In fact, our customers range from 25 to 62 year old women. We understand that wearing a swimsuit can be intimidating, and many women (me included) don’t want to wear a small bikini or show off too much skin.
We also never wanted to work with mass production. When the fashion world started embracing slow fashion, sustainable production and materials, I realized that those concepts were part of our brand DNA since day 1, we just didn’t publicize it. Even when retailers told us we had to create more styles and faster, I stood my ground and said no, because that would mean that we would have to produce a lot of unnecessary excess inventory.
I am very proud of what we have created with Sauipe. I am proud that we are very responsible by using biodegradable materials, and create hand-made, high-quality swimsuits that last many seasons. I am very proud of how we resonate with women in different age groups.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

When we started there was no social media. I remember speaking with a retailer that carries our line and she mentioned something about Facebook. I started our page right away. But in reality, no one knew exactly what that was, and businesses were not leveraging the power of social media as we know it. Instagram was not there. Slowly I started posting what my team and I thought was in line with our brand.
We had a big jump when an influencer posted images of our suits and she was also featured on Harpers’ Bazaar wearing Sauipe. But remember, these pioneers were not called influencers back then, and we didn’t pay for any of that. The world was so different!
Since that time we underwent a rebranding phase, erased all of our social, and started posting again. Both the real and virtual worlds started changing a lot and very quickly.
Through it all, we kept our core values the same: timeless designs, swimsuits that last, quality over quantity, supporting women, business transparency, and more. But there was no space for that in social media. The platforms seemed to be more concerned with vanity.
As we all know, all that has changed in the last 3 years or so. Consumers became more vocal and aware of social injustices. I am so glad that the consumers in general pushed for brands to be transparent and responsible. They don’t want only vanity. They want real impact, and they want to see the real people behind the brands. Consumers want to support businesses that align with their values.
And that is my advice: find your ‘why’ and what moves you. Even if you don’t know yet of any core value you stand for, think about it. I am sure you want more than just to sell a product. And run with it. Build a connection with your audience, and they will become true fans, not vanity numbers on your feed.

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

Sauipe underwent a major rebranding in 2017-2018. That helped our business grow tremendously in the wholesale arena – stores and resorts across the country, some in the Caribbean as well. In 2019 I decided it was time to replicate that message and success in our online store. I built a solid strategy to grow our online business in 2020.
Little did I know that that plan would be our ticket to pivoting the business to be 90% online.
In March 2020, all stores and resort boutiques closed due to the pandemic. Boxes that we shipped returned as undeliverable.
We quickly put our plan into action at high speed and pivoted the business to be more direct to consumers. As I mentioned before, we knew where our values stood and expanded our connection with our audiences on social media and emails.
That was a very challenging time for all businesses, especially small businesses like ours. I am glad that we already had the vision to improve our online reach, and despite the shock, we were able to react and pivot Sauipe.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sauipeswim.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sauipeswimwear
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sauipeswimwear
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sauipeswimwear/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/sauipeswim
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/sauipeswimwear

Image Credits
Camilo Rios Nick Borosdi Mire Yang