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

Sara, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

Tiny bikinis are more popular now than ever. With the rise of women-empowerment and the trend of self-love, now more than ever women are comfortable and confident showing off their bodies.

Being Latina, I grew up around confident, empowered women that never thought twice before showing off their bodies to the world. My mother always encouraged me to be proud of my body and wear whatever I felt the most beautiful in. When I immigrated to the United States, I noticed modesty was applauded and “the norm” for swimwear. Wearing full coverage bikinis did not make me feel my most beautiful. I wanted swimwear that worked with my body and for my body – not against it. That was my eureka moment and the reason I created Tinye Swim.

As Latino culture is becoming more and more intertwined with the all-American lifestyle, more young women have started to embrace the trend of the tiny bikini, Celebrities and influencers have also been big advocates of the “less-is-more” trend in swimwear, and traditionally modest brands have expanded their product offering to include cheeky swimwear.

Less fabric means less waste, more sustainability and more comfort. As more brands tap into the universal appeal of smaller swimwear, the tiny bikini trend will only continue to grow. At Tinye Swim, we specialize in bringing you classic styles that will flatter your body. This trend has carried over to One Pieces and Monokinis, as we’re breaking the misconception that one piece swimsuit *have* to cover you up.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started Tinye Swimwear when I noticed a gap in the market for playful, affordable, high-quality bikinis. We specialize in tiny, classic styles that are universally flattering.

We have taken thousands of women on a journey of self-love, acceptance and discovery of their bodies and outward confidence as they take their power back and show off their bodies to the world.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I love having personal relationships with my clients. There is something special about knowing who is behind a brand. I know as a consumer, I tend to value having access to the behind-the-scenes of the brands I shop from. I try to personally engage with my customers as often as I can.

If it is someone’s second or third time buying from the brand, I make sure to include extra thanks with their package and their post-purchase communications. Having someone love your brand enough to come back is a big deal!

I’m very active through my brand’s social media channels, and I’d love for my customers to think of me as a best friend who happens to give amazing bikini style advice.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

When designing my best seller (the 007 One Piece) I realized I was taking a huge risk. I absolutely loved the design, but I knew it would not be for everyone. The daring and “barely-there” nature of the suit was one that not many brands in my niche were experimenting with. There were a few times when the thought “this may be too much” crossed my head.

In this day and age where everyone feels the pressure to be 100% inclusive, I feared the negative backlash on this design would be too much.

However, I realized that the reality of having a small business is that you HAVE to niche down. You cannot possibly cater to every type of customer in the world when you are first starting out. People will have their opinions, and that is something you cannot control,

Knowing that the 007 was guaranteed to start a conversation (at the time I wasn’t sure if it would be good or bad) I took a risk and released the collection of monokinis (one piece swimsuits that look like bikinis) in neon, contrasting colors. Very “in-your-face”, I’d say. Immediately, the feedback I received was extremely positive, it became my all-time best seller within minutes of it going live on the site.

There are still people who believe the design is “too much”, but throughout my life, I learned that being “too much” is not necessarily a bad thing: too loud, too happy, too emotional, too vain, too passionate… etc. I’m sure many women out there can relate to that. So this design is special to me, because “too much” can work in your favor more times than not.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tinyeswim.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinyeswim/

Image Credits
Deborah Lee