Enterprise: Baiia
What makes them special: The brand offers swimwear tailoring to make any woman feel confident about both her body and her environmentally friendly choices.
Amber Boyers came up with the idea of her swimwear brand, Baiia, at a time when she was becoming increasingly self-conscious in her body – especially in a swimsuit. “I thought back to when I felt the most free and self-assured, that was when I was a young girl, roaming the beach in swimwear,” Amber explains. “I wanted to re-create that feeling, but for a new, older version of myself who wanted to feel sexy in a swimsuit.”
Unable to find swimwear she felt good in made from sustainable or recycled fabrics that she liked, nor any that was aesthetically designed for people who weren’t already into eco fashion, Amber decided to create her own, launching Baiia in Brisbane in 2016 with a mission to create unique and flattering swimwear for all women, while honouring sustainable practices. The brand goes the extra distance to provide a compassionate service by offering tailoring for women who have undergone a mastectomy, would like extra comfort while breastfeeding, or simply want their swimsuit to fit them perfectly.
“The pros of going out by myself have outweighed the cons.”
Already in full-time work and an established blogger, Amber initially had to overcome the challenges of limited time and knowledge, but she persevered, determined to run the business on her own and without outside investment. “It took me three years to get the business to a point that could’ve taken half the time with a co-founder or an investor,” Amber recalls. “Having someone in the boat with me to sound ideas to and overcome the really difficult moments together would have been less isolating. However, the pros of going out by myself have outweighed the cons.”
Having full control of every decision has allowed Amber to make effective changes quickly. And not having to repay investors has meant that she has been able to plough all the brand’s profits back into building a better product and continuously improving her customer experience offering.
Amber uses only recycled materials, environmentally friendly dyes and intentional waste-reducing garment designs, but her commitment to sustainability goes beyond her products themselves. She’s taking a green approach to every aspect of her operations. She works out of an energy-efficient office run by solar, reduces the amount of packaging she uses as much as possible, and sources the amount she does use from either recycled or compostable materials.
“We also have recycling stations and compost bins at our HQ, use environmentally friendly office supplies – recycled paper and biodegradable materials – and raise awareness about sustainability among our customers and employees by raising money throughout the year for environmental protection organisations,” Amber explains.
Having established Baiia as a renowned brand in Australia, Amber’s immediate focus is to make sure its products are more accessible for its growing customer base across the US and EU. “I’d love to see Baiia become a familiar brand to our international women, while also having more of a physical presence across Australia with intimate boutiques and events,” Amber says. “We’ll also be expanding our product range to further assist and alleviate concerns our customers have in swimwear. Introducing new, innovative fabrics and designs is something I’m so excited to be sharing with our community.”
This article first appeared in issue 40 of the Inside Small Business quarterly magazine
