Lilna Swimwear: Making Waves in the Fashion Industry
We interview the two French boss babes behind swimwear brand Lilna Swimwear.
WAKE UP WHEN I WANT!
This is what the designer and founder of LILNASWIMWEAR replied when I asked her what her favorite aspect of having her own business was.
Aren’t those just the most beautiful, magical, life-changing words that have ever blessed my ears. Here’s to the non-morning people who are constantly told by self-help books that morning people will always be the most successful.
Not all of us can be Kris Jenner – getting up at 4:30 AM for meetings and turning our daughter’s sex tape into an empire. I mean, getting up at 4:30 AM is just absurd.
As somebody who PLANS ON RUNNING MY OWN BUSINESS(ES) and media company(ies) eventually, Clémence is a true inspiration to us non-morning-more-like-early-afternoon-who-still-lead-productive-lives people.
NOW, What’s a PERSON gotta do to find the perfect swimsuit?
come to our website, where we have already gone through the pains of vetting many swimsuit brands for you to find our absolute favorites.
you make your own damn swimsuits, and you model them yourself - like the founders of lilnaswimwear did.
Yes, really. That’s what the two girlboss French sisters behind LILNASWIMWEAR, Clémence, the designer, and Léonie, the brand’s model, did when they realized that they could design better quality swimwear than they could find while shopping.
If only I was as productive at turning my inconveniences into full-on businesses…I’d be a serial entrepreneur and super f*cking rich right now. Well, I’d at least have a couch in my small studio in WeHo, or a chair… or any furniture at all.
MEET THE GIRL BOSSES BEHIND THE BRAND
Clémence Delorme
Founder of LILNAswimwear
Léonie Delorme
Model of LILNAswimwear
We had the utter delight to speak with the French sisters behind the LILNASWIMWEAR label, Clémence and Léonie Délorme, and if I wasn’t feeling inspired before, I sure as hell am now after learning from these two amazing girl bosses, who have managed to create one of my all time favorite swimwear lines.
Having studied fashion marketing and brand strategies in Paris, and having worked in the industry in Casablanca, Morocco, Clémence embodies the type of intelligence and industry know-how that is necessary to make a huge splash in the fashion industry.
If you follow us, you know how very selective we are when it comes to swimwear. In fact, when evaluating what swimwear works for me, I have four major categories that I keep in mind, which are as follows:
1. Cute as hell (obv)
2. Practicality; aka “will-my-titties-fall-out-while-getting-out-of-the-pool” type of scenario
3. Versatility – can I wear this for multiple occasions and not tire of the cut/style/color?
4. Tan line situation – now, I think this is pretty self-explanatory. We’ve all had (or been) that one friend with absurd tan lines due to poor choice in swimwear on a very hot (and high UV index) day.
LILNASWIMWEAR hits on all these major marks for the signs of a perf swimsuit. “Les deux soeurs,” behind the brand, Clémence and Léonie, grew up in La Rochelle aka L’île de Ré, and have also lived in Casablanca, Morocco.
The inspiration that they’ve drawn from their experiences and travels is present in their swim designs, which are at once sensual, timeless, and elegant. They site their color palette as “…inspired by the romantic colors of a summer on the Ile de Ré.”
Credit: Clémence Delorme
Putting on their luxurious, yet refined, pieces, instantly puts me in a South of France mindset – aka, my favorite mindset.
“Minimalist, Timeless, and Eco-Friendly”
With today’s focus on social responsibility and the importance of eco-friendly fashion, with the likes of thrift-shopping and re-purposing clothing, LILNASWIMWEAR has made a home for itself amongst the creators who hope to inspire a better way of living for future generations. The fabric is OEKO TEX certified, ensuring that the textiles and dyes are non-toxic, and, furthermore, are made in Morocco with recycled Italian fabric. The inspiration drawn from travels in Morocco is not lost on me. Their beautiful jeweled color palette is a differentiating factor from all the bikini brands today focused on fleeting trends, like neon. The Delorme sisters know how to create timeless pieces that you can wear EVERY summer, not just the summer of ‘19 because neon was cool that one span of two months.
Credit: Clémence Delorme
What’s more, LILNAswim makes REVERSIBLE bikinis. Which is pretty much every person’s dream – a two-for-one bikini. The bikinis that Kath are I are currently obsessed with are both reversible, with stunning jewel-toned colors on each side. This is perfect for mix and matching and switching it up. Say hello to not packing your 87234893 swimsuits with you the next time you travel!
Kath sporting the NANA bottoms and the NANA triangle top:
Sar sporting the lili bottoms and the lili bandeau top.
You know what I love more than I love a good swimsuit? I love a badass business woman who is RELATABLE, and that’s just what I found in speaking with Clémence.
Her advice for people who want to start their own businesses but who have not yet taken the first step toward realizing their dreams?
“GO! It is not easy everyday but when it works it’s an incomparable happiness”
I think for anyone in the pre-entrepreneurship phase (that’s what I’m choosing to call my own reluctance to begin), the hardest part is STARTING the damn thing. It’s like when you have an essay due the next day and you wait until 3 AM the morning of to start because you’ve been dreading the thought so thoroughly. However, once you begin, you blitzkrieg your way through that piece in four hours without taking a crying break because you realize that you DO have something to say. You were just afraid to start.