IRVETTA SUSTAINABLE SWIMWEAR
Interview with Julie Whiteman + Jeje Hamze [Co-Founders]

Irvetta celebrates body confidence and is inspired by iconic entrepreneurial women, from Coco Chanel to Oprah Winfrey

SWC: Tell us a bit about your background and what led you to become a swimwear designer?

Irvetta was founded by myself and my sister Jeje. I formerly worked in the legal field and my sister was a photographer. Though we once believed we were very different, we came together through a common struggle of finding a balance between professional life and wellness. So we decided to pool our diverse experiences and work together on a creative project in search of this equilibrium. Through this, we found a shared passion for sophisticated swimwear design and entrepreneurship; this took us on our journey to create the Irvetta brand and woman. A brand that represents all women, who seek this balance between nature and modernity.

SWC: Where does the name Irvetta come from? 

'Irvetta' comes from a female name, meaning ‘friend of the sea’. But we aren’t ‘friends of the sea’ in name only. At Irvetta, we strive to create luxurious, high-quality swimwear because we grew up understanding that longevity in fashion supports a sustainable and ethical way of living. The Irvetta name has become very close to our hearts, we wanted to humanize her, and our goal is for her to represent all women who share this compassion for the environment. 

SWC: What was the inspiration for your collection?

The Odyssey collection was inspired by our journey to create timeless, classic swimwear that emphasizes the natural curves of the female form. Created by women for women, our collections are designed to be comfortable yet enchanting, effortlessly taking you from day to evening and everything in between. From Coco Chanel to Oprah Winfrey, iconic entrepreneurial women have been a huge inspiration for the collection. We believe in empowering women not only in what they wear but also how they feel and what they do. We want women to know that anyone can be an Irvetta woman. 

SWC: Who is the Irvetta customer? 

The Irvetta customer is a lover of classical style, an icon of modernity and a friend of the sea who seeks a new class of luxury that accentuates natural beauty and compliments one's inner personality. Captivating, she enjoys the finer experiences in life: faraway trips to exotic resorts, midnight walks by Mediterranean seas, relaxing back into warm sands with a classic book.

SWC: How has the pandemic affected your business?

For Irvetta it has been a time to reflect and celebrate the first stages of building a business. We have some exciting new collection ideas and new product releases down the line! Working from home has also given us an opportunity to connect and interact with our customers in new virtual ways like through our new online Irvetta Magazine. Through these articles and upcoming interviews with other entrepreneurs and creatives, we have opened a door to share real voices and journeys like our own, inspiring and capturing the true spirit of the moment through collaborative unity. Something that is crucial now more than ever during this pandemic. 

SWC: What are the goals for the future of your company?

We will continue to work closely with our talented team and manufacturers to perfect every new collection. As a small brand, we really do love to hear feedback from our customers, as we believe we are always learning and growing together! We will be focusing on new colors, sizes, and fits while maintaining our niche style with luxury and sustainability at heart. Our magazine has been doing very well and we would love to collaborate with more artists and brands in the near future.

SWC: What are your thoughts about the future of swimwear? 

Swimwear has already evolved in such a powerful and revolutionary way, it plays a huge role in female empowerment and the fashion industry. Therefore, we believe it will continue to grow in such a way that will allow us to explore the female body in new and exciting ways. We believe that the future generation of swimwear creators will focus on promoting body confidence and create a world where we can accept each other's natural form and beauty. We are so excited to be part of this movement and watch other similar brands as we work together to challenge and influence new styles and trends that we are already experiencing. We also think that because of the new ways we can learn on a daily basis as we collectively share information around the world through social platforms; sustainability has already proven to be in all our hearts and we feel swimwear owners are conscious of this at the forefront and are impactfully making choices and changes in their environmental footprints! Our target audience spend their days at the beach and in exotic places and our products are made to experience and travel in. It is crucial for us to protect those special locations where we create most of our favorable memories. 

SWC: How can we find out more about Irvetta? 
You can find out more about Irvetta on our website at irvettaswim.com and we encourage anyone who wants more information to email us at welcome@irvettaswim.com. We also answer questions and proposals on Instagram where you can leave us a direct message @irvettaswim.