Fresh from winning 2018's San Diego CityBeat Bestie Award for "Best Swimsuit Shop in San Diego," Hola Swim debuted its 2019 Resort Collection Feb. 10 during New York Fashion Week. Founded by Aida Soria and Syncletica Maestas the swimwear-and-apparel brand is influenced by Southern California beach culture and streetwear.

"We showed our resort collection at Pier 59 on Feb. 10," Soria said. "We feel the most confident in this collection out of all of our other collections thus far. It's beautiful."

As native San Diegans, the women value connecting with the local community through domestic manufacturing in San Diego and fabric sourced from Los Angeles. Soria's ancestors came from Mexico and Maestas's heritage can be traced to Mexican and Native American roots. Through their work, the women are proud to recognize the contributions of these groups to San Diego culture. 

"Our sewers, cutters and patternmaker are all based in San Diego. We really want to be part of the process to make sure our brand is made with quality," Soria said. "With this collection, there are a lot of animal prints, we have a Latina flavor to it, which we feel is unique." 

Through their offerings, the women want to remind their neighbors that they live in a beach community, which should be embraced and enjoyed.

"We're based in Barrio Logan. It's gone through gentrification and there is an arts block. We have a tiny shop and people don't know what to think about it," Soria explained. "Being in the inner city, they forget we're only a mile away from the Coronado Beach. Going to the beach is part of that lifestyle." 

In addition to connecting the community with beach culture, the women wanted to create swimwear with styles that fell somewhere between revealing designs and those that are more conservative. 

"There are a lot of tiny bathing suits and a lot of grandma-style bathing suits. We're trying to make suits for people in between," Soria said. "Hola Swim believes bathing suits should be able to go from the beach to the barrio. Style is key and comfort is a necessity to make women of all shapes and sizes feel beautiful." 

With swimsuit wholesale price points ranging from for $35-$55, Hola Swim is available online and at its bricks-and-mortar location at 2159 Logan Ave. in San Diego.

from www.apparelnews.net stories http://bit.ly/2SpOBh9