melody swim

Sustainability is no secret and as we dive deeper into the fashion industry, we're realizing the vitality and importance of eco-friendly practices when looking and feeling our best. I don't know about you but the more sustainable a brand is, the better I feel wearing and purchasing their products. And while some brands claim to be "eco-friendly," the only environmentally cautious step their taking is the packaging your product is being shipped in. Baby-steps are great, but when do brands make the jump to truly become environmentally friendly and fashionable? Well for melody swim no baby-steps were needed to make that jump.

melody swim is a woman-owned, recycled plastic turned sustainable swimwear company working to minimize harmful fast fashion practices within the industry. melody swim goes beyond compostable packaging; the company takes the art of swimwear to a whole new (and sustainable) level, so I sat down with founder Jasmine Caputo to get an inside look on all things melody swim!

1. When did you first start your company?

I’ve spent the last year developing, researching and designing Melody Swim and it’s finally about to launch! In college I actually created a swim brand and just sold swimsuits on a very small scale and since graduating years ago, I missed it a lot and wanted to do it again but better.

2. What inspired/influenced you to start Melody Swim?

I’ve always dreamed of having my own swimwear brand but knew that if I was going to do it, I wanted it to be the most sustainable and ethical brand it could possibly be. Once I found a way to do that, using fabric made from recycle materials and a very ethical, eco-conscious manufacturer, the rest fell into place!

3. How did you come up with company name?

Melody is actually my middle name and I truly wanted this brand to be a reflection of me and everything I believe in, so it felt like the perfect fit.

4. Why sustainable fashion?

Sustainability and being environmentally conscious is extremely important to me. I’ve been vegan for the last six years to reduce my carbon footprint and then I also learned the large impact that fashion has on the environment. With most clothing ending up in landfills, using brand new materials for a swimsuit when there are so many recycled options just didn’t feel right so I wanted to create a brand that did the least harm on the planet. Sustainable fashion is truly the only way we will be able to preserve this planet and I believe that every brand should strive to leave the least carbon footprint possible.

5. Have you always had an interest in fashion? What started this interest?

I’ve always had such a passion for swimwear and beach culture and even when I couldn’t afford to shop much, I always had dozens of bikinis because they made me the happiest. I’ve also always loved fashion but loved thrift shopping because it was more economical and sustainable, but you can’t really find swimwear second-hand (and most people aren’t comfortable doing so) so creating the next best thing was a partial inspiration for the brand.

6. Did you ever second guess starting the company?

Absolutely! While I’ve only been working on this brand for the last year, it has always been something I wanted to do and I wrote so many business plans in the past that never came to life. It’s definitely really scary starting your own company, especially when you used to work at a comfortable corporate job before like me, but this year finally gave me the confidence to go for it because I knew it was my path.

7. When will you be releasing the first line of Melody Swim?

The website will officially launch in February 2021 and I am so excited! As of right now I plan to drop individual swimsuits rather than extensive collections to minimize any waste and also build excitement with one piece at a time rather than overwhelm everyone with too many options. The launch will contain three different bikinis and I can’t wait!

8. What advice would you give to your younger self for starting a company?

When starting a brand, your own confidence is so incredibly important because it will determine how you move forward with it and present it to the world. For a long time, I lacked confidence in it but once I was able to gain that confidence, everything started coming together in the brand we have today and I’m so excited for everything to come. So my advice would be to always remember why you want to follow this path and to not let any outside negativity affect your decisions, and most importantly always follow your gut and intuition because that will always guide you.

9. Is there anything you would have done differently in regards to starting your company?

If anything it would just to start sooner, but I truly believe in divine timing and that everything comes to fruition when it’s meant to. If I did start sooner, I’m not sure if I would’ve been fully ready to take it all on so I’m really happy now with the timing of it all.

10. What would you say is the most important part of running and creating a business?

The most important part is truly believing in what you are doing. If you’re launching something just for the money or anything superficial, people will pick up on that and it’s your passion that will create your brand and sell your products. Once you know why you’re doing what you’re doing, everything else will fall into place (with a lot of hard work as well, duh). I also thinking being ready to take a risk and having confidence that everything will work out is very important because you have to be ready to put your whole heart into it.

*Follow melody swim on Instagram @shopmelodyswim for updates on the upcoming launch!*