Sara Smith of Revivre Sustainable Swimwear is an inspiration and a breath of fresh air in the world of fashion. She makes you stand up and look at where all your clothing comes from, how each item is made, and whether it’s sustainable. Her swimwear collections at Revivre are classically chic, beautifully designed, and of course they are fully sustainable.
Tell us about the journey that led you to launch your brand Revivre Sustainable Swimwear…
Revivre was born for the mindful traveller, the lover of faraway places and keeper of fine crafts. For those who, like me, can lose themselves exploring nature’s hidden treasures and like to choose the path less travelled. In a world of mass production, my aim is to share my version of the Earth’s wild beauty with like minded souls. Having recently completed a degree in Environmental Studies with a focus on Sustainability, paired with becoming a mother and of course being an avid eco-traveller, it became clear that my purpose was to create a brand that not only offered beautiful garments which help correct the course of fast fashion, but also paved the way for the future generations to follow through education, creativity and an immense appreciation for nature. Our name, Revivre, translates to ‘live again’ in French, and our collections offer just that; luxury, well crafted pieces inspired by nature, that can be recycled time and time again, giving new, meaningful value to unwanted materials, which are otherwise headed for landfill, or worse, are already polluting our vast and beautiful oceans.
Your business is brand new, have you had any stumbling blocks that you’ve had to deal with before being able to launch?
Countless! But looking back now, I needed to go through those stumbling blocks for a successful launch, and I’ll continue to face more challenges as the brand establishes itself. That’s why it was imperative to start creating our tribe early with industry partners, suppliers and eco-travellers that share our brand’s values and vision. Our main and ongoing challenge will always be over consumerism and trying to establish the brand without over producing. It’s a pivotal time for the fashion industry, so creating responsible, well made swimwear whilst inviting followers to enhance their environmental awareness is what we believe in. I’ve come to realise that an evolving sustainability pledge is not only vital for progress for our brand, but also for the community. For brands such as ourselves, offering choices that significantly lower carbon footprints, increase ethical working supply chains and promise circular, infinitely recyclable products is a huge step forward in today’s current markets, and we’ll never tire of bettering ourselves.
One-Piece Swimwear Collection
If you were to describe your business mantra in three words, what would they be?
Natural, Innovated, Empowered.
What advice would you offer anyone interested in venturing into the world of sustainable fashion?
The world needs sustainably minded entrepreneurs, and you never know where a project or collaboration may lead you. Be creative and follow your passions. Become an advocate of sustainable business, regardless of the industry. Just start and you’ll figure out everything out along the way. Oh, and our one invaluable tip? Invest in a mentor, someone who knows the industry and shares your values around sustainability, quality and craftsmanship. That way, any pain points will be easily avoided as your vision comes to life and your brand grows.
Talk us through an average business day in your life…
The beauty of a start-up is that no two days are the same. I’m always on the lookout for new and innovative materials and production methods and we’ll often check out upcoming expos and conferences. One silver lining that came out of the pandemic was online availability to global conferences and expos, which have helped keep our carbon footprint (and costs) down. Some days are dedicated to researching and reaching out to different sustainability projects to see how we can help each other, and I’ll often touch base with our designers, suppliers and factories to ensure we have a mutual understanding of our goals and values. Effective communication is paramount, especially in the early stages of launching. This month, we’re testing different recycled eco-fabrics that offer uv protection for our sister brand Roca Bay, which is a sustainable children’s swimwear collection. (@roca_bay_)
How do you stay positive in difficult times?
Everything always works out. It’s not always an easy ride and there are constant challenges, so I remind myself that I am part of the bigger solution. Everything Revivre is doing is to empower our ever growing community of incredible women and to make them feel good about themselves every day. We bloody deserve that!
Collectively we can make a difference and when we feel good about ourselves, we do good, and that’s what counts at the end of the day. We also have a beautifully aligned team at Revivre which makes our working life joyful and always full of laughter. I know that no matter the challenge or set back in front of us, we’ll always make it through.
Bikini Swimwear Collection
What is your go to quote when lacking motivation?
“Playing small doesn’t serve the world… as you let your own light shine, you indirectly give others permission to do the same.”
(Marianne Williamson).
“Stand tall, breathe deep and be the best version of yourself you can be.“
(Sara Smith)
How much has social media played a role in launching your brand?
I launched Revivre as an e-commerce brand so having a strong social media presence has been instrumental to our market positioning. It’s a wonderful platform to grow your audience, share your vision and most importantly, collaborate with inspiring, like minded people to help better something which is bigger than all of us.
How do you want people to feel when they first see wear something from Revivre?
Mindful, empowered, supported and effortlessly elegant. Reviving a sense of value to what we own is our mission here at Revivre, and I aim to encourage our community to buy less and buy better and embrace the slow fashion movement. We’re a community built on sustainability with the appreciation that we can have both beautiful, luxe collections that don’t cost the earth, literally. I’m transparent with our brand’s environmental impact and I want our customers to know that by investing in our pieces, you’re investing in yourself.
Our readers love to travel, what destination is at the top of your bucket list and do you have a favourite piece that you would take from your collection?
As international travel opens again, I feel an immense sense of gratitude for nature. It’s a wonderful perspective and I’ll never take our freedom for granted. Whether it’s the pink sand beaches of Bermuda, discovering small and untouched islands with no roads in the Filipino archipelagos or the crystal blue waters of the Seychelles, my bucket list seems to be ever increasing. I’m headed to The Balearic Islands for an upcoming campaign soon, and I can’t stop dreaming of those beautiful coastlines, exquisite delicacies, turquoise waters and isolated beach coves to explore with my daughter. It’s a super exciting time for travel, especially as we’re collectively becoming more conscious of our travel footprint. As a brand we’re looking at alternative ways to offset the environmental cost of travel, such as eco-friendly hotels that use renewable energies and offer locally sourced produce, and we’ll be sharing our findings in our upcoming newsletters.
Underwired Swimwear Collection
What’s next for you and your brand?
It’s a busy time for Revivre and we have a lot of exciting collections, travel insights and collaborations lined up. After we launch our Spring Summer 22 ‘Oceanique’ Collection, I’ll launch Roca Bay, our sustainable children’s swimwear sister brand (@roca_bay_). We’ve also just started working on our resort wear collection, and I’m so excited to share my visions with our community. As ever, we’ll continue to work on our sustainability pledge across both brands while we explore new avenues of responsibility in slow-fashion and eco-travel.
Where can people find out more about Revivre?
By signing up to our newsletter at Revivre or follow us on Instagram @revivre_collection
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