The challenges and successes of launching an independent swimwear line

Miami Fashion Network had the pleasure of discussing the challenges and successes of launching an independent swimwear line with Indie Soul Founder and Creative Director Tim Gorgol. Established in 2013, Miami-based luxury swimwear line Indie Soul exemplifies the path to fashion design startup success.

Gorgol hails from the marketing and branding side of fashion, having led marketing efforts for Esprit’s Latin American operations. At Esprit he learned the value of knowing the customer, going so far as to write “day in the life” vignettes about the market segments of each product line. This detailed understanding of the customer is applied at Indie Soul, where Gorgol’s team is always asking “who is my consumer?” and “will my target consumer wear this?”

His understanding of the differentiated lifestyles of customers manifests itself in the collections. Indie Soul offers four distinct swimwear collections aimed at different types of bohemian women. These bohemian segments reflect Gorgol’s acute study of the nuanced differences in their daily lives.IndieSoulForCHC (1)

The Vintage segment channels the 1960’s and 1970’s origins of modern bohemian style. The edgy Rocker segment loves Harleys and sports leather apparel. The Indigenous segment connects with the vibe and craftsmanship of Africa, while the newest segment Young Bohemian, loves EDM and is non-corporate in career path.

Contrary to most brands positioned as bohemian or progressive, Gorgol actually infuses the brand’s bohemian mores into the design and production processes. For example artisanal values are inherent in the creative process through the use of the Japanese technique Kanoko Shibori to create the tie dye patterns on the pieces. Concomitantly, Indie Soul uses artisans in Colombia, Peru, and India to hand cut and dye every piece.

This artisanal hands-on production process results in unique prints for every single piece. In other words, no Indie Soul swimwear prints are the same. Further integrating values and process, non-machine production results in minor differences in cut, creating beautifully imperfect pieces. This strengthens Indie Soul’s brand identity with its target consumers, who presumably agree with Gorgol’s sentiment that “we celebrate imperfection.”

The brand’s imperfection is clearly catching on, as Hannah Davis recently sported an Indie Soul customized swimsuit for Sports Illustrated magazine’s 2015 Swimsuit Issue. Gorgol’s creative genius came into play when Sports Illustrated suggested a theme of Downton Abbey, a very non-bohemian story about Scottish gentry in the early 20th century. Like an investigator seeing non-obvious connections at the crime scene, Gorgol saw in that period’s heavy use of lace the connection to modern bohemian style. The result was the swimsuit seen around the world on the issue’s cover.

Gorgol has put his finger on the pulse of a precise market segment and sales continue to grow in key markets like Orange County, South Florida, London, and South of France. The brand’s followers appreciate that Indie Soul authentically reconciles brand identity with the production process, creating swimwear that allows them to feel good while looking good. In a fortuitous twist of fate, Indie Soul’s imperfect swimwear has become the perfect fashion business.

About Miami Fashion Network
Miami Fashion Network is a fashion design consultancy that produces and markets collections for entrepreneurs and companies, and is a niche-marketing agency for lifestyle and fashion businesses.

About Indie Soul
Miami-based Indie Soul is a global, luxury bohemian clothing and accessories brand specializing in swimwear, cover-ups and dresses. Since its recent launch in 2013, the brand has already been featured in key shows including Miami Swim Week and Paris Mode City. Indie Soul annually presents their runway show at Miami Fashion Week.

Image: Hannah Davis Indie Soul Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Cover March 18, 2015