Basic beauty is back and flourishing in all things feminine with the likes of Australian swimwear brand Frankie and it’s knowingly beautiful, basic palette and style.
Frankie founder and designer Rebecca Klodinsky teamed up with Australian model Steph Claire Smith for her line’s latest photo shoot, with her newest collection Frankie By Rebecca set to launch next month at New York Fashion Week 2016.
Rebecca’s seamless designs and smooth Italian Lycra has her brand powering full speed ahead in the highly competitive beachwear fashion world, proving that simple is still very satiable to women all over the world.
In a short span of 3 years, Frankie swimwear has abundantly grown in popularity, admiration and support in not only its home country but right across the shores to continents and countries are known for their love and skill for fashion. What do you feel most influenced the vast and successful growth for your business?
I believe the growth and success of my business is due to me purposely directing the label in a very one dimensional and linear direction. I don’t pay attention to trends, I don’t aim for Frankie to keep up. I think my customers resonate with this and identify Frankie as a reliable and individual label. The pieces are and always will be structured, well fitting and timeless.
It’s evidently hard work being an entrepreneur in such a competitive generation of fashion seeing that so many businesses don’t make it globally or even nationally. Being a fashion fanatic and bikini connoisseur, what professional skill sets did you already have that would contribute to your swimwear line?
Professionally, my work ethic is what has brought me so much success. I am a perfectionist by nature and I think on a global scale – these are my innate skill sets, only amplified with it comes to business.
What peaked your interest in the idea of making classic, basic yet feminine swimwear for a generation like today’s?
My interest came purely from my own need for high-quality basics.
Why did you decide to produce your swimwear in only Italian Lycra?
My intention for the label was to produce high quality, reliable, durable and go-to swimwear. Personally, I love Italian Lycra and know it to be the most luxurious and premium of the Lycra options. I want all of my customers to feel that when they wear Frankie.
What are some of the techniques that helped manage to sell Frankie swimwear professionally and successfully in other major competitive countries?
Know your customer. Know their seasons, know their trends, know their needs. To engage successfully with anyone, you do need to have a slight understanding of who they are. Failing to deliver what they want is virtually impossible when you know exactly who they are and what they want.
Every entrepreneur or person with an idea naturally holds much faith, love and trust that their business will make it successfully and will be loved by buyers, clients and customers just the same, but many fall very short. When was that moment for you that you knew Frankie would be loved the way it is now?
The moment I knew my label was ‘accepted’ and something to pay attention to, was when I could no longer work my regular job because I had too many incoming orders to fulfil and not enough hours in the day.
Who was one of your first and most important buyers of Frankie swimwear?
I see the first and most important buyers being from people that I indirectly know. Having people purchase my swimsuits after a positive referral really spoke volumes to me of both the label and its public perception.
Believing in your product is evidently one of the first most important steps in any new business idea, though did you imagine Frankie reaching success this fast?
I did expect and believe that my label would reach success, but in such a short time frame – I wasn’t quite prepared for that. I believe in my brand and I am the labels biggest fan, so yes I did believe that the ‘hype’ would spread, but its relatively quick climb to success was something that I didn’t expect.
Do you feel releasing a business like Frankie requires a right time to do so with the world constantly changing in personal style, social groups and independence?
I don’t entirely think that timing is imperative to launching a new business. I do however, believe that the work ethic behind a company needs to be stronger than ever. We live in such a fast-paced, competitive and every changing society – the behind-the-scenes work ethic needs to be strong enough to keep up with both the market and withstand industry adversity.
How did shooting Frankie with Steph Claire Smith come to happen?
A: Our latest seamless shoot with Steph actually happened by complete accident. It was 2pm on a Friday afternoon and the confirmed model we were set to shoot with on the Monday cancelled. Needless to say, my office went into complete panic, our photographers were booked and flying interstate for our shoot and we were suddenly left without a model! At 4:30pm on the Friday my assistant Melitta, smiled and calmly said ‘You can breathe now, I just confirmed Steph Smith’. God, I love her.
How has the process been for Frankie, soon launching its latest designs this September in New York?
With no puns intended, the process has been seamless. I have had the Frankie By Rebecca seamless designs and colour palettes confirmed for months now and I am excited for the looks to be finally showcased to the public.
Is it more right timing or spontaneously decided upon when a designer and entrepreneur in the fashion industry creates a new collection to add to their line?
It is absolutely timing. Seasons and trends change so rapidly – timing a collection or release date is everything. I don’t believe the word ‘spontaneous’ fits into the realm of fashion. Everything is always timed and calculated perfectly.
After the new collection is launched in New York, what can we expect to see happening from Frankie?
The launch of Frankie By Rebecca (ready-to-wear Seamless clothing) will happen as soon as we walk in NYFW. As for Frankie Swimwear, fresh palettes, new faces, and a lot of game changers will be released in 2017
Visit Frankie at
www.frankieswimwear.com
