Launching a business in the fashion industry is not for the faint of heart. It’s been such a long road to get Monarch Reign to the point of having my line ready to debut to the world. It has taken years of planning, testing, and searching for every detail that is necessary to create something unique. I wanted to share bits of my journey with you so you believe that anyone is capable of achieving a dream.
Start with a mood board and gather your inspiration
This is undoubtedly the “fun” part of the process. Coming up with color schemes, looking at fabric swatches, and designing what the overall look and feel of the brand will be is so exciting. It’s essential to be balanced when it comes to inspiration. You want what you produce to be uniquely you, so find what gives you ideas and fuels your creativity while being true to your brand's look.
Start Designing
Swimwear designs are the foundation of success. It was especially important to me to make sure each design was flattering, supportive, and made the person wearing it feel confident, fierce, and feminine. Of course, I made sure to consult amazing designers and seamstresses to create the prototypes. This stage is a labor of love because designing apparel often requires numerous rounds of revisions to work through every detail.
Find the right fabrics
It was not enough for me to have beautiful swimwear, but I wanted to make the conscious decision to have sustainability be a part of my brand. The earth, and especially our oceans, are incredibly important to me. It only made sense for me to find a way to offer sustainable swimwear. I decided on using ECONYL® Regenerated Nylon for almost all the suits. Their process is truly amazing and made perfect sense for Monarch Reigns' commitment to doing our part for the environment. They take nylon waste from landfills and oceans and transform it into regenerated nylon. The fabric can be recycled and recreated again and again. It's a fantastic process that Monarch Reign is so proud to offer in some of our suits.
Select your debut collection
Monarch Reign is a little different from other swimwear lines. As an avid swimwear collector, I love having new suits for new exciting trips and destinations and I love having a wide variety of options. The idea behind Monarch Reign is to have limited-release collections. I wanted to make sure the debut collection showcased the first design idea I had for Monarch Reign, the nude mesh suits with butterfly detail. I love everything that the Monarch Butterfly represents. Not only are they beautiful creatures, but they have such power and strength within them. That coupled with their delicate exterior really showcases the feminine spirit. Needless to say, I’m so proud of where that idea began and what we were able to create from it.
All things retail
When all the designs are finalized we called upon some extremely talented people in New York City to create our vision. Yes, each swimsuit is handmade right here in the USA which is also something I am very proud to have accomplished. While that is happening, a lot of moving parts are taking place behind the scenes. A website is being made, packaging and distribution channels are being worked out, licensing and legal components are being cared for all while you have to start garnering press to promote what you’ve been working on for so long. This isn’t the most glamorous part of the process, but the operational aspects behind a business are so important to get right. There are lots of conference calls, meetings, and late nights making sure every detail is just right.
Starting an apparel line was a dream, and I’m so excited to share the journey with you. No matter what your goal is, even if it’s something you’ve never done before, you can achieve it with hard work, persistence, and an amazing team behind you.