Today, as the sun beats down on us here in the UK and we rush for the nearest swimming pool or beach, bikini-clad models will be making their way down the catwalk in Miami for the first day of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim. We’ve asked our BrandAlley swimwear buyer, Camilla, to introduce one of our new favourite swimwear brands and tell us a little more about what she gets up to here at BA HQ.
As a member of the buying team, part of my job consists of researching and approaching new brands that I feel might work well for our site.
I recently discovered a new swimwear brand called Maaji, which is stocked by one major UK retailer. By harnessing the power of Google I found their website and a little bit more about them. Based in Colombia, Maaji is the brainchild of two sisters, Manuela and Amalia Sierra, who claim to be inspired by magic surrealism and eclectic romanticism. South America has a long-standing tradition of this through the literature of great writers such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Isabel Allende, and I was immediately intrigued.
The next step, contacting the supplier, takes a bit of sleuthing, but again using the power of Google, a few phone calls and some emails I came in to contact with the European head of sales, David. After speaking to him about BrandAlley, who we are and what we do, we agree to run a sale together – exciting! David sends me some images of the product and samples are on the way.
When samples arrive at Head Office I can see what the sisters mean when they talk about magic and romance. Mystical symbols like mandalas are artfully mixed with pretty sea- inspired motifs like corals and fish scales, and the colours are amazing! I love the ruffles on tops and the laser-cut detailing. They even make Fairisle prints (not usually my thing) look appealing. Then I see the trikinis and I start to think I am off to Ibiza in a few months to stay at the Ushuaia Beach Hotel, which I have been assured is the place to be this summer. What could be cooler than hanging out there in a seahorse-print trikini with denim cut offs during the day, and a long floaty skirt at night! I will be shopping this sale as soon as it is on the site.
Gosh, working at BrandAlley can be dangerous; temptation is everywhere!
The final step is to confirm quantities with my supplier and make sure they are happy with the dates we propose. I check the layout of images on a test site and work with my colleague Sophie to make sure descriptions are fun and tell the customer all they need to know about the product. An added bonus: most Maaji swim pieces are reversible! Plus the quality is fantastic; you know your swimwear won’t go saggy in a few months.
Everything is now ready to go, happy shopping!
The Maaji swimwear sale will go live on the 28th of July… All that is left for me to do is choose the right trikini for Ibiza!
