This week Underlines spoke to the creators of the Naia Beach brand, Gayle Lawton and Tess Daly, two life-long friends who wanted to construct a swimwear and resortwear label around timeless simplicity which transcends trends but will always look chic and effortless.
Life long friends, Tess Daly and Gayle Lawton, creators of Naia Beach
Your previous life?
Between them Tess and Gayle have over 3 decades of working in fashion.
Tess: “During my earlier career as a fashion model, I was fortunate enough to travel the world and work for iconic fashion houses; this gave me first hand exposure to luxury brands, the quality that is expected, how designers envision the end product, and what brings their designs to life in terms of craftmanship and attention to detail”.
Gayle: as a fit model for many years, I have worked for countless high-profile brands and designers, fitting both luxury womenswear, swim and resort wear. Working behind the scenes truly gives you exposure that is invaluable when deciding to create your own line. I would say I have a near encyclopaedic knowledge of how a garment should fit on the body. There really is no room for error particularly with swim wear, it must move with the body, it has to fit comfortably but also flatter the wearer’s shape. Also, from a technical perspective I understand how a garment should perform and how crucial rigorous testing is. Swimwear is such a technical product and has to perform under such harsh elements such as chlorine, salt and sunlight, it’s imperative the product can stand up to this.
How did the brand start and when did you start working on it?
Tess & Gayle: “The idea for the brand started in what we both refer to as ‘Our happy place’, the South of France, where we have holidayed together many times with our families. It was there, while shopping for swimwear, and not being able to find anything that we would feel confident and comfortable wearing on the beach, that the idea for designing our own swimwear range was born. We had a very clear vision of what we wanted NAIA to be from the start: memorable, inspirational and with a strong identity. We started working on the brand in August 2020 and launched in March 2021. NAIA was created for women like us. Women who live passionately and thoughtfully, who support each other and who truly appreciate the luxury of holidays and travel. Once we established that clear identity the designs naturally came together.
Where do you look for design inspiration?
Tess & Gayle: “We are constantly inspired by the places we visit and take inspiration from each destination, whether it’s the French Riviera, Palm Springs or Miami’s South Beach. Through our own experience we understand what women like and dislike about their bodies, and what makes them feel more confident, so that is our starting point when it comes to the designs and, we refuse to compromise on fit and quality. Every single day we are inspired by the wonderful women in our lives and beyond, and we believe our NAIA woman deserves the very best. Our designs take some inspiration from catwalk trends, pantone colour of the year and so on, but also by a print we might come across at a vintage market for example. We enjoy the thrill of tracking down the perfect prints and fabrics for our next collection. There is no greater satisfaction than when a design comes together beautifully. We look to create timeless pieces that don’t date and will accompany you on many holidays to come.
What is different about designing your products?
Tess & Gayle: We really listen to feedback from our NAIA customers and build that into our collections. They are simple, elegant, glamourous, not solely trend focused. We pride ourselves on our luxury branding. Luxury branding with gold hardware and NAIA signature fabrics which really elevate the product. We are passionate about the quality of the fabric, the design and crucially the fit. We fit each of our pieces a minimum of 5 times until we are fully satisfied. And we don’t stop until we are. We leave no stone unturned in our attention to detail. Little things make such a difference, such as pockets in a dress, or a back detail not too low so that you can wear a bra. The NAIA woman appreciates quality, craftmanship, and unique form flattering designs. The wearer needs to feel confident, but also supported in all of the right places. We have a strong brand identity, if a design doesn’t sit right with our luxury branding, then it doesn’t make it into the range.
We currently offer sizes 8-18.
What are the highlights of your collection?
Tess & Gayle: “Our swimwear is figure flattering, with clever detailing to enhance but also give support where it’s needed. We have a swimsuit called Selene which has sold out on multiple occasions, and we have repeated it in other colours such is the demand! Selene really is the little black dress of swimwear. It has become the icon of our collections. However, there truly is something for everyone in our range. Our beachwear is stunning with lightweight fabrics, beautiful prints and statement NAIA gold hardware on all our pieces. Luxuriously elegant designs that easily pair with our swimwear. Floor sweeping silky skirts, floaty kaftans, glamourous maxi dresses all created for a versatile day to evening look. We really feel that we are unique in our designs and stand out from the crowd for all of the right reasons. We are so proud of NAIA and the wonderful feedback from our customers gives us reason to be!
Why have you decided to look further towards B2B distribution/wholesale when you are already selling direct B2C?
Tess & Gayle: “We have been blown away by the success of our first season, particularly as we launched during a global pandemic and a travel ban! Our current La Riviera collection is exceeding expectations in terms of sales and customer feedback, and we have been shipping globally with more and more enquiries. We have a lot of customers who ask us many questions about sizing and fit based on their body shape and size, and many of these customers have asked us where we stock so they can purchase in a store. We do already stock in beautiful shops here, Dubai and Barbados, but our customers are asking for a wider reach.
And your sourcing and supply chain?
Tess & Gayle: “It was a real priority for us to source suppliers with suitably ethical eco-friendly credentials since we are committed to using recycled materials wherever possible in our collections. We are also committed to increasing our sustainability output and these credentials were all important for us in building our business. It was also crucial for us to work with trusted, suppliers who have the same attention to detail as us.
A Typical Week…in your life
Tess & Gayle: “We are fortunate and grateful that NAIA keeps us incredibly busy. We both have clearly identified roles in NAIA and we draw on each other’s experience and knowledge continually. We are both very hands on and wear many different hats so to speak, as when running your own business, demands change daily. We obviously have the day to day running of the business, and depending on what time of year it is, we are designing collections, working with the press and our PR. Creating our social media content, liaising with suppliers and organising shipments. We have an incredibly efficient fulfilment centre who we deal with daily. Good customer service is imperative to us so we deal with customer enquiries directly, whether that be our lovely stores or direct with customers. Managing product launches, production and photoshoots. Every day is different, but that’s what makes it so interesting and exciting.
Your proudest moment to date?
Tess & Gayle: “Receiving feedback from our customers on a daily basis, on how our swimwear makes them feel is our proudest achievement so far. When people take time to send you pictures of themselves wearing your collection on holiday it feels like all of the hard work has been worthwhile. When we receive comments from women who tell us that they have dreaded wearing swimwear every holiday, and how when wearing NAIA they suddenly feel confident and beautiful for the first time in years. This drives us and gives us the passion to continue to make garments that women feel fabulous in! Additionally, we were Hello Magazine’s top 10 swimwear brands in our first year, and more recently Country & Town house top 20 sustainable swimwear brands.
We will continue to strive to achieve and exceed customer expectations.
Your next big challenge?
Tess & Gayle: “We really want to grow our B2B wholesale business both here in the UK and also globally. We have purposely started small and want to grow organically so we can ensure NAIA is placed in the right environments in terms of retailers, and correctly aligned with our target audience. We also want to develop a cruise collection and all that entails in terms of planning and production. So, there is a lot to do, we are certainly going to be busy.
Your worst move so far?
Tess & Gayle: “Aside from launching during a global pandemic! I would say possibly that is the biggest! However, it did teach us some valuable skills in terms of flexibility and creativity. We had to really adapt to the environment that we were faced with, and we did learn some valuable lessons, and ultimately resilience.
What do you hope to achieve?
Tess & Gayle: “We are committed to making NAIA a brand that is respected and loved around the world. We really want to represent a British brand on a global stage. We are also as mentioned earlier, passionate about sustainability. This is an area we will continue to focus on developing.
What about time out?
Tess & Gayle: “Spending quality time with family and friends. Taking time out from a busy schedule just to breathe and appreciate everything around you, whether that be mindfulness, meditation, yoga or just good food, sunshine and laughter. The latter being what gets us through most days!”
Naia Beach will be making its trade show debut at Just Around the Corner this weekend in London. You can see them in ‘The Edit’ section or if you are unable to attend contact Melissa on melwood@thebellaagency.co.uk.
