Medellin, an epicentre of handmade and “heart-made” South American swimwear

We went to Medellin to visit our suppliers and we were blessed with the opportunity to meet more than five brands that we work with. To be honest, we were surprised with what we found in our own country!

We began our visits plan at Kibys, a family company with more than 26 years in the industry designing and manufacturing swimwear lingerie and active wear in Medellin, Colombia. With a current production of more than 350.000 units per year, Kibys is a company that has been well positioned in the Latin American market, Holland, United States and now Australia due to their quality, customer service, fabrics and craftsmanship used in their Latin American Swimwear. We were surprised to see their setup within their premises and their in-house factory; most of Kibys fabrics are produced nationally. They are adorable people that work as a family and are proud of what they do and produce. Kibys believes Colombia is a country that strives with perseverance to show the world there are people that work hard every day to produce high quality and beautiful Latin American swimwear. 

After this, we went to visit Touche Collection, this well-known company in Latin America communicates their brand personality not only in their product, but also in the way they work and their in house factory.

Touche Collection has been able to position their Latin American swimwear, lingerie and activewear in America, Europe, some Asian countries and now Australia as an elegant, versatile, chic and high quality brand. What surprised us the most was the motivation of their employees, the customer service, support given to us and their in house factory with more than 100 woman proudly producing all the garments that travel the oceans to satisfy the demand of Latin American Swimwear in every continent of the world. Check out their cover ups at our store.

Subsequently, I went to Laureles neighbourhood to visit Cosita Linda Beachwear, this brand steals the heart of anyone with a Latin soul. It has more than 5 years in the market to satisfy the thirsty demand of the customers looking for Latin American style swimwear with bright colours, happy personality, landscapes and a story within each piece. This is a company that works as a family. Cosita Linda Beachwear has garments with more than three hours of work in each piece; it is made with passion, love, dedication, and a social responsibility behind. More than 6 hands, from the designer to the handicraftsman, produce each swimwear. I was blessed with the opportunity given by Cosita Linda Beachwear to travel more than 45 minutes up the mountains of Medellin at El Prado neighborhood to visit two embroiderer’s workshops and meet some of the women in charge of decorate each garment to give the extra touch to the Latin American swimwear. Cosita Linda Beachwear gives work to more than 20 workshops every year. Each one of these ateliers work with approximately 100 women dedicated with passion, responsibility, love, consistency, agility and punctuality to sew beautiful pieces. These women depend economically of their work and have been doing this occupation for more than 8 years. All the Latin American Swimwear has a story behind, hours of work and is produced not by machines, but hands of people with passion, compromise and love. 

After visiting Cosita Linda Beachwear, we went to La Magnolia neighborhood in Medellin-Colombia to meet Malai Swim; we were particularly amazed by the way Malai communicates their young & boho-chic brand personality, not only on their products but also on their employees and the way they have beautifully decorated their premises. Malai Swimwear is a brand with 12 years in the market and offers Latin American Swimwear loved in most corners of the world. They have presence in more than 20 countries including Canada, United States, Mexico, Turkey, Japan, Singapore and Australia. Malai is a group of very entrepreneurial young workers with a particular creativity and knowledge in the market that makes them able to produce versatile Latin American Swimwear demanded in most continents. We fall in love with Malai’s new “high summer collection” which we will be launching at LifeInstyle Trade Fair and Melbourne Retail Festival.

To finish our tour of visits, we went to meet Estivo, a well-known brand of Latin American Swimwear in Medellin-Colombia that works with passion and high quality standards of products. Estivo has 9 years in the market and presence in The United States, Mexico, Costa Rica Guatemala, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Panama, Chile, Singapore, Thailand and Australia. One of their qualities that impressed us the most was Estivo’s capacity to adapt very quickly to the current demand of the market and their customers. Their new slogan: “Youth a state of mind”, communicates the brand’s willingness to grow along with their women and men customers of most ages satisfying their needs at all stages of their lives. We call it the brand with “technology swimwear”, because their portfolio includes silhouettes and fabrics that offer comfort and coverage yet fashionable designs. All Estivo’s new Latin American Swimwear are using 100% Colombian fabrics, and their new collection “Paradise Found” offers stunning swimwear for men with superb prints coming soon to our www.tolu.com.au website !

At the end of our trip we went home with our hearts full of joy, proud and love of our own country Colombia. We experienced a city loved by their residents, who proudly wake up every morning with the willingness to work hard, discover new markets and adapt to the coming trends to satisfy the demand of a worldwide community looking for high quality products made with passion and love. We met people willing to assist and collaborate with each other to grow together and satisfy the demand of Latin American Swimwear products in the world. We can proudly confirm Tolu Australia distributes Latin American Swimwear brands produced in Medellin-Colombia: an epicenter of “hand-made and heart-made swimwear”.

We hope you enjoy our swimwear as much as we enjoyed our journey with the brands!

xx Liliana Rubiano - Director Tolu Australia.