California Apparel News

While swimwear brand Revly launched in June 2018, its mission was established in 2017 when San Diego native and former Division I volleyball player Jordan Robbins started writing a blog confronting the body-image issues she and her friends experienced.

Now based in Santa Monica, Calif., Revly has grown into a swimwear brand that uses simple cuts that are flattering on many body types.

“There are people across the world who are tired of being told what the standard of beauty is,” Robbins said. “Our brand spoke to this because we were extremely vulnerable when we spoke about our own personal struggles.”

The Revly blog invited readers to “Show us your worst and let us help you find your best,” with Robbins sharing her own struggle with scoliosis in a post titled “My Back Story.” Establishing this community allowed Robbins to identify women, similar to herself, whose body type fell within a stage she refers to as “the in-betweeners.”

“The curve models are taking off, but there isn’t representation for a size 6 or an 8. Either you’re a size 0 or you’re Ashley Graham [a plus-size model],” she said. “I wanted this line and brand to be for anybody—any girl who feels insecure about the way she looks.”

Following her 2017 graduation from the University of Wisconsin—Madison, Robbins returned to her parents’ home, where she looked through a drawer filled with her old swimsuits. She designed Revly’s swimwear based on styles she had accumulated over the years, taking her favorite elements from different suits to create the perfect cuts she envisioned.

“Sports bras were used to inspire the designs, but with a strap I liked on one suit, and I wanted to use a band from another suit,” she revealed. “I even pulled from a junior-lifeguard suit.”

Committed to domestic manufacturing, Robbins makes Revly in Southern California with a four-way-stretch material that is 82 percent nylon, 18 percent spandex and sourced in Los Angeles. The line is sized XS to XL, with the smallest size fit for tween girls and the largest able to accommodate a size-14 woman.

Preparing for her next collection, Robbins explained that she will maintain the cuts from the previous line but wants to introduce new colors and patterns each season.

“These are suits that aren’t going out of style,” she explained. “We’ll change out the colors, but the cuts are very simple and flattering. There are three different bottoms, and it’s all based on coverage—full, cheeky or skimpy.”

Marketing for Revly highlights the beauty of everyday women. The models are Robbins’ friends, and she doesn’t permit promotional photos to be airbrushed.

“All the models are girls who I know. This is who we are,” Robbins said. “You wear the suit—don’t let the suit wear you.”

Revly is sold exclusively online at www.revlysport.com. Direct-to-consumer price points range from $48 to $95.