NIC HYL SWIMWEAR & RESORTWEAR
Interview with Nicole Hyl [Founder]

SWC: Tell us a little about yourself. When did you start your brand and why swimwear?

NH. I used to be an apprentice to a designer named Norma Kamali. After design school, I was a bit unsure of what to do and what in the fashion industry was my calling. It was during that apprenticeship, that I realized I had an opinion on fashion, swimwear and resort wear, and needed to express it in a creative way.

SWC: What have been your high's and low's as an entrepreneur?

NH: My biggest high would definitely be getting to see my dreams, sketches and goals come to life. Sometimes that feels like magic. My low...I'm not sure. I don't know if I consider any of my experiences "low". I've had unexpected results and experiences that I'm in no rush to live through again, but those too are a gift.

SWC: How have you been affected by the pandemic?

NH. My brand, Nic Hyl, underwent rebranding for the last 6 months of 2019, so things had already slowed down for us considerably before all of this happened. My plan was to implement some of our new ideas and strategies, (from the rebranding), beginning Q1 2020. So for Nic Hyl, the current situation has delayed and canceled many of my plans for the business. But we're very fortunate compared to so many other small businesses because that rebranding slowed the business down and we were already working in a different environment. Like so many, we had to stop working or reduce our work with so many of our vendors and suppliers, but we're still up and running and actually working on a new collection to be released later this year.

We've also taken over our sales channel, and where we were more dependent on wholesale channels, we're now primarily operating off of our own website more. It's been so great getting to work directly with the customer and experience their joy with the product first hand.

SWC: What advice or tips can you give our readers about working from home, juggling a family and career.

NH. I always tell people to Live Beautifully. For me that means balance and well being. It's my opinion that to juggle family and career while working from home, one must find a balance or peace to not lose themself in the midst of an inevitably difficult role. A good place to start may be a workable daily routine for all involved in the household. Restructuring roles in the household may be another good area to evaluate. Most of all, remembering to make time for yourself (even 5 min) to center and clear your mind daily, is essential.

SWC. What do you think the future holds for the swimwear industry and how will you navigate that?

NH. Swimwear to me is fantasy. It's so closely tied to travel and wanderlust. Because so much of the travel industry is impacted by Covid-19, I do think the swimwear industry is impacted too. I think the way to travel, where and how we travel will all change, and swimwear will adapt.

Personally, I'm a classically trained designer and I am inspired by clothes and fashion history in my approach to swimwear. For me, I'll begin to make more garments and resort wear pieces. But it was part of the plan all along, so to a degree, I'm just naturally growing as a designer and the business as a brand.

SWC. Any parting thoughts you would like to share?

NH. We {NicHyl} are a slightly different brand. We're not into fast fashion and don't try to keep up with trends. Our goal is to make women feel beautiful while living a beautiful life.

To find out more, check out the links below:

Shop! www.nichyl.com

Facebook www.facebook.com/NicHylClothing

New Email nic@nichyl.com

Blog www.tiesidesandscoops.com

Like us on Twitter! @nichyl

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