Essence of Thaikila. In Conversation with Founder, Marie Laure Becquelin.
The Paris-born and Bali-matured swimwear brand is recognized worldwide, retailing in more than 105 countries.
Thaikila.
Marie Laure Becquelin delved with PARAISO into the past, present, and future of Thaikila. The Paris-born and Bali-matured swimwear brand is recognized worldwide, retailing in more than 105 countries. Vertically integrated in production, everything is made in-house.
P: Differentiation in your collections, most notably Scribble, is evident at first sight. How does your approach to its creation reflect that?
MLB: Innovation is at the heart of Thaikila’s essence and what we do. We will always have ranges of swim essentials, but we love to come up with exciting pieces; to experiment with new techniques, prints, cuts, and colors.
Scribble was very spontaneously inspired– I was drawing up some designs and my pen didn’t seem to work. So, I scribbled on my sketchpad to get its ink flowing and thought, “Hey, that looks quite cool. Let’s do something with it!”
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Making of the laser-cut ‘scribble’, a standout piece of Thaikila collection. Made from a thin, stretchy, and quick-drying neoprene-feel fabric.
P: We’d be remiss not to ask how it all started…
MLB: When I moved to Bali 26 years ago, I was amazed by Indonesia’s artistry yet simultaneously passionate about new machinery and materials. This mixed with my background in fashion and the influence of the island’s tropical lifestyle, to create a swimwear brand that merged technology with handcraftsmanship; that was distinctive, innovative, and focused on pushing boundaries.
P: When did you realize you made the right decision by endeavoring into the industry?
MLB: To be honest, for a while I wasn’t completely sure it was the “right decision” as over the years I’d encountered a lot of difficulties– but I realized that I was actually over-complicating every aspect and needed to simplify the way we did things. So, from Blue Glue, we reorganized our operations and that’s when we rebranded as the new and improved Thaikila.
P: How are you embracing ecological sustainability and stewardship as a prime responsibility?
MLB: Firstly, Thaikila’s fabrics are sourced from recycled plastics and we upcycle any unused materials to reduce waste. We also use certain natural fabrics and dyes made from roots and vegetables. Our accessories are made of natural fibers too like palm leaves and resin, or recycled rubber from discarded tires– all of which are eco-friendly, recyclable, or biodegradable. Against single-use plastic, we pack our garments using fabric ties and package them for our customers in reusable beach pouches. Even our hang tags are made from recycled paper documents from our office!
Living on the tropical island of Bali, nature is a huge part of our daily lives – it’s something we respect, appreciate, and want to protect. I’m a bit of an efficiency freak and Indonesia’s culture of economic usage, like mixing only a few drops of dishwashing liquid with water, inspired me to also optimize resources and use chemicals and packaging sparingly.
Instead of adding to the ramifications of fast fashion, we want to aid in its solutions. We continue to learn and develop, but essentially, we want to create sustainable swimwear that looks good, feels good, and actually DOES good.
P: The number 2020 signifies a question by itself. How was the last year for you?
MLB: As with the rest of the world, it started out as a real shock! But surprisingly, it’s been a year of acceleration and constant improvements. We didn’t want to just wait out this pandemic in uncertainty; we wanted to continue to support our local employees and their families and realized that if we wanted to survive, we had to adapt– so that’s exactly what we did.
All in all, 2020 has been the most exciting yet most challenging year ever but I’ve loved every second of it!
P: An add-on to the previous question – has your approach to business changed during 2020? Maybe an insight to your thought process as the fashion industry began to unravel.
MLB: During this crisis, it really has been survival of the fittest. From our products and campaign periodicities to selling networks, franchises, and software– we had to reassess everything, find solutions, and create new, organized systems.
With physical stores temporarily closed, we restructured and restrategized with the focus of growing our online channels. This meant upgrading our webshop experience, exploring new markets, and boosting our digital marketing and online presence. Now, we’re getting ready and gearing up for post-crisis normalcy!
P: What are we looking forward in 2021.
MLB: Our new collection inspired by a majestic sunset and the powerful forces of nature, which I felt was like nature’s echo of the religious portrayal of good and evil; light and dark is being released in capsules. It takes me back to the magnificence of sacralized places of worship like churches and mosques in Italy, France, and Turkey. I’ve always been fascinated and touched by the magnificent golds, the religious sacraments, the mysteries, and the mysticism... Sometimes I would even go inside a church just to listen to the organ playing; it makes me cry every time!
We don’t want to give away too much, but the launch of our Vegankini we’re super excited about.
P: Can you share some favorite pieces which you wear often?
MLB: I swim 1.5km per day so I actually love throwing on essentials like the Zaps triangle bralette from the My Little Black Bikini collection, or the Xenon set from the Eden collection. On top, I love to wear the Palma cover-up; I can quickly wrap it as a pareo when I get out of the water, wrap it lower when it’s hot, and lie on it on the beach– it’s my favorite because it’s just so practical yet stylish at the same time. Depending on my mood, I may even wear one of the vegan faux-suede pieces like Ephemeral and the Brevity Shade one-piece if I feel like dressing up!
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