Chloe Chapman, founder of Aloé Swimwear and all around #bossbabe, made her dreams a reality when she left behind the 9-5 to start her own swimwear line. We have a chat to her about starting her own business, chasing summer, and taking a punt on her passions!
HL: HOW DID YOUR BRAND ALO´E SWIMWEAR COME ABOUT?
CC: It was back in 2013 when my man and I first met and we were living in California, we were basically chasing summers and I was living each day in nothing but a swimsuit.
I absolutely dreaded heading back to Sydney later that year to a Monday-Friday 9-5 job and having always had a dream of starting my own business, it only felt natural to take a punt and give it a go. I actually had no experience at all in running a business, but did have some time up my sleeve while living abroad and in only a few short months from the initial thought, Aloé was born!
HL: WHERE DO YOU GET INSPIRATION FOR YOUR COLLECTIONS?
CC: Everywhere and anywhere! I'm fortunate enough to travel a lot with both Paul's work and my own, so it's very easy to be inspired by the breathtaking destinations. I'm all about classic and comfort when it comes to my swimwear, you won't find any tassels, beading or hardware on any of my suits, it really comes down to designing stunning prints and matching them back to the solid colour ways. OH and all our suits are 100% reversible.
HL: WHAT DOES YOUR AVERAGE DAY INCLUDE?
CC: First things first, coffee!
Then I'll be in the office from 9am. In addition to everything else, I deal with all our customer service, so I make time each morning to assist customers in picking their perfect suits and helping with sizing queries.
If it's a nice day, I sometimes like to try and get out to shoot some product shots, whether that be on a model or flat lay, you can never have enough content, content is king!
HL: WHAT'S BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR CAREER SO FAR?
CC: I have 2!
First one would have to be being stocked in General Pants, this was a huge achievement for me as I had been working on it for some time. Having a major stockist in Australia was top of my list!
The second would have to be a few days ago, when we launched our new Spring collection, Casual Costal (which I am obsessed with may I add!). We introduced a new textured fabric, which is black reverse to white corduroy stretch fabric called, the colour way is called, Aloé Luxe Mono. To launch the fabric we created an exclusive style, the Hayman One Piece and in within the first 3 hours of the launch we completely sold out of all small and large suits (bar three medium) this was huge for us, very exciting!
HL: WHAT TIPS WOULD YOU GIVE WOMEN WANTING TO START THEIR OWN BUSINESS?
CC: Just start! Honestly, that's the hardest part! It's It's really important to put your head down and have a vision. In the early stages, people probably won't believe in you and will tell you to stick to your day job but that's ok, put them behind you!
HL: WHAT PART DOES SOCIAL MEDIA PLAY IN PROMOTING YOUR BUSINESS?
CC: Social media is pretty much everything these days. When you discover a brand, the first thing you look at is their instagram right? It's so important to be all over this, most of our revenue comes from social media BUT in saying that, it's evolving, so you need to be actively across all platforms so you don't drop the ball! I use Schedugram for Instagram scheduling, it's a lifesaver.
HL: WHO'S ANOTHER #GIRLBOSS THAT INSPIRES YOU?
CC: I'm a bit of a Lisa Messenger fan! I've read all her incredible books and subscribe to her magazine The Collective, her story is inspiring, she is so so talented!
HL: WHAT QUALITIES DO YOU HAVE TO HAVE WHEN LAUNCHING AND RUNNING YOUR OWN BUSINESS?
CC: Top 3 would have to be - self confidence and the ability to network, motivation (even just to get out of bed in the winter, especially when you're your own boss), and resilience to get back up when the going gets tough (and it sure does!).
HL: YOU'RE OBVIOUSLY A BUSY BABE, WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE NEXT FOR YOU AND ALO´E?
CC: There's plenty in the pipeline! On an Aloé front, you will just have to wait and see... Personally, I've taken up DJing as a hobby, so we will see how that goes LOL!
QUICK ANSWERS
- COFFEE ORDER: Latte with 1
- FAVOURITE ALO´E PIECE RIGHT NOW: Hayman One Piece!
- FAVOURITE HOLIDAY DESTINATION: Croatia
- TAKE OUT, DINE OUT, OR HOME COOKING BABE?: Home cooking!
- EARLY RISER OR NIGHT OWL?: Ohhh tough, not really either! Alarm goes off at 7, does that count as an early riser?
Visit Aloé Swimwear here to view the full range.
Chloe is represented by Chic Blogger Management, view her website here.
