Who What Wear with Hillary Kerr: Candice Swanepoel: From Supermodel to Founder of Tropic of C

This episode of Who Up Where with Hillary Kerr is brought to you by the House of Chanel. Harnessing the revitalizing powers of the red chamelea flower, Chanel Research introduces a new generation of eco-responsible skin care, numeral A to Chanel, beauty ahead of time. Discover the collection at Chanel.com Chanel introduces a new generation of sustainably developed skin care, concentrated with the extraordinary anti-aging properties of the red chamelea flower. Numeroan de Chanel harnesses the powers of this uniquely resilient ingredient to address the five signs of aging and support skins vitality. The collection appears younger, smoother, radiant and revitalized. Numeroan de Chanel, beauty ahead of time. To learn more about the line, visit Chanel.com. Welcome to Who Up Where with Hillary Kerr, your direct line to the designer's stylist, beauty experts, editors and taste makers who are shaping the ever-evolving world of fashion. I'm your host, Hillary Kerr, and today I'm joined by Tropic of C, swimwear founder and supermodel Candace Swannapool. You probably know her best from her time as a Victoria secret angel, but five years ago, Candace decided to enter a new area of the fashion space this time as a business owner. She's telling us how she created the sustainable swim brand of her dreams and how we can all select timeless swimwear that will not only last through the summer, but also for many summers to come. It's all coming up on Who Up Where. All right, Candace, are you ready? I am. I'm excited to talk to you. I'm excited too, so first, I just want to say welcome to the show. We are so excited that you're here. Not only are you one of the most recognizable names in fashion, but today we get to talk about your work as an entrepreneur and as a founder and as a designer. That piece of your career is so deeply fascinating, and I feel like I don't fully understand the true back story behind everything that you've built, so we're going to dive in. That's what we're here for, right? Yes, indeed. Obviously, through your first career, a lot about swimwear, but having a good eye for something and then actually understanding the market of a particular category are completely different things, let alone getting a brand up and running. I know that you launched in 2018, but at what point did you decide you know what I want to enter the market to start my own company, and this is what the vision is going to be? Well, understanding the market was something that came later to me as I learned, but I had had this dream of creating tropic of sea for years before I actually did it. I think that was partly I had no time in my life because it wasn't like you were working at home. Nowadays, you can shoot a whole campaign instead of home. I was in the studio most of the year, or on a beautiful beach, shooting swimwear for Victoria's Secret, and it was a way for me while I was working to kind of analyze the product and really understand what worked for me, what I thought was beautiful, kind of creating my own vision of if I did have my own brand, what would it look like? I got to travel the world and got to go to some of the most beautifully natural places, and that's a huge inspiration for my brand. So then I got pregnant, and it was important to me to really enjoy that experience, so literally as soon as I could tell people I was pregnant, I was like, oh, bye, I'm out. So I went to Brazil where I had a home there, and I was enjoying my pregnancy, and I think after being in an industry that's so fast, pace, stopping, and that way wasn't going to sit completely well with me, so that's what gave me the space and time to really focus on the vision for tropic of sea. So having an idea and carving out some time and space to work on it is one thing, but making a vision and a brand a reality is an entirely different prospect. So talk to me about the early days, because it's a very different skill set, obviously you had a lot of experience, but not in business. I was going to say like, and swim in particular, so technical, I mean, I always hear that it's like one of the most difficult categories to create because of the performance aspect of it. So how did you take this idea and actually turn it into tropic of sea? You know, I think you somewhat go into it with a certain naivety. I had big dreams, and you know, once I started going through branding and meeting people to construct a team, you kind of figure out that it's not as easy as it feels. I got pointed in the right direction to my partner, Daniela. I was already in New York at this point, and figuring out how to construct a business, people's roles, equity, all of these things is like a whole other beast, and that's how I've always learned things is just by going through them. So in that time, I was quite well known for being the swim girl. It was a huge part of my life, and still is, every time I would have time off, I'd be on a beach. So that was organically the category that I wanted to start with. You know, my mom was an aerobics teacher and a dance teacher when I was growing up and we always had lycra and pieces of fabric lying around the house. And I think even as a little girl, I was making swimsuits out of the leftover fabrics from her concerts. So it goes along with deep. So you mentioned earlier that you found a great partner in Daniela, who for anyone who doesn't know, she served as SVP and Creative Director of Victoria's Secret for many years. How did you know that she was the right person to team up with because sometimes the people you like, you can collaborate in one way, but not necessarily in a business and vice versa? Yes, no, I hit the jackpot from the beginning, but I move very intuitively. When I met Daniela, we really, first of all, got along. And when it comes to conveying your creative ideas and taste, it's also like speaking another language and some people either get it or they don't. And she immediately was speaking my language. She can really interpret what kind of collection I want from a couple of images that I send to her. And, you know, she's from South America as well, so kind of grew up on that beach lifestyle or understands it. And also her history, a Victoria's Secret, she also came with a bit of structure and knowledge in the space. So it really made me feel a lot safer. So talk to me about launch. I'm curious about how long it took from idea to actually creating that first collection. And was it easy? Was it seamless? Did things go wrong? Tell me everything. So it took a year to structure the business and get it up and running. You know, setting up a supply chain distribution, it's really intricate. And so that takes about a year, at least for us. I'm a little bit of a perfectionist. And you know, I've been in the fashion industry for 20 years now. So it was kind of for me an evolution of my legacy and I didn't want to just license my name to somebody and, you know, not know what the product is and not care. That was a big deal for me, the quality and what it looked like, how the packaging was. Those early days was kind of the beginning of influence or culture. I was just daily horrified by little things packaged in a million plastic bags. And while going through branding, sitting at the table, I was like, how can I feel good about this next chapter in my life and what can we do? And so we started doing the research and in that time there were a couple of companies that had sprouted in Europe that were doing regenerated nylons and decomposable bags. I mean, we looked through everything to like pantyliners and labels. And now like five years later, it's really amazing to see that it's kind of an industry norm. So that's how that started. And in the first collection from design and quality and the backside of the business, I had been perfectionist and then continued to be with the kind of art directing and I'd chosen these amazing locations that were close to my heart, one in Brazil. We went to Turks and K-Cost as well. And so the first shoot was really important for me and kind of a pinch me moment to feel like, wow, you know, I did this. I went for it and it's working and here's the product in my hand and here's my vision and I get to be the boss. Well, just to be there on your own steam is so exciting, I can only imagine. And it's so crazy because as you're talking, even more pieces were clicking into place for me. Like, oh, of course, you know the most beautiful locations in the world. Of course, you know the right photographer to work with. Of course, you know how to art direct this and how to create a direct. You had 20 years of experience, you had a PhD in all of this. So to be able to use these skills that you had been honing over all of this time, I mean, it just must have felt so incredible to realize that you had all of this knowledge that you might not have been aware that it was so directly applicable. And how much it would resonate with people as well and that's been such a gratifying moment as well, seeing girls wear the product and seeing the way they style it and just enjoy it is lovely. There's this idea we have in our heads of like, okay, I'm creating X. This is the piece that everyone's going to love and sometimes that's true. But sometimes you have a sleeper hit or a surprise hit. So I'm wondering how that process has been for you. Do you feel like every collection you know the one that's going to be the big hit or are you ever surprised by what really takes off? Yeah, you know, it's funny. I never design anything with a response in mind. I mean, now that the brand is older, obviously you're influenced by the customer and what she wants more of. But I would say, you know, right in the beginning, I'm inspired by a lot of vintage imagery, Brazilian culture, African culture and also the female form. It's so beautiful. So I designed this, which has become one of our core swimsuits or collections. It's called the Sea Collection. It was a one piece. It's so simple, like a high waist, high cut leg with a really skinny strap that is probably our most recognizable. And it's just simple, clean, elegant, classic. It's a little bit sexy because I like the high cut because it makes your legs look longer. Yeah. And so that became one of our best sellers. And I wouldn't say it was surprising. It's just what I wanted to design our pieces that people can keep for a long time. And I think that that also goes into the sustainability part. You know, I'm not making a suit that you're going to wear one summer and throw it out. It's pieces that will be able to live in your closet for a long time. And you can evolve them as style changes, as trends change. So it's those staples, those classics that are just great quality and make your body look great. So on that note, as someone who knows more about swim than anyone I've ever spoken to in my whole life, I'm curious prior to starting TOC and still to this day, like what do you personally look for when shopping for swim? Because our listeners, the who-what-wear audience, they are excellent shoppers, but they're always looking for more tricks or tips or insights so that they make the most of their money and make the most of their purchase so that there's never any hangover from buying something. So what are some of your guardrails for shopping? When I used to shop for swimwear, I would always buy pieces in Brazil, and this is pre-internet takeover. So they really had a specific style that was true to their culture. Now the world is kind of a culmination of everything because we have access to everything. But back then, I really found beautiful textures and prints. But I would say the main thing for me is quality. The way it feels on your body, comfort. I mean, you don't want to be at the beach like pulling and tugging, you know? No. Yeah, I would say look for quality, something that is versatile, because we all live such fast-paced lives. And now I'm like a master of the carry-on. You know, something that I can take from day to night, or from the beach to like throw a cute skirt on and go to the bar and have a drink. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Quality is number one. And then versatility. I think I'm less of like a trend follower. Like the idea of almost like a timeless piece, where it's like maybe I bought this this year, or maybe it was from five years ago, no one needs to know. Exactly, exactly. So I can only imagine that you obviously love all of the products and all of the styles the same, however. If you had to pick a favorite or a few favorites from the line currently, what would you say? A lot of my favorites are in our core collection. We have a triangle bikini called Priya, which is we kind of bring whatever pattern or fabric of the season in that style. So that's a staple. You can have a million of them. They're small, but the quality is just the way it holds you in. It's an everyday must. So I have a million of those in every print. But recently we've gone into more lifestyle and these beautiful knit cover-ups, which I'm loving, which can be worn, beach, or if you put a heel on at night as well. I guess one of the trends these days is these mesh dresses. So I was inspired by that a little bit. And then we recently did a collaboration with Susie Condi, which loves her. She's amazing. So we're really brought that kind of hippie lifestyle and it's a whole Terry collection. So we did our classic bikinis and then sets that went with them. And I'm literally going to live in those this summer. I love it. I'm like, can you send me all the samples like now? That's always like the ultimate test of like, what is it that you're actually coveting? It's good market research, I'll just say. Exactly. And then before I started the brand, I used to wear a lot of Jackie A. East jewelry. And it's our second collection with her. So really kind of evolving that lifestyle as a whole. So with these pieces that you can throw on with the bikinis, you can put jewelry on those kinds of things. I'm really going to be wearing this summer. I'm also curious what it's like to be on the other side of the camera. Obviously you model some of your own pieces. But is it different rewarding strange to be on the other side of the camera in a photo shoot and see your vision come to life on someone else? It's quite beautiful to see actually if it's done right. Oh my gosh, I'm a beast. I was going to say, do you think you're picky or because of your background? You know, I don't think it's, I don't think it's that I'm picky. Sometimes it's easier to just make your vision happen because it's coming from my mind. I can make it happen quicker. So that's also why you see a lot of the time. I'm shooting it. But I do get a lot of gratification seeing different body types and different girls in the suits and what they bring personally as a model or as a soul to it. It's so different depending on the girl. So it is really fun for me to have that role. It's also stressful. Yeah, you know, to produce and I edit, I'm like almost posing with the girl next to her. Like, okay, let's do this. It might be quite funny to see in a reality show. I would watch. I'm just going to put it out there. I would watch. I totally understand what you're saying about. It's your vision. You know what you want it to be. Sometimes it's just easier to do it yourself. It's also hard to delegate in certain ways. But then sometimes that can be freeing in another. But watching you work through that real time is definitely something I would watch. Totally, yeah. When you say it back to me, I'm like, maybe it's good to let go of the control a little bit. And that's something I should work on. I mean, it makes sense that you care enough. And I also love the fact that you want to be as hands-on as you are. Yeah, I think also it's like I tend to look for locations and places that are quite hard to get to. So it entails like hiking and some crazy things. I know that you're like, I wouldn't put someone through this, but I'll do it myself. Yeah, like, you know, we may piss off the model if we ask her to do this. I have some funny stories of getting the shot with a friend of mine. Hiking to beaches in Mallorca with no water and like one muffin just. But it's also like when it's you in it too, I feel like that has to confer a level of trust for everyone who's shopping because they're saying like she believes in this so much that she's putting herself into the brand, into the campaign. If you weren't involved at all in front of the camera, I think there would per chance be a bit of disconnect of how much of a personal project it was. So it feels like it's a good marketing move as well. Yeah, I guess it just became organically that way to have a swimwear model available. But when we spoke about the early days, I didn't call it Candace Wanipul swimwear because I wanted the brand to stand on its own as its own entity and not lean too much on on my name. And I think as it's grown, my voice has grown, I have grown as a person. So it feels more natural for me to be in the forefront of it. Whereas in the beginning, it was also a reason for me to be behind the camera and not always in front. But you kind of change and learn as you're going. So I've been watching this business over the last five years. It's been so interesting. I love that yes, there's this direct to consumer element to it, but that it's also available in a number of other places. Revolve being one of them, Moda operandi, it's been featured on Goop. So I'm curious about what it's been like to feel that demand for expansion, the recognition. I know you're not making it for a stamp of approval, but at the same time it probably feels good. Yeah, I mean, you know, to be part of a multi-branded store is kind of legitimizing the brand. And that's huge for me. So I'm always grateful for that kind of support. It kind of justifies that the brand is standing on its own and it is its own entity. We have meetings constantly of like where this can go. And I've always been a big dreamer. So not when it comes to business, more on the creative side, which I think is kind of the secret sauce to making the business work. You know, not a lot of people understand that. Maybe it sounds a little airy fairy. No, I think you're totally right. It's a little bit the, if you build it, they will come idea of like if you have the vision and the creative and that resonates with people, of course, sales will follow. Yeah, you can't buy feeling. So when you're dreaming, thinking about the future, when you're thinking about where this company can grow, what are you most excited about? And what part of the business is the most challenging in your opinion? I mean, the next five years of tropic of sea, I really want to bring my new ideas to life, turning it into a bigger lifestyle brand. So we started with swimwear and kind of perfected that. And to go into different categories is is a big deal. So that's one of our biggest challenges. And I love to test it with different collaborations and see how the customer reacts and how they like it, how it feels for me. But yeah, the biggest challenge is making the dream happen the next five years. And it's also the most fun part. So I think you just have to be brave and bossy and stick to the DNA of your ideas. I mean, it really is interesting, though, the way that you are using the business model and collaborations to test new categories. That is so thoughtful and so smart. And not only are you getting research for your own company, but also like getting to see sneak peeks into other areas of apparel where it's like, oh, the lead time on this is actually really short. Like we could turn something around really quickly and you wouldn't necessarily have known that otherwise or, oh, this is really difficult. Like we're not going to be good to know before we like went down that route. It feels like a really smart way of trying on some new categories without having to fully commit the business to it. Yes, exactly. So as you're thinking through new collections, new campaigns, where do you look to for inspiration? Because I'm always curious about like the creative process. Like everyone wants to go to the same island when summer. Like why is everyone suddenly, everyone's in the same color. Like the way that culture has these coming together moments, especially to your point earlier in this like Instagram internet culture, your process seems to be a little bit different. And I don't want you to reveal all your secrets. But no, no, someone would have to hack my brain and that's impossible. I mean, I'm inspired by the smallest things. Someone walking down the street could trigger an entire collection. But obviously nature, a lot of our color palettes come from that. You know, I'm really drawn to earthy, coppery tones. I start looking at fabrics and colorways that could go together and start dreaming up in what natural place would this color look good. And whatever style I'm feeling at that time, I guess. I mean, nowadays I dress like a boy, I think, but there's always a bikini underneath. I would say, I mean, I'm the queen of a mood board. So once I start getting like a physical mood board. Yes, I love it. I love a mood board, like for anything. If one image triggers me to go down a lane, like it could be music, it could be a culture, it could be the patterns on leaves or the colors of certain walls in a certain country. But let me just speak specifically about the one that we just stopped designing. I was inspired by Morocco. So all of those are really rich tones and some cool kind of henna pattern work. When I envision the collection, it's as a whole. So the location, the product, everything has to marry in a beautiful way because I'm telling a story. And I want the person to feel where we are. Tropic of C is in your mind that place that you want to be and holiday constantly. It was the place that I was envisioning while I was at work constantly. It's a dream state. Yes. So yeah, those are the recent inspirations. We'll probably be going to Europe to shoot that. And then mixing in some denim and the jewelry as I spoke about and the cover-ups. I love that. So I know that you are not trend concerned because that's not particularly sustainable and that you like things that have a more timeless elegance. But is there anything, again, to go back to the Huatware Reader? She's still shopping for swim even though it's, you know, high summer. Are there any key pieces that you think everyone should have in their swim wardrobe pieces that if you buy it today, you will still love it in five years. I would say there's a top-called South Pacific which I designed in one of our first collections that stayed in our core. It's kind of a bra structured with a little sleeve that again can be worn as outerwear or on the beach and it frames the collarbone and the shoulders beautifully. So I think that definitely is sustainable and it's whatever your vibe is. Whether it's black, white, we have some really beautiful animal prints which some come from vintage swim that my mother owned. So the patterns are really unique. Yeah, I would say she has to have an animal print. She has to have black and white. One pieces are always a go-to because you can really dress it up, dress it down, look chic. Some of the knitwear dresses that you can just literally roll up and throw in a carry-on and be good to go. Those are my picks for this summer. I love it. Well, as a pilot starter, I am team carry-on for life and also appreciate the framing around sustainability especially as it comes to shopping for swim and really looking for something that could be truly versatile, that could double as a body suit for going out or could work underneath another piece so that you're getting more life out of every individual swimwear purchase. It's connecting in my head in a way that it hasn't fully before. So thank you for that. Yeah, exactly. You know, it's not this culture of wearing something once and throwing it out. I think there's many ways to be sustainable and that's definitely one of them. I had a great talk with the Encline group who I did a beautiful campaign recently with and they're one of the massive brands that are jumping on the sustainability bandwagon which is so beautiful to see as well because what an iconic brand and they have this initiative that is really nurturing new designers and women that want to get into sustainable fashion. So, you know, I'm not like changing the world with anything that I'm doing but I think each of us and each brand within the fashion industry, if we can do our bit and pass it on and it can become the norm, I think that we're really heading in a great direction. And to your point, it's like whether it's making sure that packaging is more sustainable or that you're working with partners like Encline where you know that they are putting best efforts behind this. And training new generations of people. It's all of us doing it together, right? Exactly, like nobody's going to be able to be perfect but I think each person if you can take care of your own. Those choices add up? Exactly. So, you know, when I was younger and people would praise me for my work or congratulations on a beautiful campaign or whatever, like obviously that's really gratifying but these are the kinds of things that for me are our means so much more. Yeah, it's bigger. I remember when you started like talking about sustainability and swim was just really not the norm at all and to your point like you have helped shift that conversation. So, congratulations to you on doing that. Congratulations on Tropic of Sea and how much of an incredible success story it has been. I just know as a consumer and shopper, I have been appreciating it from afar for a while and it's truly an honor to be able to sit down and hear some of the backstory and have you share some of your insights. I really appreciate it and I know the who will wear an audience. Thank you so much, Valerie. Yeah, it means a lot coming from me. Thank you. A huge thank you to Tropic of Sea Founder and Supermodel, Canvas Swannapool. Make sure to subscribe to our show wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss an episode. And while you're there, I'd also be so grateful if you would rate and review us. If you have any guest suggestions or any other feedback, drop us a line at podcast at Huatware.com or you can find us on social at Huatware. See you next Wednesday on Huatware with Hillary Kerr. This episode was produced by Hillary Kerr, Summer Hammeres, and Natalie Thurman. Our audio engineers are at Treehouse Recording in Los Angeles, California. And our music is by Jonathan Leahy.