Community Spotlight: Have you heard about the Indo-Brazilian bikini brand Micanga Swim?

Today, we're happy to share with you our conversation with Alena, owner of the independent brand Micanga Swim based out of Los Angeles, California.
We wanted to get to know a little bit more about who she is, what inspired the launch of her brand, and where she plans to take things in the near future. Here's how it went:

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us Alena! We're excited to have you as our next feature and learn more about you and your brand. Let's start this off with you sharing exactly what it was that initially drew you to your craft, and how has your journey unfolded since then?
Alena: Growing up in the French Quarter of New Orleans, I was always surrounded by creatives and entrepreneurs. As a child, I had various creative entrepreneurial ventures, like selling handmade feather clips at Mardi Gras or helping my mom with vintage shopping to make extra money on the side. I've always been entrepreneurial and loved being creative in my business ventures.

In high school, I began working as a TA for the photography program, where I honed my skills in film photography. I particularly enjoyed creative film photography, which became my niche. When COVID hit, I lost my job and decided to start selling my old clothing to make extra money. Over time, I began sourcing vintage designer pieces, restoring them, and selling them through Depop and my website, diorconnoisseur.com.

Since 2020, I've been working in the fashion industry, primarily on the curation side with my vintage designer business, Dior Connoisseur. This business did well for three years, but I found myself tired of curation. I felt I couldn't be truly creative since I was selling one-of-a-kind pieces from other people's brands.

I had been living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on and off since I was 17 (throughout COVID and summers of high school). I wanted to make more impact and create something where I could offer jobs and contribute to the local economy more than just selling vintage while living abroad. I've always been passionate about fashion, photography, the creative arts, and entrepreneurship, and I wanted to find a way to combine these interests and create a business that truly represented my creativity, identity, and background.

I started exploring different ideas in fashion business, but I was certain I wanted to begin production in Rio de Janeiro, as that's where I've built the strongest community and feel most creatively inspired. At the University of Redlands in Southern California, I was part of a program that allowed me to create my own major, integrating the creation of this business into my academic emphasis: Creative Entrepreneurship and Global Business in the Digital Age. In my classes, I developed my ideas, designs, and plans with my professors, which helped me tremendously in the initial stages of the business.

I started Miçanga Swim in March 2023. I began my process in Vidigal, a favela in Rio de Janeiro where I live when I'm not in LA, doing my initial design work, finding seamstresses, and identifying what I wanted my brand to look like, how I would begin the production process, and learning how challenging it can be to start a fashion business with clearly defined morals.

I was very clear that I wanted it to be a female-owned and operated business, meaning all my seamstresses, models, interns, etc., would be female-identifying. This made sense for my brand because women in Rio often don't have as many opportunities as men to join, own, or work with women-owned businesses due to the economic situation. I wanted to contribute to the local economy and provide opportunities in a way that my other business did not offer.

Another of my business's core values was ethical, small-batch production, which would create higher quality products in an intentionally slow process to be truly deliberate with all our design choices and put our all into each piece created. We also committed to producing all our collections in Rio de Janeiro using high-quality materials and innovative fabric technologies to continually improve our pieces.

Miçanga Swim began in Rio in March 2023, and since then we've grown significantly and continue to expand every week. In February 2024, after being live online at micangaswim.com for about six months, we began selling at @hotgirlmarket in LA, which opened many doors for us in the LA area. After our first time selling there, we were invited to sell at our first physical store, @sososupermercado, where we began selling in March 2024. Having a physical location where our customers can shop in person seven days a week was a major victory and motivation for me to keep working towards my goals.

Since then, we have been constantly looking for opportunities to grow, selling at all the markets we can, and becoming regulars at @silverlakeflea, where we have been growing rapidly and connecting with other brand owners. Our current goal is to expand into more boutique stores throughout Southern California and Hawaii, and hopefully be able to open our own stores in Los Angeles and Rio de Janeiro

Can you share some insights into your creative process? Where do you find inspiration, and how do you translate that into your work?
Alena: Miçanga is a brand that aims to blend Indian fabrics and design principles with Brazilian cuts, creating one-of-a-kind bikinis that flatter the female form. Our goal is to combine our South Indian roots - the fabrics, detailing, embroidery, and unique patterns - with Brazilian cuts and craftsmanship. This fusion results in pieces that represent who we are and honor our heritage.

Right now, we're working towards this concept as our creative goal for the brand. We started with more classic pieces featuring effective small details like unique beading and adornments. With each new collection, we're pushing our swimsuits to align more closely with our creative brand concept.

My inspiration for the brand comes largely from my identity and my desire to create something unique and personal. It aligns with my background, my creative and aesthetic interests, and my personal connection with Rio de Janeiro. I grew up with an Indian mother and spent a lot of time as a child in Mangalore, my family's ancestral city in Karnataka State, a southern coastal region of India. Throughout my childhood and adolescence, I was always drawn to Indian patterns, fabrics, embroidery, and aesthetics. The women in my family were always adorned with colorful traditional wear and bold gold pieces. I take a lot of inspiration from my maternal family's style and combine that with my tropical influences.

Living in Rio since I was 17, I draw a lot of inspiration from the city as well. In Rio, people are very fashionable and wear a lot of beachwear and tropical patterns. It's a place of freedom where everyone is expressive with their style and free to dress how they like, often wearing much less clothing than in the US or India. In Brazil, comfort is king, and beachwear like chinelos (flip flops), shorts, and crop tops are very common.

For Miçanga, I wanted to combine this laid-back, tropical, beach baby vibe with the intricate, unique patterns and textures of India. The result is hybrid combinations that have a little piece of both cultures and styles.

My design process consists of drawings, tag design, fabric sourcing, embellishment sourcing, prototype creation, and final production. When designing new collections, I start with raw drawings in my notebook. I often get inspired by exploring fabric markets. I frequently shop at Polo Textil in Rio de Janeiro, Rio's biggest fabric market, and when I'm in São Paulo, I'll shop at Brás, the largest shopping district in Brazil.

After finding different patterns, jewels, charms, and all the little pieces I want to include in my designs, I begin the process of making a sample with my seamstress. At Miçanga, we work with small-batch production and have three women, each with their own sewing styles, who produce our final pieces. For each collection we drop, I usually only make 10-12 of each size per style. This allows us to experiment with designs and learn what our customers identify with.

I do the whole design and production process in Rio and bring the final pieces back with me to LA. It's a labor of love that allows me to stay connected to both my Indian heritage and my adopted Brazilian home, while creating something truly unique for our customers.

What projects are you currently working on, and what excites you the most about them?
Alena: Right now, we're working on our most important project yet: a collection that truly embodies our brand's core concept of Indian-Brazilian fusion. This project has presented numerous challenges, as we're attempting something that's never been successfully done in this industry before.

Currently, we're collaborating with textile engineers to create a Miçanga Swim exclusive fabric. This will allow us to produce the Indo-Brazilian swimwear we're aiming for. Traditional Indian fabrics like silks, cottons, linens, and certain synthetic materials are known for being itchy, heavy, and generally uncomfortable, especially when embellished with extra embroidery or beading. These fabrics also don't perform well in water, making them unsuitable for swimwear.

We're researching ways to blend Indian-style fabrics with Brazilian cuts using innovative fabric technology. It's a complex process, but we're excited about the possibilities. We hope to release this groundbreaking collection within the next couple of months.

This project represents a significant step forward for our brand, merging cultural aesthetics with modern swimwear needs. We're confident that our unique approach will set a new standard in the industry

Looking back on your career so far, what would you consider to be your proudest achievement or most memorable moment?
Alena: Since February 2024, we've been participating in @hotgirlmarket every month, which has significantly helped us grow our business. Meeting other like-minded female brand owners and seeing other young women as entrepreneurs has been truly inspiring. We deeply appreciate our time at Hot Girl Market and love supporting their events.

Another partnership that's incredibly important to us is our collaboration with @sososupermercado, a concept store in Silver Lake on Virgil Avenue. SOSO was the first store to take a chance on our brand and sell our pieces. We've been with SOSO for about five months now and are proud to be the only bikini brand they carry.

Lastly, we've been working at @silverlakeflea for a month now. With each market, we've grown closer to the management team and fellow vendors, who always help us set up and feel like family. Since we started selling at Silver Lake Flea, I've felt embraced by the community and have learned so much from other sellers and the team.

Currently, I'm in talks for collaborations with some fantastic photographers, creative directors, and models. However, I can't reveal the details just yet. These potential partnerships are exciting, and we're looking forward to seeing how they develop and contribute to our brand's growth.

These connections and partnerships have been crucial in establishing our presence in the LA market and helping us build a supportive community around our brand. They've not only provided us with opportunities to sell our products but have also offered valuable learning experiences and networking opportunities that are helping to shape the future of Miçanga Swim.

How do you navigate challenges and setbacks in your field, and what advice would you give to aspiring creatives facing similar obstacles?
Alena: My biggest challenge when starting out was definitely the lack of funding. I invested all my personal savings into the business, which was incredibly difficult. Covering the costs of materials, website creation, marketing campaigns, and everything else needed to launch a business was overwhelming.

When I looked at other famous women-owned bikini brands, I noticed a common theme: most of the owners came from wealthy backgrounds and had financial support from their families. Not being able to find examples of girls like me—someone from a lower-middle-class background—who had started a similar business was discouraging. I felt that the only way to grow my brand was through more funding and industry connections.

This mindset really held me back at first. As a woman of color from a modest background, I felt like what I wanted to achieve was impossible. Although these thoughts initially paralyzed me, I still had faith in my ability to grow and create something unique. I decided to keep going, even with my fears of failure and lack of resources constantly nagging at me.

Over time, I realized that while starting with less is certainly an obstacle, it's also an important part of my story and how I create my pieces. I don't have an unlimited budget to work with, so I have to be intentional with everything I make and maximize the use of all my materials. This constraint has actually shaped my approach and made my brand unique.

In an industry constantly evolving, how do you stay innovative and relevant while maintaining your unique voice/style?
Alena: I'm not too concerned about staying relevant. For me, it's more about staying true to my vision and understanding that genuine style is timeless. Creating intentional and unique collections is far more important to me than churning out pieces that fit into the constant micro-trends pushed by our current fashion world.

I prioritize quality over quantity. My commitment to experimenting with new fabric technologies and being 100% involved in every aspect of production demonstrates my dedication to innovation in my business. These efforts also help me stay true to my personal style and creativity.

I know my ideas are unique because they come from me. Being so deeply involved in the design process ensures that my distinct voice shines through in my designs. It's this personal touch and attention to detail that sets my work apart.

In an industry that often values rapid turnover and fleeting trends, I'm choosing a different path. I believe in creating pieces that stand the test of time, both in terms of style and quality. This approach might be more challenging, but I believe it's more rewarding in the long run – for me as a designer and for my customers.

Can you talk about any collaborations or partnerships that have been particularly meaningful or impactful for you?
Alena: On the creative front, we've been collaborating with Brazilian content creators in Rio for our campaigns and to assist us in the design process. Working with our main model, Maria Luiza Mendes (@luizamendex), has been an amazing and truly beautiful experience.

Whenever we return to Brazil, we make a concerted effort to collaborate on creative projects with local artists and makers. We're always looking to strengthen our connections within the Rio community. These collaborations not only enhance our brand's authenticity but also help us stay rooted in the vibrant culture that inspires so much of our work.

These partnerships have been invaluable in shaping our brand's aesthetic and ensuring that we remain true to our Brazilian influences. By working closely with local talent, we're able to capture the essence of Rio's style and energy in our designs and marketing materials.

Our goal is to continue fostering these relationships and expanding our network of creative collaborators in Rio. We believe that these connections not only benefit our brand but also contribute to the local creative economy and help showcase Brazilian talent to a global audience.

Lastly, what message or piece of wisdom would you like to share with your fans, or anyone inspired by your journey?
Alena: There was a time when success seemed impossible, but changing my mindset was the key to moving forward and reaching where I am today. To those just starting out, especially in the clothing and fashion industry, I'd offer this advice: true creativity comes from within. You don't need substantial funds or a large following for your creativity to be appreciated. The more you showcase your work and put yourself out there, the more people will support your vision.

Great ideas often start small but dream big. It takes time to develop something truly remarkable. For me, dedication and consistency were the cornerstones that helped me achieve my current success, and they remain the driving forces that will propel my business to the next level.

Alena, we thank you again for giving us the chance to get to know more about you. Now, the floor is yours, share with us the links people can use to find more of your work, as well as any special announcements or projects you have coming up in the near future!
Shop from our racks at Silver Lake Flea, Hot Girl Market, and the SoSo Super Mercado storefront in Silver Lake on Virgil Avenue!
Website: Miçanga Swimwear (micangaswim.com)
Instagram: Miçanga Swim (@micangaswim) • Instagram photos and videos