Sorority sisters develop swimsuit business

(Left to right) Sol Spier, Rikki Rummel and Emily Rummel, Delta Delta Delta sisters, started developing a swimsuit brand with a focus on simplicity. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/Emily Rummel

The warming weather inspired three women from the USF community to create their own swimwear brand, Fantasea Swim, found at fantaseaswim.com. 

Emily Rummel, a senior majoring in health sciences, along with her Delta Delta Delta sisters Rikki Rummel and Sol Spier, created a simplistic pastel-inspired swimwear line. 

The idea for a swimwear line was not one that Emily initially considered an option, as she is currently working toward becoming a registered dietitian. However, after the three women had a sleepover one night in November, everything changed for them.

“(Spier) texted us this long page in the middle of the night saying, ‘Guys, I have this crazy idea,’” Emily said. “We woke up and were like this girl’s crazy, what is she talking about.”

That’s when their work began. Buying suits of different colors and sizes to see which fit correctly and which had the right style for their brand-to-be. 

“We had to figure out which ones we wanted,” Emily said. “I probably have 25 different swimsuits in my room. We were going for simple-themed swimsuits.”

It was a long process of realising their niche within the market and picking pieces they could all agree on. 

“We would be like, ‘this one’s weird on the bottom, but it’s cute,’” Emily said.

After months of preparation, developing their brand and their site, it all came to life in January when they launched their website for online sales. Business boomed immediately. 

The line of suits range from high-neck, low-back one pieces to bandeau, front-tie, triangle tops and various bottoms, all in pastels, black and burgundy, among other colors.

“We launched the site and within a week we had about 25 orders,” Emily said, “We were like,‘how is it doing so well? This is crazy.’”

The three founders of the company went to Tulum, Mexico, earlier this year to model their pieces. They modelled the swimwear themselves to emphasize their belief in their product.

The brand’s Instagram account, @fantaseaswim,  as well as their website are filled with turquoise oceans and white sandy beaches that the girls picked to inspire thoughts of days in the sun.

As with the introduction of any brand, delivery is everything, which drew Emily to take over the packing process for the company. 

“I’m a very crafty, hands-on person,” Emily said. “So, I said, ‘guys, I really want to package it ourselves.’”

Emily described the process as very rewarding, having shipped an additional three orders the very same day. 

Simplicity being the staple of the brand, the packaging matched that. White tissue paper, tied up with rope-like ribbon and their turquoise Fantasea business cards unite to create their wrapping. 

The women have already sold to people all over the U.S., including Washington, California, Maine and Pennsylvania. Their market continues to grow weekly. 

Eventually wanting to open a store, once having settled down, Emily said, “Even right now, my Delta Delta Delta sorority sisters will be like, ‘I want one, but I want to try it on.’ So, I’ll have it all set up in my room.”

Hoping to move into new color schemes, beach towels and other beach accessories, the Rummel sisters and Spier continue to develop their brand. 

“Once we get bigger, we want to have ambassadors,” Emily said. “Social media is so powerful.”

Emily, Rikki and Spier’s efforts and eye for how to progress their brand definitely show, having had approximately 13,055 site visits since first having launched, and having sold 53 items.

They average about seven to ten items each week and those numbers continue to grow, as their advertisements and inventory increase