Ophelia Love

Beautiful Swimwear in Paradise

@OPHELIASWIMWEAR | OPHELIASWIMWEAR.COM

When the first Ophelia Swimwear shop opened in Grayton Beach, Florida, in 2010, owner and founder Victoria “Tori” Von Hoene knew immediately that social media would be an essential marketing tool for her new brand. She planned a photo shoot before the shop opened, highlighting some of her closest friends (Jenn McAlexander, Janet Taylor, and Laura Granberry) to be her original Ophelia girls, modeling bikinis, loungewear, and accessories promoting the ethereal, breezy beach lifestyle that Ophelia exudes. “My good friend Ann Madden took pictures with her point-and-shoot camera, and I created an Ophelia Facebook page to share what we’d created,” Von Hoene recalls. “Right away, locals started following!”

Fast-forward thirteen years, and Ophelia Swimwear boasts three brick-and-mortar locations, an e-commerce store, over forty-four thousand Instagram followers across Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, and its swimwear line, Ophelia Love. VIE was fascinated by Ophelia’s work with various influencers across these social media channels and how the practice has been integral to marketing the business over the past several years. Check out our interview with Von Hoene below as we pick her brain about what it’s like to run a business today.

VIE: How has the influencer marketing trend changed your business?

Tori Von Hoene: As social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok have grown and the influencer world has become a bigger business, our customers are getting younger and younger. Sometimes, there’s pressure to carry the styles trending on social media, even if we weren’t initially drawn to those styles at market. We pay attention to what the girls with great style love and what we think our customers will also resonate with; the Ophelia girl has that classically cool feel.

We buy for the girls following us on social media, but we want all women to feel beautiful in their swimwear, and there’s a variety of types of women who shop with us. It’s moms and daughters and women of all ages and sizes.

Ophelia has a dedicated social media manager position, and something that started as a fun side thing that I did myself has become a major component of our business. We have to keep up daily with multiple platforms—Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and blogging. We receive messages from everyone from bloggers and influencers to celebs and sorority girls who love what we do and want to collaborate and receive products in exchange for posts. We love that they’re so excited to potentially work with us! We also reach out to influencers who may be visiting our area and who we think align with our brand.

VIE: What are some pros and cons of working with influencers as a marketing source?

TVH: On the plus side, working with influencers gives us great photos of our inventory—photos that show how suits and outfits look on real, relatable people! We love sharing those images to promote our collections and to shout out the girls showing us love! Many influencers have gained their followers authentically, so those followers get inspired when an influencer organically showcases what they’re wearing for different occasions.

On the downside, working with influencers can be a gamble. There’s no guarantee that you’ll get any sales or return on your investment, especially since influencing has become a business. We used to collaborate with influential people before “influencing” was even a word, and they loved getting free suits, outfits, or gift cards. The new influencer is doing this as a full-time job, and we love seeing young entrepreneurs going for it. They have rates for posts and shoutouts, but it doesn’t mean we’ll see sales from them.

VIE: How do you decide who to work with as a brand ambassador?

TVH: I used to look at the number of followers someone had, but that doesn’t matter as much anymore. Now, I look at a potential brand ambassador’s style and that of their friends. I find that influencers who promote many products don’t have as big of a return for us. We have the best luck with girls who have organically gained followers because their friends like their sense of style.

Fashion, even swimwear fashion, is constantly evolving. It’s a balancing act between what will trend on social media and what will actually sell in the shops because of good fit, tailoring, and high-quality fabrics.

VIE: Who is one of the biggest or most effective influencers you have worked with and why do you think they fit your brand so well?

TVH: Alden Easter Lopez, or @aceatthebeach, is hands down the most effective influencer we’ve worked with. She naturally became an influencer in the early days of Instagram. She was a sweet, young girl living at the beach, and people loved her photos and take on beach life. Her genuine personality and love for the beach shone through in her pictures, and she quickly gained hundreds of new followers daily. 

This was before becoming an “influencer” was even a thing. Alden suddenly had thousands of followers—young girls who looked up to her and her style as what they should wear at the beach. We’ve worked with her since she was fifteen; her fans have stayed with us as they’ve grown up. She’s now twenty-seven. Alden is one of the few influencers whose fans immediately call our shop or stop in to buy whatever she’s wearing in a picture.

Alden is a perfect fit for our brand because she’s genuine, authentic, and has a great sense of style. She loves the beach and Ophelia Swimwear, and her followers can tell.

VIE: How does Ophelia strive to stay relevant in relation to current trends in fashion, pop culture, social media, film/TV, and more?

TVH: Fashion, even swimwear fashion, is constantly evolving. It’s a balancing act between what will trend on social media and what will actually sell in the shops because of good fit, tailoring, and high-quality fabrics. Many things that catch people’s eyes on the screen don’t fit well on most women’s bodies.

VIE: What trends or designs do you see coming up for fall and 2024?

TVH: Swimwear is becoming more romantic and feminine again. We saw a lot of ruffles, pleats, and pearl embroidery at Miami Swim Week and market, so you’ll see more of that coming to our shops.

VIE: What are you currently watching, listening to, or reading?

TVH: I love Netflix’s new documentary Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones. I find it fascinating and inspiring to see the importance of diet, exercise, family, and life values.

VIE: What’s your top travel destination for fall?

TVH: I am partial to Colombia and the beautiful people in that country. The Ophelia team spends a lot of time in Medellin producing our swimwear label, Ophelia Love. This city of eternal spring is in a valley with some of the most stunning landscapes and vegetation I have ever seen. Every time I travel back there, I’m reminded of Colombia’s magic: the colors, experiences, locals, cities and beaches, nature—it’s all so inspiring!

VIE: Any big plans or events you’d like to share?

TVH: Yes! At Ophelia, we’re in our third year of designing our “Ophelia Love” label. Our designer, Claire Harman, and I spend our off-season traveling to Colombia and India to meet local artisans who help bring our ideas to life. Claire is a fashion design major who has been instrumental in making sure the fit of our swimwear is flawless and figure-flattering for all of our customers. When customers come in and try our collections on, they’re amazed by the color, feel, and fit. Claire’s knowledge of fabric dying helps our artists in India create our one-of-a-kind tunics with natural handmade dyes.

VIE: Thank you, Tori!

— V —