Student-Made Biccini Makes Waves in Sustainable Production

Fulfilling a lifelong dream of owning and operating her own bathing suit company, second-year Eden George launched her brand Biccini March 10.

While growing up, George often visited her family in South Florida, quickly falling in love with the beach and being by the water. Enticed by bathing suits’ bright colors and styles, George said she began collecting swimwear when she was 10 years old.

“I always had this little dream of starting a brand,” George said.

George said she enjoys majoring in advertising and public relations, but she found herself wanting to do more with her free time. While sitting in her dorm room in spring 2024, she decided to start working toward the childhood dream she could no longer ignore. 

With sustainability, ethics and affordability at the forefront, George began looking into how to start a business.

At the outset, George said she was overwhelmed with final exams and had a hard time balancing school and entrepreneurship. Progress lulled, but George jumped right back into the operation when courseloads lessened during the summer.

George said she noticed two main extremes making up the swimwear industry — fast fashion businesses producing unsustainable, cheap, low-quality products and expensive companies selling tops and bottoms separately, sometimes upwards of $100 each.

“If I can figure out how to keep a business running while having an affordable price, that’s what my mission is for my customers,” George said. “I want it to be affordable, but I also want the quality to show through.”

Being a college student, George said affordability was important, but sustainability was even more essential. 

“I made a promise to myself that I would never contribute to the fast fashion industry, and I really wanted it to come from a place that I trusted,” George said. “I’m not going to sell people bathing suits that are coming from somewhere I’m ashamed of.”

After extensive research, George landed on a women-owned-and-operated manufacturing team in Brazil called Liv Brasil. The fabrics used in production are vegan, PETA approved and eco-friendly. The EcoSense and Amni Soul Eco fibers used are biodegradable with CO2 control and built-in UV protection.

George described the manufacturers as a driven community of women, noting everyone who works there makes a fair, living wage. A percentage of revenue goes to nonprofit animal shelters in Brazil supporting abandoned dogs and cats, while leftover materials are recycled and made into pet beds.

Behind the scenes, while her parents help pack and ship orders, George personalizes every package by writing a note to the customer. George said she plans on moving all inventory from her family’s house to her Fordham Hall dorm room for efficiency and autonomy.

Cynthia Trajcevski, a second-year at the University of Missouri majoring in textile and apparel management, is a recent Biccini customer. After learning about the brand via Instagram, Trajcevski ordered the Roxy bikini, which she received within five days of ordering. She said the fabric was soft and the swimsuit itself was well-constructed.

“First and foremost, I love the ethics of the brand — that’s what really drove me to purchase the product,” Trajcevski said. “The fact that it is sustainably made reassures me because a lot of bikinis these days are fast fashion.”

George said she appreciates customer input and is open to new design and pattern suggestions.

“I love that people can tell me what they want for products,” George said. “I’m working on new bathing suits, and if anybody has an idea they want to see, they can let me know and I would love to try to make it work.”

George said she wants to continue Biccini as long as possible and plans to expand her business by partnering with influencers and adding accessories to her catalog.

Biccini has been keeping George busy and fulfilled since it launched earlier this month. She said she values support from her friends, family and peers at Loyola.