Shell Ya! Pop.Fizz.Swim Founder and CEO Takes a Deep Dive Into His Brand

Founder and CEO Benjamin Silas fell in love with the fashion of the 1920s when he was just in sixth grade upon being assigned to present a project about the decades. Inevitably, Silas got assigned the ’20s.

The idea of a one piece swimsuit or covering up the top was particularly appealing, Silas said. From dealing with weight-related issues almost his entire life, Silas wanted to build a brand that encouraged and elicited body positivity.     

“It was always one of those things that was just like, ‘well that product doesn’t exist,’ so I guess it’s cool,” Silas remarked.

Flash forward to 2020, Silas and his fiancé were watching a film set in the 1920s one night. His partner is non-binary, having chest surgery twice in their life and was struggling with body image issues.

“My fiancé was the one who said ‘I’ve always wanted a swimsuit like that because of my chest issues’,” Silas said. “I thought I was the only one, but they were like ‘no it would actually really help a lot of people feel more comfortable and confident.”

Spending the rest of the evening brainstorming, and the following weeks sketching and researching potential patterns, aesthetics and styles- the current brand known as Pop.Fizz.Swim, began to emerge.

“There needs to be something that’s an alternative than what’s currently out there, which is just like tiny Speedos,” Silas said. “And, things that were pushing the narrative ‘if you don’t have a six pack or you know or have a perfect body then you are not worthy.”

Making a product that was as inclusive, versatile and stylish with an added modern twist was at the heart of what Silas wanted the brand to be.

“Six packs are welcome, but not required,” Silas said. “You don’t have to look like this to be comfortable and fabulous.”

What was originally designed to be a one piece, became two pieces held together by a belt to resemble how suits were made in the late 1920s, according to Silas. The change would make it easier to go to the bathroom, and the added zipper on the compression top would make it easier to take off.

The suits put modesty at the forefront, accompanied with extra inner lining in the front, a removable belt, and a large back pocket to carry items, Silas said. Each suit is made ethically, with a production company called “Lefty,” which is headquartered in Los Angeles.

“It was very important for me that my suits and products be ethically made and ethically sourced, and not produced in a sweatshop,” Silas said. “Initially, I was looking at manufacturers in China, but there was a lot of issues, one of the main ones being that it’s not easy to hop on a plane and go and check out the factory and check out how things are made.”

The suits fabrics are made with recycled plastic bottles that are then turned into polyester, Silas said. The fabric used is 78% REPREVE and 22% spandex, with 13 plastic bottles going into every yard of the REPREVE fabric.

“I’m taking a personal or a little bit of a cut, even though it’s still on the pricier side,” Silas said. “It’s less expensive than it should be because I want my products to be economically accessible as well.”

The brand creates multiple different collections with an assigned design style, currently selling Mod, Resort, Pride, Classic, Art Deco and Signature, according to Silas. Each of the pieces are deigned to be mixed and matched, with the Pride collection being available all year round.

“I have had the most fun with the resort collection because there’s just a lot of fruity fun,” Silas said. “It has such bright colors and just such a lot of amazing things going on there, such as florals, tropics and birds.”

The “classic” collection uses stripes, solids and nautical themes, while the Signature is based on the company’s otter logo, and the Art Deco draws inspiration from the Great Gatsby and conducting research on historical architecture in the cities, Silas added.

“I often fall into this habit of watching documentaries about how fashion lines rise and fall,” Silas said. “And, more often than not, what causes their destruction is that it’s just been just discovered that they’re using horrible sweatshop labor and their workers are being paid pennies on the dime to make products that are then being sold for hundreds of dollars, so for me it was never really that difficult because I wanted to always been focused on quality.”

When it comes to the future of the company, Silas said he would ideally want the brand to be like Lacoste or Ralph Lauren, two lifestyle brands. Coordinating robes that match either the tops or bottoms made out of Turkish towel material are expected to be sold soon.

A full accessory line comprised of totes, towels, champagnes and a partnership with brands like Warby Parker on specialty sunglasses is also on the horizon, Silas added.

“I didn’t really start this line to become rich, so making money and profits was never at the top of my priorities,” Silas said. “For me, it was always about having sustainably made products and ethically made products because I’m personally obsessed the business world.”

Pop.Fiz.Swim
www.popfizzswim.com