How Andie's Founder is Innovating Swimsuit Fit and Size Inclusivity
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Senior Editor Marie Albiges interviews Melanie Travis, founder and CEO of Andie, a global e-commerce company changing the way women shop for swimsuits and intimates. Travis discusses her career background (0:43), how a work retreat revealed the need for a better swimsuit shopping experience (1:34), and how Andie is addressing the culture of shame around female bodies in swimsuits (3:27). She shares how Andie prioritizes fit to help women of all shapes and sizes find the perfect swimsuit (6:09), how the brand acts on its tenet of inclusivity (8:37), and how the company’s largely female team impacts the brand’s marketing and products (10:03).
In addition, Travis discusses how she overcame the challenges she faced when pitching the brand idea to mostly male investors (11:53), her advice for other women entrepreneurs (13:37), and insights into Andie’s recent collaborations with actresses Claire Holt and Demi Moore — with her daughters (14:56). Lastly, she shares what she’s most looking forward to for next year as Andie continues to grow (18:01).
Melanie Travis is the founder and CEO of Andie, a brand created for every woman, every activity and every body with well-fitting swimwear and intimates in sizes 0-26 designed for the modern woman and for all of life’s occasions. Harnessing an industry-first Fit Quiz, one-to-one virtual fittings with our Fit Experts and educational fit guides, we take the vulnerability and difficulty out of buying swimwear to help you find your suit, tailored just for you. Prior to Andie, Melanie was the director of brand experience at Bark & Co., the company behind the monthly themed subscription of all-natural dog treats and clever toys, BarkBox. Melanie also held titles at renowned companies such as Foursquare and Kickstarter. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature at Haverford College and her MFA in Film Directing at the California Institute of the Arts. She is based in New York City, NY.
Date: October 8, 2021
Credits: Melanie Travis
Duration: 19:41
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