Some changes at Mimi’s

As I sit down to write this message, my heart is filled with so much gratitude and emotion. I can hardly believe that it's been over ten years since I started Mimi Hammer Swimwear, and what a journey it has been!

I still remember the early days when I used to make all the swimsuits myself. Back then, it was just me and my passion for creating beautiful, high-quality swimwear that women would love to wear. And thanks to all of you, my dream started to take shape, and my little business began to grow.

As our business continued to expand, I realized that I could no longer keep up with the demand by myself. It was a difficult decision, but I knew that I had to find a way to meet the needs of our customers while still maintaining the high standards of quality and craftsmanship that we are known for.

That's why, four years ago, my team and I made the decision to transfer the production of our swimsuits to Peru. It was important to us to find a place where our swimsuits could be made with the same care and attention to detail as when I made them myself.

Offering inclusive swimsuits, a beautiful challenge for Mimi

At Mimi, it has always been important to me to offer comfortable and unique swimwear. This is why for several years we have focused our efforts on high and extra high waisted swimsuits (which are very difficult to find on the market) as well as on ever more inclusive and well thought out bathing suits models, which you would be confident enough to wear and enjoy. In this same perspective of comfort and inclusiveness, 2 years ago, we therefore decided to embark on the integration of sizes up to 4XL in our range of swimwear.

Our first collection was obviously not perfect, but we quickly understood that there was a real demand on the market for this type of product and that is why we decided to throw ourselves fully into this beautiful project: accessible swimsuits that are ethical, inclusive and that could be worn by as many women as possible.

After having previously collected the comments and opinions of our customers on our complete swimwear line: size too small, lack of support in certain sizes, ties and straps not suitable for plus sizes, and more, this is where we have decided to embark on the work of improving all our swimsuits as well as all our sizes. (This is one of our BIGGEST changes.) 

This change happened because we listened to you, our valued customers.

We would have liked to make these changes some time ago, but the spontaneous arrival of Covid-19 meant that we were limited in what we could do. Without a trip to Peru, it was difficult for us to initiate such significant changes to our swimwear line.

Fun fact: Did you know that all the women who wear our swimsuits on our website and on social media are Mimi customers and not models? From the beginning of Mimi, it was extremely important to me to promote all body types and promote diversity so that every woman could feel confident and represented with our swimsuits and clothes. The image of Mimi is you!

Exciting changes

After 2 years of pandemic and once travel restrictions were lifted, we were finally able to return to Peru in May 2022. It was during this visit that we were able to start the big changes to our swimsuit line ! It was also at this time that we had several meetings with our production manager Katty. You don't see her often on our social media, but Katty is an essential asset to our production team. She takes care of the management of all our productions, both our clothes and our swimsuits and she is our point of contact there. (We talk every week!) 

After several days of working there as a team, we came to a first new version of all our swimsuits on paper. (the work was just beginning!) Once back in Quebec, and after several more weeks of work (as much on our side as Katty and her team), they were able to start designing samples, like creating new patterns , fabric cutting, sewing and finishing. After 3 months, it was in August 2022 that we received our first real samples! YEAH!

Some fittings again and again!

One of the most stressful steps has arrived! Once we received the samples, we had to have you try them out! We contacted clients we know well, who had already participated in our various photoshoots before (and therefore who knows our swimsuits well) to get their opinion on the new swimsuits line. :O

After the first fitting, we had new modifications to make, and therefore new samples to produce. (as we expected, it was not #love at first sight, but we were still on the right track! ) Katty even came to visit us in Quebec to participate in the second fitting session in November 2022, to better target our needs and those of our customers on the major changes that needed to be made on the different swimsuits.

Since August 2022, we are in our 4th round of samples and fittings! It has been a very long process, but so necessary! We want our swimsuits to be designed for all womens and doing things well takes time. 

However, each new fitting session confirmed one thing: we were going in the right direction with our changes! ( PHEW! ) The feedback gathered during these sessions was precious each time, and it allowed us to make relevant changes to all of our swimwear.

Here a few changes that we brought to our swimsuits : 

• Integration of the 1X size into our swimwear chart. We decided to rework our sizes to go from XS to 4X to fit even more bodies and women.
• Redesign and improvement of all our sizes, from XS to 4X, (Hello TRUE TO SIZE bathing suits.)
• Fit improvements to make swimsuits look even better. (We can't wait for you to see this, you won't believe it.)
• Addition of fabrics in length of all our one-piece swimsuits (because we think of you the long trunks. 😏)
• Improvement of our famous Milano one-piece swimsuit: the frills that tear, it is now a thing of the past! (we are so happy to have fixed this problem, omg!)
• And many other improvements that we will tell you about over the next few weeks.

To go even further

At Mimi’s, we have been selling swimwear for years, so we know how difficult it can be to shop for them, whether it’s online or in-store. We wanted to make this experience easier, simpler and most importantly, make everything as positive as possible for once and here's what we're going to do for it.

• Each swimsuit will now have its own size chart, which will make your shopping much easier for you. 🎉
• For your online shopping, we will continue to promote diversity so that you are able to feel represented during your virtual shopping sprees.
• We have added a second fitting room in our small boutique located in the Old Port of Montreal, to improve your shopping experience on your next store visits.
• SCOOP: In the next coming weeks, we will implement a virtual consultation service, so that you can make an appointment with a member of Mimi’s team who is going to help you buy your next swimsuit! We'll tell you a little more about it soon!

I hope with all my heart that you will like this new swimwear collection and once again, thank you so much for being here and being part of our loyal and valuable clientele. Without you, Mimi would not be where she is right now and I will be eternally grateful for that. ❤️

SPOILER ALERT : Our new collection, with all the changes, improvements AND the integration of new swimsuits models (yesss!) will officially be released in May 2023!

The wait will be worth it, we guarantee it.

In the meantime, help us make room in our warehouse for all these beautiful new arrivals that will get here soon by buying one of our old models at 50% discount. This will help us continue to offer you swimsuits well created, thought and adapted for you.

Camille xxx