Dive Into Ookioh, A Size-Inclusive Swimwear Brand Redefining 90s Nostalgia
Ookioh is a size-inclusive swimwear brand made from recycled materials. We sat down with the founder to learn more about his inspiration, designs and ethos.
Shop Small is a monthly series highlighting small business owners from diverse backgrounds. This series aims to go deeper than your typical product roundup, diving into the inspirational stories behind some of our favorite brands. By taking a behind-the-scenes look at how their shops came to be and highlighting the products they (and their shoppers!) love, we hope to put a deserving spotlight on these marginalized business owners.
Fascinated by Bollywood’s glamour and Benetton’s vivid knitwear, Vivek Agarwal grew up with a natural inclination for fashion design. But hailing from a small town in northeast India, he made the decision to focus on more practical matters.
It took over a decade of contrasting career paths — manufacturing steel, pursuing a master’s degree in real estate and a stint developing shopping malls — to discover his true calling. While building shopping malls in Chicago, Agarwal recognized the market’s need for a swimwear brand that felt playful and approachable. In 2018, Ookioh — a colorful, size-inclusive swimwear brand with sustainability at its forefront — was born.
To marry retro designs with modern demands for size inclusivity and minimal waste, Agarwal drew inspiration from retail giants like Esprit and J. Crew. The result? All of Ookioh’s pieces, including its vibrant swimsuits and its plush beach towels, blend colorful, wearable patterns with a wide size range and a sustainable design. And not only are they beloved by thousands of shoppers, Ookioh’s suits have even been worn by the likes of Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber and Gabrielle Union.
We took a dive into the world of swimsuit design and spoke with Agarwal about his journey in the fashion industry and Ookioh’s earth-conscious philosophy.
Ookioh’s name is a play on the Japanese word ukiyo. How does that name tie into your brand’s ethos?
It literally translates to “floating away from the borders of life.” To me, that was the core of our goal with Ookioh: have fun and live the moment. We want to be earth-conscious, but not preachy, so I thought [the name] encapsulated both of those aspects very well.
What are your biggest inspirations for the swimwear designs?
One of the first international brands that came to India was Benetton, which was a big 90s Italian brand, and Esprit came right after them. I loved the fun element they bring, and that’s what my vision was for Ookioh. In my school days, I was absolutely obsessed with J. Crew and Jenna Lyons. In terms of design references, it was mostly about 80s and 90s sportswear and some of the colors from that era. The idea was to bridge them, and make them modern and timeless so you could wear the suit for five years and still look stylish.
Why are you committed to making swimsuits from recycled materials?
For the first four years, we were using recycled polyamide that came from recycled fishing nets. In the last two years, we have switched over to recycled nylon because it offers more stretch, so now the fits are much better. It seems like everybody is doing it now. However, when we started in 2018, there were just three or four brands making swimsuits out of fishing nets: us and brands like Stella McCartney and Mara Hoffman, who I greatly admire.
Coming from India, having seen what [fast fashion] does to our communities — even in L.A., there are a lot of sweatshops— it was very important to make sure that if I do something, it has to have some positive impact.
What are your best-selling products?
My towels! It’s a product one uses every day and to make it [in a more sustainable way] is something I’m very proud of. Our best-selling swimsuits are the Monaco bottom and the Como top. For the Monaco, the bottoms with the rings have been there since the 60s — Jane Birkin wore those types of suits in French movies. Ours is [a best-seller] because of the rings’ placement: everybody has it on sides, but we have it on the hip. If I am to blow my own trumpet, it’s a piece of art. And with the Como top, the underwire is very helpful because it provides support. What worked in our favor was how we designed the straps — it’s retro but still very modern.
Ookioh has an impressive size range. Why was size inclusivity such a priority for you?
When you’re not from the [fashion] industry, it always helps to look at things differently. When I came in, I had absolutely no context of the industry. The average [clothing] size is not small, it’s large and extra-large. From a business perspective, this made a lot of sense: when that is the average size, why would I not make that?
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned as a business owner?
Never, never, never hesitate to ask for help. I had no context of the industry at all, and I’ve been very fortunate that I had a lot of good people who helped me out and were very patient with me.