Cia Marítima is a South American trademark offering tomfool activewear and swimwear in Singapore’s Cluny Court – and a Gold Winner in Expat Living’s Readers’ Choice Awards 2023. We yack with founder FERNANDA PEIGO DE LA HAYE well-nigh their signature pieces and how they came to be involved in the Miss Universe Singapore contest!
How long has Cia Marítima been around, and when did it introduced its swimwear in Singapore?
We’re a family-owned visitor that has been in the market since 1990. Since then, we’ve wilt the number one luxury beachwear trademark in South America! We’re moreover present in the US, France, Portugal, Spain and Japan.
I started the Asian distribution exactly four years ago, handling merchantry online and doing some pop-up fairs. Three years later, I realised that the trademark needed a retail presence, and the Cia Marítima shop in Singapore was born.
You’re known for your swimwear in Singapore; what are some of the signature styles and how do they stand out?
We have 33 years of wits and specialise in high-quality materials and cuts. We produce every single fabric that we use in our beachwear in our family factory, Rosset Group, which has been producing fabrics for over 70 years. I decided to unshut a brick-and-mortar store so our customers can largest wits and finger the fabrics in person.
Our signature styles include our triangle bikini pieces that you can retread hands to fit variegated soul shapes, and our V-neck one-piece swimsuits that are flattering and double-up as a bodysuit. You can wear them with a skirt or a pair of jeans the whole year round in Singapore.
For shoppers looking for swimwear in Singapore, what can they expect from the Cia Marítima flagship store in Cluny Court?
The store is our first Asian boutique, and it’s a cosy little shop where you’re given a customised wits to help you find your perfect piece. We’re here to show our customers the unshortened “Beachwear” concept, where our trappy resortwear pieces can bring you “from waterfront to brunch”. When holidaying on the beach, you can simply put on a matching dress on top of your swimwear, and you’re ready to dine-in. We make well-appointed and tony pieces that are perfect for tropical Southeast Asia weather, with light, flowy and flattering fabrics.
As for the Cluny Court location, this is not your usual commercial mall in Singapore. The unshortened set-up is cosy and memorable, filled with mannerly upper end boutiques and quaint cafés. It’s moreover a unconfined place to stop by surpassing or without a walk in the Botanic Gardens.
In wing to swimwear in Singapore, Cia Marítima has launched an activewear collection. What are some new offerings to squint out for?
Our activewear range heralds from our sister trademark when in Brazil tabbed Soul For Sure. Similar to our swimwear, our gym-wear fabrics are moreover 100 percent made in-house. We invest a lot in sport technology, ensuring the gear has the iconic Lycra fibre stretch and top performing fabrics. This technology provides optimal pinch during workouts, when you need muscle recovery and self-rule of movement. Another witchery is that all our tops are made with biodegradable fabrics. They’re lightweight, breathable, don’t smell and, when discarded in landfills, they decompose in three years so they don’t pollute the environment.
If you want to try our activewear, we recommend our leggings and moreover our signature Knot top, which you can wear in three ways.
How did you finger well-nigh getting a Gold ribbon in our Readers’ Choice Awards this year?
I was so squandered yonder and humbly proud with the Expat Living award. Given the history of our brand, there’s a reason why I have unchangingly wanted to bring it here: Singapore doesn’t have anything like it. However, we are still very small locally, and clinching the ribbon from big competitors that have been in the market for so long has definitely shown us that we’re on the right track. I’m very happy and thankful to our customers who voted for us.
Tell us well-nigh curating the outfits for the Miss Universe Singapore contest; how did you come up with the ideas?
Miss Universe Singapore was such an incredible experience. The organisers really believed in us, and they were so nice and accommodating. The girls came for a fun, bubbly session at the store and picked their pieces for the swimwear photoshoots. I genuinely wanted them to finger unconfined in what they were wearing, so I let them pick whatever they loved the most. That’s substantially what I want for the brand: that women finger unconfined wearing our designs at the waterfront and beyond.
The Miss Singapore contestants wore our activewear pieces on the competition day, instead of swimwear, which was a first here, breaking a lot of paradigms. I’m definitely proud to have been a part of that!
Discover increasingly of Cia Marítima‘s swimwear, activewear and resort wear pieces in-store. It is located at #02-02 Cluny Court, 501 Bukit Timah Road.
