Sauce Swim is the local, consciously-made swimwear label built on collaboration
IMAGE VIA SAUCE SWIM
WORDS BY CAIT EMMA BURKE
“Our shapes and patterns are merely a (very well-made) canvas to support up-and-coming female and non-binary artists.”
Many of the best creative projects are born out of collaboration. For Elise Hislop, the Co-Founder and Designer of the Australian-New Zealand label Sauce Swim, collaboration has helped build an engaged community of consumers and fellow creatives.
First founded in 2017 by Elise’s former business partner, she came on board in 2021 and is now the label’s sole owner. A background in fashion, graphic design and illustration has made her uniquely equipped for the challenge of running an art-led swimwear label, but managing a small business on her own has been a steep learning curve.
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Elise has always worked hard to ensure that Sauce Swim is a values-led label, creating pieces from recycled fabrics and seeking out up-and-coming female and non-binary artists and designers to collaborate with on each collection. Below, she speaks on the journey so far.
Tell us about you. What’s your fashion background?
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I have peeped through the windows of the fashion world from the early stages of my teen-hood. As a nerdy art student, I found that the distinction between the design and fashion world was a wide spectrum of colours, and my skillset was a rainbow that blended within this.
I’ve jumped from making T-shirts for fashion brands in New York to freelancing as a graphic designer in Sydney to creating prints and patterns of my own as an illustrator. Creativity is endless. It’s about the way we apply what we know to what we love.
How did the label get started? Talk us through the process and the challenges.
Sauce Swim was created initially by my old business partner in 2017. I came on as co-owner in early 2021 until I took over the brand in August 2023. It’s definitely been an adjustment taking on the business on my own, and I miss my old business partner. But in this, I have seen no shortage of talented friends and supporters rise up to advise and help me through the transition.
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Having a background in creative direction, the challenges I face are pretty much learning from scratch how to run a small business – because of this, each small win feels massive. I’ve been so lucky to be able to witness first-hand the love and support rise from my community as Sauce has grown with me.
What were you trying to achieve from the project at the time? How has this evolved and what are you trying to communicate through the brand now?
We have always worked hard to function within our values to create ethically, consciously and creatively. First and foremost our shapes and patterns are merely a (very well-made) canvas to support up-and-coming female and non-binary artists. To give these persons a platform to be celebrated outside of their regular medium.
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Secondly, Sauce Swim aims to tread lightly on the environment, by only using sustainable practices and materials. Over the years we’ve managed to hold this true to our brand, and I see it evolving to become more of an ongoing creative project in the future. Perhaps expanding further than just swim.
How would you describe your label to someone who’s never seen it before?
Personal, small, loving. Interestingly each time I explain what I do the description changes slightly. There will always be an unending amount of words to describe Sauce. It’s constantly evolving, unfolding, and manoeuvring as the years move on. My go-to description is “A consciously made swimwear label built on collaboration”. Is that too simple?
What are you most proud of in your work on your label?
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Oooft. I can already feel my chest swelling! Every win is HUGE for us. But I think that the Wabi Sabi collaboration with Sabi the Label (released last October) takes the cake. Collaborating successfully with a whole other brand felt so seamless with Mon (Sabi the Label’s Founder). We both contributed equally to the workload, and our skillsets aligned somewhat magically for the release of the campaign.
Sauce had never worked with another label before, only solo artists, so it was all a bit of a shot in the dark. In the end, the collaboration was beyond rewarding – we released a completely original design handmade slowly with love, got to use Isabella Kerstens for the campaign, and our customers were (and are) so hyped and supportive the whole way through!
What do you wish you knew when you started?
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That not every ‘failure’ is a loss, consistency is integral to success and details on tech packs are very important!
What about the Australian fashion industry needs to change?
This applies globally too but brands need to stop producing to follow trends. They are seasonal and temporary which only means more clothing is going into landfill or never to be worn again. I’ve been watching many (very fashion-forward friends) drop so much money on items that will be deemed ‘out’ in a few months.
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Furthermore, these trends force designers to lose elation in their work. Passion dwindles with creative burnout and the consumer ends up with an item of little depth. What we wear on our bodies should mean something. To the designer, the wearer and the onlookers.
Dream Australian collaborators?
Since I first joined Sauce we would gush over the artworks created by Reg Mombassa (aka Chris O’Doherty) for Mambo. There’s something so nostalgic and unexpected about his characters. Currently, I have a long list of dream collabs I hope to fulfil. I guess you’ll just have to check back in later!
Go-to dinner party playlist?
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I have it! Here’s the link.
Who is in your wardrobe right now?
I tend to thrift about 90 per cent of my wardrobe. When I do spend I try to spend consciously on independent labels. This currently includes (I just ransacked my wardrobe): Sabi the Label, By Dette, Wynn Hamlyn, Hannah-Lee Jade, Ramp Tramp Tramp Stamp, Perledieu and a few others!
How can we buy one of your pieces?
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You can purchase all of our collections at Sauce Swim online or at selected stockists. We are still so tiny so I’m personally packing each and every order. If you’re lucky I’ll write you a cute note.
Anything else to add?
Every action we take in life is our own – make them count!
Explore Sauce Swim’s range here.
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