Southern River resident’s swimwear label kicking goals all over the world

Written by Ben Smith

Original Article on communitynews.com.au - read the article on Community Comment News here.

^{_{Ete Swimwear founder Jessica Williamson.}}

TWO years ago, Southern River resident Jessica Williamson received a life-changing opportunity.

In 2016, she left her job in digital marketing to launch her Ete Swimwear label, despite by her own admittance not having a background in fashion.

Roughly a week after the launch, she received an invitation to show off her line at New York Fashion Week.

Ms Williamson admitted she initially thought the invitation was a hoax, but soon found herself on the runway in New York.

“I thought it was a scam because as a young business, no one would want me to go to New York Fashion Week,” she said.

“It was pretty scary walking on the runway, but there were so many amazing brands I’d followed for so long, so it was cool to be amongst them.”

Now a Western Australian Young Achiever Award nominee thanks to her success in the fashion industry, Ms Williamson said her love of the beach inspired her to launch her own swimwear line.

“I used to get mum to drive me down there everyday if I could if it was nice weather, even if it was only 20 degrees, I would try and be down there,” she said.

“I noticed a lot of the swimwear was going towards androgynous styles, more blacks and khakis.

“I just like pinks and frills, so it was something I wanted to make for people like me.”

Moving forward, the Canning Vale College graduate said she was hoping to incorporate more of a body-positive message into her swimwear.

“Starting on Valentines Day, we’re launching our main campaign, we’re going to launch extra large sizes,” she said.

“We’ve also designed these shirts of which 100 per cent of profits will go to a body-positive charity. We’re trying to go hard on the positive image.”