From bikinis to cruelty-free diamonds: This young entrepreneur is putting sustainability at the forefront

Rebecca Klodinsky launched her eco-friendly bikini brand, IIXIIST, at 24. Over the next nine years, she turned the backyard side hustle into a global cult swimwear brand renowned for its sustainable ‘slow’ fashion and worn by international celebs like Kylie Kardashian. She joined the First Act podcast to share the steps to her success and her drive to change the fashion and jewellery industries for the better.

Rebecca says that while sustainability and cruelty-free operations were at the forefront of her mind from the start, her main aim in founding IIXIIST in 2013 was to fill a pricing gap she perceived in the Australian swimwear market.

She told editor Cec Busby, “It was just a little brand I started because I found a hole in the market. We didn’t have Afterpay; we had Kmart, or we had high-end brands. There was nothing in between for uni students like me at the time. And I thought, if I was feeling this way, surely I’m not the only one? So, I went out and did it.”

IIXIIST swimwear products are made from 100 per cent recycled ocean-waste materials such as plastic bottles and produced in child-labour-free conditions. The company’s website proudly declares they are “dedicated to pushing back against the fast-fashion pandemic”.

Catching the social media wave

Bootstrapping the business with just $2,000, Rebecca first took her sustainable swimwear offering to local street markets. However, she soon found that the actual sales came from social media.

“This was just around the inception of Instagram, so I jumped on that wave, and that’s how it all started. I didn’t really know how to get the brand out there,” Rebecca admits. “When Instagram started, I thought I’d try it. And then something was happening with eCommerce – sales were coming through from Instagram, and people were tagging us. It was interesting to see how this was working because we hadn’t been exposed to social media like this before; it was very new to all of us. Hashtags were working. The algorithm was in its beta stages, in chronological order. So, I ramped up momentum with social media. I figured out when and how to post what my audience liked … it was social media working with me.

“I think in the beginning, it was interesting to see a bikini brand displaying images the way we did. From provocative poses to cute poses, it was shocking in a way, and it was fun and new. The price point married in with the idea that my product was for everyone.”

Listen to Rebecca Klodinsky on the First Act podcast:

Forgoing fast-fashion

Rebecca says the passion for creating a sustainable brand that bucks the ‘fast fashion’ trends of the notoriously wasteful fashion industry was simply a no-brainer. As with many in the younger entrepreneurial cohort, treading lightly upon the earth and seeking more ethical ways to do business is ingrained.

“From day dot, my core swimwear has always been sustainable, made from recycled plastic bottles,” Rebecca confirms. “Obviously, now everybody is leaning towards sustainability, ethical clothes and slow fashion. But my swimwear has always been slow. The packaging is all sustainable, and we reuse a lot of packaging material. We’re making conscious choices in any way we can.

“And I’m that way in my personal life,” she continues. “I wanted sustainable swimwear; I wanted to maintain my environmental responsibility. So, it was a no-brainer for me. It wasn’t a marketing ploy; I never spoke about it until it became trendy. I paid extra for sustainable swimwear, which was just my give-back.

“It wasn’t a ‘come to Jesus’ moment where we opted to be sustainable; we’ve always been like this.”

And the drive to create a more sustainable world doesn’t stop there for this impressive young entrepreneur. Since the success of IIXIIST, Rebecca has gone on to co-found her ethical diamond and fine jewellery brand, Prestwick Place, with her partner, AFL player Lachie Henderson.

Specialising in world-class lab-grown moissanite and diamonds that do away with damaging and dangerous diamond mining, as well as the notorious child-labour practices of the industry, Prestwick Place aims to bring hand-crafted and high-end jewellery to discerning buyers who care about their ethical impact.

According to Rebecca, business is booming. “Each piece is made by a human hand with our team of jewellers on the Gold Coast. I can’t tell you how insane it has been; it is a 12-day-a-week job!” she laughs. “There’s one person who manages DMs, one who does emails, and one who does texts. It is crazy.”

Advice for would-be entrepreneurs

At the helm of two thriving global businesses, Rebecca has learned valuable lessons from market stall to mega success. Firstly, she urges would-be entrepreneurs to be open to all opportunities as they come along.

“I think if you open your ears and eyes, wonderful things are happening all the time. It might sound hippy-dippy … whatever. It works for me and has always led me in the right direction.

“I enjoy the process of starting and building businesses. The satisfaction in seeing something come to life and then seeing people’s reactions. When you see that someone has been looking for something, you’ve hit that sweet spot for them, or that what you have created is serving the masses or helping someone. That is what I love.

“I’m proud of that too because it’s so heart-warming to think that I personally can touch people in such a positive way, if only for five minutes when you’re wearing a bikini or a lifetime when you’re wearing a ring.”

Her second most important piece of advice? Focus on yourself.

“I would say stop looking at what anybody else is doing and focus on your own business. Make sure that your finances are in check because now it’s so much harder to jump in as a startup without any financial foundation. I don’t think I could have started IIXIIST now because there’s so much out there, and you need so much more money to cut through or for production or marketing.”

Rebecca shared many great insights into both of her businesses in this episode of First Act, including how she managed to catch the eye of famous celebs and how she taught herself to code to launch her first website. Catch up on the full ep here.

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