A conversation with Alexandra Van Remortel, Founder Alex Antwerp
"Alex Antwerp is a slow fashion concept. I don't want to release a new collection every three months."
Interview: Anke Vande SompelePhotography: Tom Delaisse
Alex Antwerp goes beyond swim and beachwear; the brand represents feminine strength, passion, and elegance in its beautiful collections. Every piece is designed to empower women to express their individuality, offering them high-quality items that elevate any sunny moment. We're sitting down for a brief chat with founder Alexandra Van Remortel. Alexandra, please introduce yourself and your brand.I'm a young mom with three kids, married, and the proud founder of Alex Antwerp, a brand I launched a few years ago. While we're known for our swim and beachwear, I'm eager to explore new avenues like sports and possibly nightwear. In the future, I see us expanding our range to include a variety of items that fit our brand's ethos and fill market gaps. Eventually, I'd love to create products for men and children too, a request often made by my own daughters.
Do you have a background in design or fashion? No, but my mother used to run a fashion agency, distributing the biggest brand in pajamas and nightwear in Belgium. I accompanied her to clients and fairs from a very young age. While she isn't my direct inspiration, I believe that's where the seed was planted. Personally, I have a passion for buying lingerie and swimwear, which I suspect might also come from that background. What did you study?I graduated with a degree in Business Economics, and afterwards, I teamed up with my partner to start our own project development company. I liked my job a lot, but after having children, it became overwhelming. While my partner visited sites, I managed the website, responded to emails, and handled tasks like permits and furnishing. I was always behind my desk, often working late. So you started your brand because you wanted to spend more time at home with your kids?It was a lucky coincidence. I've always wanted to launch my own brand, it is more practical with three kids, and I always felt there was a shortage of beautiful swimwear. I began sourcing fabrics, creating patterns, and producing samples. Yet, I faced the decision of whether to move forward with production. Moreover, I realized the importance of having a website. You find yourself juggling everything at once and just going with the flow ... So you didn't have a plan for your business? A strategy to begin with?I did. For example, I worked with a friend who runs a marketing agency to define my target audience. We traveled to my manufacturer in Portugal and spent about four days in a lovely hotel, where we thoroughly outlined my first strategy. I've thought things through carefully. I've hired a PR agency, and of course, I have my Instagram and TikTok. I also utilize Google Ads and other marketing channels. But honestly, I still find managing everything quite challenging. Did you underestimate owning and running a business?No, I didn't underestimate it. I knew it would be challenging, especially managing things like Instagram, Google Ads, and the website backend. I'm not very tech-savvy, so I can't handle everything myself. I'm not even a fan of ads; I prefer creating content on platforms like Facebook, which I find more professional. However, I've noticed that using ads brings in a lot of responses, likes, and orders with just the press of a promote button. What does e-commerce mean to you?E-commerce is crucial for my business, but there's still plenty of potential for growth, especially internationally. I've learned that physical stores are more vital than I initially thought too, especially for my product. Many customers prefer trying on swimwear or seeking advice in person due to body insecurities. So, from the beginning, I understood the importance of having a physical presence. So, it didn't take long for you to get your swimwear in stores?That was always the goal - to have my pieces in stores. And they're selling well. I've also remained loyal to the same stores from the start. I don't keep a large stock, and I avoid repeatedly saying, "I don't have it anymore," as I find it unprofessional. However, others have shown interest, which is promising for the future.
What advice would you offer to young businesses getting started in e-commerce?We've been in business for a while, but I'm still quite small and managing a lot to keep things running smoothly. However, everything isn't perfect yet, even now. I tend to be a perfectionist, but I've realized I need to loosen up sometimes. For instance, I might wait until I think a collection is absolutely flawless before releasing it, but maybe it's okay if it's just really good, not perfect. So here's my advice: strive for the middle ground sometimes, and avoid pushing too hard for perfection. Do you have a newsletter?I occasionally send out newsletters, but not necessarily every week. I do so when there's something new in the collection or an event coming up, like Valentine's Day or Christmas. Occasionally, I'll send one out just to remind people about my brand and I notice quite a difference in sales when I do. Also, being featured in a magazine makes a big impact for me, especially as we head into the summer months. Do you consciously do that sometimes? When things slow down, do you think, "I have to send out a newsletter"?Yes, of course. I'd be foolish not to. Ultimately, you have to make sales, right? What does Studio Calypso do for your brand exactly?Studio Calypso handles the development of my Woocommerce shop and maintains the web hosting for my website. My graphic partner introduced me to them, and they've been handling the technical aspect ever since, which is a crucial part of my business. Why is that so important?I consider a good website very important. I can get quite annoyed by websites that don't work well or take too long to load. For example, something that really bothers me when I visit a website is when I add something to my cart, go back, and then lose what was in my cart. This used to happen even at online stores like Zara. I really felt like, that shouldn't happen, right? The smoother the purchasing process, the more chance of success. Although I'm not entirely sure if it works like that on my own website either (laughs) What ambitions do you still have for Alex Antwerp?I really see my brand going global and expanding its range, but it needs to remain clear what Alex stands for. Maintaining my own identity is very important to me. My goal is to expand both the product range and geographical presence. People have asked me if I have plans to open an Alex shop someday. That's possible, but I'm not ready for that yet. When the time comes, I think it will be in a city like Paris, perhaps even further away. And are you working on that already?No. I want to ensure I'm not overlooking myself, which is something I did, particularly in the early stages. And in the end it all begins with my collection. Perfecting production isn't easy, but it's crucial. Once that's in place, I'm confident that the stores I desire will want to stock my products as well.
And once customers know their size ...And they're satisfied with my products, they'll keep coming back. And they'll buy online, directly from my own website. I do have many loyal customers already, even though I haven't released many collections yet. These are people who want everything from my collection, the original super fans, and it's delightful. Thank you so much for sharing and for your time, Alexandra.
