Palkan Parikh - Founder LOLITA Eco Resort wear talks about her brand, sustainable fashion and on being inspired by nature.
Being a lifestyle photographer, a wellness and sustainability blogger and conscious creator I am always scouting brands who deliver a difference ! While I do so, I come across not just products but the revolutionary mindsets of those entrepreneurs and their passion to make an impact.
Such is the story of Palkan Parikh - Founder of LOLITA - An Eco Resort Wear. Come get to know her and the brand a little better in this interview.
Kimaya : Thank you for agreeing to do this interview. My name is Kimaya and I write a humble blog called ‘The Meliorist’. It mostly covers sustainability and wellness along with other social movements close to my heart.
I loved your brand! Love the designs! What caught my attention was your brand values! When I read the description I think of a fierce yet gentle, confident yet kind, maybe ambitious woman. Is that what the name suggests?
What is in the name LOLITA?
Palkan : LOLITA is inspired by the true female form. Lolita is confident and does not shy away from embracing her female form and celebrating her body and self. She is liberated and breaks cultural norms in all aspects, especially when it comes to fashion.
Kimaya : What inspired you to start this brand? Was it your love for ocean and diving? Was sustainability always the fundamental pillar of this business idea?
Palkan : I was on a scuba diving live aboard in Maldives two years ago, where I went with a bunch of strangers, all from the city of Bombay, belonging to different age groups and backgrounds, all connected and brought together by their love for the ocean and diving.
Two things happened on that boat that sparked the idea to start my own swimwear line. The first reason - Three girls on that boat, including me, showed up on a boat in Maldives with the same exact swimsuits, in the same size, from the same brand. I was in my early 20’s and the other two girls were in their mid thirties. I was the only one on that boat who did not reside in Mumbai, but instead in Vadodara, GJ. I was surprised to know that people in a metropolitan city like Bombay, have extremely limited swimwear options. The swimwear options that they do have are from fast fashion houses, they produce in a very high quantity and are exploiting workers and labourers doing so. The swimwear we buy from these brands do not have the best fabric quality and they will only last the user for so many years, before the quality and fabric starts to wear, rip and fade off.
The second reason - On the boat with us, we had another member that was born a man, but identified as a female. She had undergone a few basic surgeries to remove her male reproductive parts. She was a Gujarati, living in Bombay and was in her mid forties. To my surprise, she was the only one on the boat who had a new pair of bikini for every single dive. We had a total of 18 dives throughout the trip. I was awestruck to see her confidence and how liberated she must feel. This is when I learnt that the culture and mindset in India is slowly changing, especially in the bigger metropolitan parts of the country.
“I finally decided to become a scuba diving instructor and started my journey in the summer of 2021, on a live-aboard in Maldives. Over there, I met 21 strangers and we were going to be living on a boat together for 7 days, in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Somewhere along bumping into two other girls who got the same exact pair of bikinis as me, who were also much older than me and spending time with a beautiful human being who was born a man, but all she wanted was to be a girl. I was blown away just looking at her rocking a new pair of bikini every day with such grace and confidence. That’s when I got inspired and Lolita was born in the middle of the Indian Ocean, far far away from any kind of land.”
Kimaya : Tell us the something people don’t know about sustainable fashion?
Palkan : Sustainable fashion is the future of fashion and every brand eventually will explore sustainable fabrics to keep up with the societal requirements and obligations. Tons of fabrics and clothes are wasted every year. An environmental crisis is being caused due to the amount of textile waste that happens annually around the globe and it's only increasing day by day. In times like this, its important to stand out and give back to the environment in any capacity.
Kimaya : What are your challenges as a sustainable business?
Palkan : As Lolita, as a brand does not compromise on its fabric quality, and as we use 100% sustainable fabrics from one of the leading fabric suppliers in the world, the fabric is more expensive than normal swimwear fabrics. Here at Lolita, we also do not believe in fast fashion or producing in higher quantities, as it is not sustainable or good for our environment. We release exclusive collections, in smaller quantities. Amounting to all this, our products are priced fairly and can be justified. In comparison to our competitors, we provide the most premium swimwear fabric and quality in timeless designs and silhouettes, yet keeping our prices fairly lower than other home grown swimwear businesses.
Kimaya : What are your ideas on ‘degendering’ fashion?
Palkan : “GENDER NEUTRALITY IS NOT THE DEATH OF FASHION, IT IS THE RENAISSANCE OF FASHION.”
While every aspect of the fashion system — from mainstream media and fashion weeks to e-commerce and retail spaces — is beholden to the segregated categories of "menswear" and "womenswear", clothing has no inherent gender. Clothing is only gendered insofar as we've assigned our own binary gender perceptions to specific styles of clothing. In other words, individual garments have no intrinsic gender to them, but societal conditioning creates the perception that certain clothing is gendered. And, it's the movement to degender fashion that aims to undo this arbitrary binary in the fashion industry.
Like previously mentioned, Lolita was inspired by two events that happened on my trip to the Maldives and one of them was inspired by a human who was born a man, looks like a man, but identifies as a female. Watching her wear a new pair of bikini everyday and with such grace and confidence inspired me so much.
Kimaya : Swimwear is mostly considered to be a female indulgence. Would you be open to using a male model for your swimwear?
Palkan : Yes, we would definitely want to be more inclusive as a brand within our sizing options and the genders and age groups we serve and cater too. Our first priority is to first break through in the industry with keeping our focus on women’s wear right now but we will definitely expand our gender range in the upcoming future.
Kimaya : Do you still shop fast fashion? If so, which brands and why?
Palkan : I try to avoid shopping fast fashion as much as I could but the fact of the matter is that the major brands in the industry right now only do fast fashion and not slow or sustainable. Fast fashion is also more affordable than slow fashion is because producing in bulk is always more cost effective than producing in smaller quantities.
Kimaya : What are your favourite sustainable fashion brands apart from yours?
Palkan : Currently, In the Indian market, there are not many brands that do sustainable swimwear or resort wear that I know of.
I only wear Lolita swim pieces because they flatter my body perfectly and I haven’t found anything other swimwear brand in India that looks on my body or is made with a premium quality fabric
Kimaya : Talk about the importance of women empowerment in sustainability. Maybe tell us how this connects to your brand mission of supporting women around the globe.
Palkan : By instilling this strength in our beachwear models, distinguishing you from the crowd, making you unique, different, highlighting that unique power that resides in us! Offering a range of products that empowers you.
Each of these swimsuits features an unique cut that by itself individualizes us anywhere. Using any of these pieces of beachwear, on any occasion, we will distinguish ourselves, stand out. Since, as all the pieces have an unique design, they are timeless and flattering to any body they are worn on.
Kimaya : Message to the readers.
Palkan: We created Lolita as our passion for swimwear comes from our love for the ocean, and we noticed a lack of sustainable swimwear options in India that were stylish, affordable, and inclusive in size.
With that in mind we wanted to create timeless, sustainable and fashionable swimwear that women feel empowered in.
The thing we love the most about Lolita is the magic it brings. We have seen women who continuously say "I wouldn't normally go for this, but it looks amazing and I feel great in it!", so that keeps us motivated to push further and keep bringing beautiful styles to you all.
We hope you enjoy your Lolita pieces as much as we do and feel amazing in them!
With Lolita, I hope I can create confidence and power within our female audience. Our effort to do this is by making sure every Lolita piece is timeless and crafted perfectly to flatter and compliment the female form.
Lolita is designed for the stylish girl, who is confident, minimalistic and carefree. Whether she is lying on the beach somewhere in the tropics, soaking up the sun, sitting poolside with her friends, or swimming in the ocean, she is happy and glowing because she is comfortable and confident in her own skin.
Lolita has a tedious design and development process, where every clothing piece is sampled and fitted several times, before it is approved. Nothing is added or released into the collection, unless we feel it is an absolute perfection and something we know our Lolita’s customers will not find any where else, while ultimately giving them the confidence to wear it.
The line features bold prints and colour-ways, chosen specifically to flatter every skin tone. Our fabrics are buttery soft and of the best quality, made for countless never ending summers. Adjustable ties and straps are featured in every suit, making them easy and comfortable to wear according to your body type, with no digging or cutting in. Lolita’s tries to incorporate minimal hardware into the effortlessly crafted products and complimentary cuts, leaving you feeling sexy, confident, happy and ready to hit the beach or go on your next vacation.
Xoxo,
Lolita
