Meet Magdalena Berger | Sustainable Swimwear Designer & Momma

We had the good fortune of connecting with Magdalena Berger and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Magdalena, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
When I met my now husband I was living in Hawaii and working in forestry conservation on Oahu. He, being a pilot in the US Coast Guard, was required to move every four years to a new coastal location. I knew that if I wanted to spend my life with him I would have to figure out a way to work for myself. I’ve always been a creative person, happiest when making things, so I decided to turn my knowledge of native ecosystems and sustainability into a conscious swimwear company.

The first swimwear print I designed featured a sacred native Hawaiian flower known as the Ohia lehua flower. The Ohia lehua trees of Hawaii are facing a deadly fungal outbreak known as Rapid Ohia Death. Through swimwear sales in the Ohia lehua print I was able to help raise money to donate to researchers in Hawaii to help stop the spread of the disease and save the Ohia lehua trees.

After the success of the first swimwear design, I knew that if I could continue connecting with researchers worldwide, I could continue pursing my passion for environmental advocacy while making a living creating and designing. MAGDAKINEDESIGNS Swimwear is now in its sixth year, and is the perfect combination of two things I love.

Since 2017 MAGDAKINEDESIGNS has raised funds to support the following nonprofits and scientists:

Rapid Ohia Death Prevention – Hawaii islands
Marine Megafauna Foundation – Manta Ray protection in Mozambique, Africa
WildAid Shark Program – Standing against shark finning globally
Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative – Preserving wiliwili trees on the Big Island of Hawaii
Reef Rescue Network – Restoring coral reefs throughout the Bahamas
MADRE – Supporting gender equality and female empowerment as a climate solution

To learn about each of these swimwear prints and their cause visit magdakinedesigns.co/blogs/prints-with-a-purpose

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I design sustainable swimwear that’s inspired by environmental and social issues. The brand’s tagline, “Prints with a Purpose” means every purchase gives back to the species or social issues that inspired the design. The designs are printed on ECONYL® regenerated nylon and are ethically sewn in Southern California. I also make every design reversible by double lining the pieces with the same regenerated nylon. This makes each piece reversible, as well as extends the life and improves the quality of each garment. Ultimately, it is a swimwear piece that is sustainable, ethical and supports the causes customers care about.

Entrepreneurship is tough. The journey to where I am now with MAGDAKINEDESIGNS has taught me a ton of valuable lessons not only in business and creative design, but also in life.

My top three tips for someone starting something new are as follows:

1) Things aren’t black and white. Including more social issues (like gender equality with the MUJER print) into my brand after only focusing on environmental issues for five years was nerve-racking! I told myself that I couldn’t do both social and environmental issues. I thought that people would be upset with the changes and they would stop buying my swimwear. As it turns out, that’s not true! Sure, it attracted a slightly different customer, but the incorporation of social issues actually helped expand my customer base. The same goes for when I become a mother. For nine months I was worried about how I would manage designing and running a business while also being present as a mother. It took some adjusting, but guess what, I did it. Becoming a mother has actually helped improve my time management skills and made me more relatable to certain customers. My point is, we often tell ourselves that things have to be like “this” or like “that”. And it’s not true. Sometimes things are both.

2) The world is a huge place. There is a market for your art. You may be worried that no one will like what you are creating, but the reality is, there are 7 billion people in the world. There is going to be someone who likes your art, I promise. You just have to find your people.

3) Content is key…and also subjective. You can create all the cool stuff you want, but if no one knows about it, no one is going to buy it. I used to spend hours editing photos and creating the perfect layouts for Instagram before I realized that a regular iPhone photo can reach more people than a perfectly edited model shot. In the beginning, you’re not going to know exactly what inspires someone to be interested in your product. My advice is to put out as much content as you possibly can and see what works. Don’t waste your time making everything perfect. Get your product/art/designs/idea out there and analyze the feedback as you go. You might be surprised.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m currently living in Ventnor, NJ for the next year, but my favorite location of all my past locations is Puerto Rico. If you ever get a chance to visit the Caribbean island I recommend staying a few days in the Isabela/Aguadilla area. It’s a true gem. Tons of snorkeling, surfing, countryside, and good food. Make sure to stop at Palmas Cafe for lunch and swing by TuMojito to grab a drink on your way to the beach.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First, nature. The ohia lehua print one-piece was the first design I created and really the start of my journey as a swimwear designer. It was the Hawaii native forests that inspired my first design and it is my love for the ocean/surfing that continues to fuel my creativity.

Also, my husband and family. Being an entrepreneur isn’t just about the person trying to make their dreams come true. The stress it can have on the entire household often goes unmentioned. Like starting anything new, there’s going to be struggles and failures when starting your own business. There’s been plenty of times when I wanted to throw in the towel and it was my husbands support that kept me going. There’s also been plenty of times when my husband has suggested I take a break from the business but my determination overpowered. At the end of the day, he may have zero interest in women’s swimwear, but he’s always there to celebrate my victories, listen to my complaints, and support my passions. I am thankful to have him by my side through this journey. Not to mention, he puts up with a messy house for weeks when I go
on sample sewing binges trying to create the perfect fit.

And of course, women. Not just the women who wear my designs but also the the scientists like Nadia Rubio who have dedicated their life’s work to fighting climate change and who inspire me to continue putting out new “Prints with a Purpose.” Then there’s also the women like Vanessa Yeager. Vanessa is from San Diego and runs the Women Who Surf facebook group that now has over 11k members and helps connect ocean-obsessed women like myself with other likeminded females. It is really these women and these connections that keep my small swimwear brand running.

Website: magdakinedesigns.co

Instagram: magdakinedesigns_swimwear

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MagdakineDesigns

Other: TikTok – @magdakinedesigns