Traveling through Thailand, Indonesia and Bali as a young adult, Tet. Swimwear founder Lieke van Hulsbergen fell in love with the sea. There was only one problem: the amount of plastic in the sea and on the beach. After Van Hulsbergen returned from her dive with a bag crammed full of plastic waste, she began to seethe: the plastic had to get out of the ocean.
Tet.Swimwear would probably never have been born without Bali, as Van Hulsbergen eventually moved to the island to pursue her idea of turning the plastic waste problem into bikinis. FashionUnited caught up with Van Hulsbergen for a cup of coffee and spoke to her about the origins of her brand, the planned store and her plans for the future.
Where does the name Tet come from? swimwear is coming?
tet stands for French tête-à-tête. Above all, it means putting your heads together. pool ideas. I enjoy working with young, ambitious women who have a clear passion. Some people think the name refers to boobs, which I always find funny.
The story of Tet. goes back to the ocean. After school I traveled through Thailand, Indonesia and Bali, among other places. The amount of plastic on the beach and in the sea there is shocking. During my school days, I researched how to turn recycled plastic into yarn and use it in different product categories, including swimwear. When I saw all that plastic, I thought how nice it would be to make swimwear out of that plastic. The idea was born, but about five years later, in 2018, I flew to Bali to put my idea into practice.
Apart from that, we do everything with a wink. We try to create awareness in an uncomplicated way. You see me sitting here myself. I have white paint on my hands and I am wearing my work outfit.
How have the last few years gone for you?
There were ups and downs, I think all entrepreneurs can understand that. When I Tet. founded, I was still employed at my previous company. At that time I was working seventy hours a week. I was terrified of quitting my job. At some point I realized: There is more than just work and if I really want to make something out of Tet.Swimwear, I have to make a decision. Everyone said I was crazy. Since then, I can rely 100% on Tet. focus; I built a website and samples became real collections.
In 2019 my first collection went online. But at the end of the year the corona virus came around the corner. That put a spanner in the works for me. The 2020 collection should actually be hanging in three De Bijenkorf branches. All pop-up furniture and collections were already in a container, ready to be shipped from Bali to the Netherlands. And then came the closure. That was a shock.
When I look back, the Corona period was also very valuable. In the beginning, I responded to the wishes of the representatives. ‘Retailers want blue? Then they get that too.’ At some point I lost track, it no longer appealed to me. I had to go back to the tet, to the DNA. I made the drastic decision to part ways with all my agents and dealers. I wanted my own stores.
Why?
So that I can clearly establish my own brand with everything that goes with it. We now sell through our own channels: a webshop, through Zalando and two stores in Bali.
The first store was scheduled to open during the pandemic. But no one was allowed to fly to Bali, after which Bali turned into a deserted island. The opening finally took place in February 2022. Exactly one year later we opened a shop in Uluwatu, in the south of Bali. That was very spontaneous. I was traveling with my boyfriend and we came across a property at the time. We called the contractor just for fun, but he told me the lot was too small. Then I saw someone put up a sign that said ‘for rent’. I signed within two hours. That’s how it works in Bali.
How is the cooperation with Zalando going?
Good! It works for us as an extension of the webshop. We do everything internally. The German market has grown significantly thanks to the cooperation with Zalando. The Tet story resonates well with German consumers, and they’re a little looser on the money than the Dutch.
Some time ago ‘Tet.Swimwear’ was changed to ‘Tet. Responsible Wear’ renamed.
Yes that’s right! Last summer we launched a complete summer collection for the first time, which, by the way, is doing very well. In addition, we will soon be launching our first winter collection. In other words, clothes came along, so Tet. Swimwear no longer fits our image.
As I said, Tet is about. about sustainability, although I think ‘sustainability’ is a difficult word. That’s why I have the word ‘responsible‘ chosen. We try to raise awareness of how much plastic you use in a light-hearted way. We make clothes and clothes are not sustainable I think. It’s about raising awareness, and every little bit helps. Step by step.
But you are pursuing a more sustainable approach.
In any case. Our swim wear is made from recycled plastic in China. The recycling process also takes place there. We try to stay as close to the source as possible. Each garment is made from natural fabrics. This is how you don’t slip off the scooter with your synthetic dress!
In Bali we also work with tailors who work from home. They have their own sewing machine and that’s it. I once thought how great it would be to have a Tet factory. A stupid idea, because people don’t want that. They want to have time to take care of their families, be free and not feel the pressure of a factory. It works like this: Messengers collect the fabrics from the fabric company, distribute them to the tailors who use them to make garments, and when they are finished, the pieces are collected. In addition, each piece of clothing has a label on which the tailors write their names by hand. We try to make it as personal as possible.
I always say: You can have nice certifications, but I’d rather drive my scooter around Bali myself to see with my own eyes that the seamstresses are doing it right than put up a plaque.
After two stores in Bali, you will open a store in Haarlem, the Netherlands, on May 18th. What can we expect?
I love little dollhouses and the shop is a bit like that, a cute little house. It should feel warm but new. The walls are white and there is no floor in them. The store has an authentic rugged look mixed with Bali vibes. All collections can also be bought there. We change collections because we have a lot and space is limited. Also, I’ll be in the store a lot myself at first, but I’m still looking for nice sales staff. [Sie lacht.] You can definitely mention that in the article!
The store is in the same building as last summer’s pop-up store. Back then the collection was going like crazy. We sold the large sizes in particular very well. That gave me the idea of starting a collaboration with Vera Camilla. This collection is available from Thursday 11th May and includes a skirt that can be worn in different ways, a reversible bikini, a swimsuit and a dress with a cutout. We have tried to make everything as adaptable as possible and the sizes go up to a size 50.
Where do you see Tet. Responsible wear in five years?
That is a difficult question. I always dream big, but then again, I don’t think beyond the day. I believe that things happen at the right time. I dream of opening a shop in Mykonos, Ibiza and Tulum. There are also samples for a children’s collection, but nothing concrete yet. First comes the all-round winter collection and then we’ll see.
Either way, I’m super excited and looking forward to expanding and making even more women happy. We’ll just keep doing it!
the tet Responsible Wear Shop opens on the Kleine Houtstraat in Haarlem.
This article was published on FashionUnited.nl. Translation and editing: Barbara Russ