MEET THE AMAZING LILLY & LIME TEAM

Ok you guys, in news that will shock *no one*, it takes more than just the two of us to care for our baby we call Lilly & Lime. It takes a whole tribe of babes to bring to life the vision we have in our heads. We’ve often asked ourselves if the Lilly & Lime team are super heros, because the things they’re able to do are mind-blowing!

You’ve seen a lot of us over the years but we thought you might like to see who makes the brand so special. Allow us to introduce our wonderful team, or rather, allow them to introduce themselves!

As art director for Lilly and Lime, I created their brand which helps maintain their bright and fun visual style. It’s my job to make sure everyone follows the rules to make sure their content and everything that their audience sees across print and digital is unmistakably Lilly & Lime. My day to day work involves everything from concept development for ad campaigns (which is my favourite thing to do), trade stand mood boards, look book design, continuous improvement on digital, to the product delivery experience for each year which is always fun.

I am based Kalinga, in Brisbane.

Well there’s usually someone awake every hour of the day so it actually works well. We are all juggling families and children, so often if I need an answer at a crazy hour, I’ll get one from someone, somewhere J.

As a young business they are creating their own rules. They have certainly paved their own way in a niche market. Despite increased competition in the swimwear for bigger busts arena (which is a good thing) they have still managed to create a brand and product that is unique and stands out.

I love that I am working with a brand that is truly making a difference to women's self-esteem. Before L&L many women hadn’t had the opportunity to rock the beach and feel confident. It’s refreshing watching the masses of testimonials that we receive, every single one puts a smile on my face. 

I think I might be the only team member with small boobs. I’m a B. I did rock a D though when I was breastfeeding which was epic, and had a mishap when I came up from under a wave and didn’t realise my strapless was down at my waist. So that was the one time I got to experience a big boob malfunction for myself!

For a brand to stand out and be noticed, they need to do things differently to brands in their space. Em and Ash give me a lot of freedom to explore concepts which aren’t often seen in swimwear brands, although Em can sometimes be a dream crusher (her words, not mine J).

Each team member is an expert in their space and we respect each other’s work and craft. I am grateful that I get to work with such a talented and positive bunch of people who give it their all, are such big thinkers, and are continuously challenging the norm.

We all work together with a common goal – to make Lilly & Lime shine.

Brenda Barnett – Lilly and Lime technical designer or you may know her as the BrAchitect

I am the Lilly & Lime Technical Designer, which means I research and design new styles alongside Em and  Ash I am responsible for the patterns that keep your boobies in place and in shape! I am also responsible for answering your size enquiries.

I am lucky enough to be based in Brisbane, where it is constantly warm and sunny and on a hot day you find me in my office working in a bikini. Yep, I really am that committed to my work!

It is relatively easy, I have working fit meetings with Ashleigh normally after school drop offs and Emma and I will often have working Skype meetings, either very early in the morning for me or very late in the evening. We just make it work! Other than that, we have a very big inspiration folder in the cloud where we keep our collective information.

Our overseas work trips are also a great opportunity for us all to re-group and, funnily enough, without our children we get a lot of work completed!

Lilly & Lime is a company that has grown out of passion and need, and I can certainly relate to the D cup and up market!  

Emma and Ash are really great to work for and they challenge me on a daily basis, but they also listen when I say that gravity is just not going to work with us here. We all have a great mutual respect for what the others are specialists at!

Far too many, interesting and embarrassing... from mono boobs, to see-through swimsuits, so-called D cups, and shelf top one pieces!

 I think we all really complement each other and while we will challenge when something doesn't feel right, we always seem to find the right level of compromise.

 

Jaycee has a crucial role as part of the Lilly & Lime team – she makes sure our customers are happy, which is a huge priority for us! Luckily, Jaycee is a total boss at what she does, so we can relax knowing our customers are feeling the Lilly & Lime love 💜

I handle all the customer enquiries for Lilly & Lime. I see my job as making sure that everyone is well-informed and happy, as well as updating the website and any taking care of other jobs I can get my hands on.

I have been travelling for about two years now and am currently in Kuala Lumpur. This city has become my base because travelling anywhere from here is pretty cheap – plus the food is amazing! 

I make sure to connect with everyone through different platforms and I make sure I tag Ash and Emma whenever the situations get a little bit tricky! All our systems are cloud based so it makes it easy to keep track of where we are all at.

There are so many things I like about working with Lilly & Lime. The freedom to be anywhere and work at the same time is incredibly special. It helps that almost everything about this brand is online and can be done online. Also, the team's work ethic is just AMAZING!

Oh I’ve had my fair share of ill-fitting swimsuits! Most of them are the ones that I ordered online since sizes can be different depending on brand.  But since I am travelling and moving a lot, I just always find ways to make it work. I’m pretty much the MacGyver of swimsuits ;)

There's two, actually. The love and the respect we all have for the ladies who buy and wear our swimsuits.

I design the prints for L&L. These are based around a story which I build in my head. This season was all about a Cretan goddess shipwrecked on an island making art. It helps transport me where I need to be rather than in my attic studio while it’s raining on Dartmoor. It could be hard looking at swimwear all day otherwise! I liaise with the factory about quality control and organise the seasonal colour – that type of thing.  

The least exotic and warm place you could imagine. I’m based in the highest village in England, Dartmoor, surrounded by sheep and wild ponies.

Patience! The time zone is awkward for getting replies to emails, especially from the factory. However, we trust one another and we are all good at what we do so you just have to do your bit. A design meeting in one country would be a luxury! 

They trust me to follow my vision and they are always excited about my work. We are essentially designing swimwear that we would wear, with our bodies and at our age so it’s great to have work that draws on my strengths and comes naturally to me. They love to be bold and modern so that works for me. We are all bold modern women! 

Sadly, I’m rarely in a swimsuit as I’m more of a mountains and snow kind of girl. However, in my braver days I did have a thong bikini from Vivienne Westwood that had a keyhole shape just above your bum and would always burn my butt.  I mean how is that sexy?  

We are passionate about diversity and celebrating our differences. We represent the womenhood we design for. 

 

What’s your day to day function at Lilly & Lime?
I am a designer and am responsible for a lot of Lilly & Lime's online communications.

Where are you based?
Cape Town, South Africa.

How on earth do you make this work with all of you spread all around the world?
I guess communication is key. We just have to work out when the best time of day is to communicate with each other. For me, Ash is my "go to" person for anything before lunchtime here, and Em is my "go to" person for anything in the afternoon J We also have a good online system where we can all keep track of the various projects that we are working on.

What do you like about working for a company like Lilly & Lime?
I love that the business is run by two fierce lady bosses, who not only have excellent taste, but are also very dear friends. I love the brand's ethos, the fact that all the models and swimsuits come in all shapes, sizes, and colours. I also think they offer a fantastic range of premium swimwear that also seems to empower women and make them feel more comfortable in their own skin, which is not a very easy thing to do!

Do you have any ‘interesting’ experiences with ill-fitting swimsuits?
Yes, so many it’s hard to think of one! My top and bottom half have never been the same size so any bikini where I can't buy the top and bottoms separately is just not an option for me!

What’s the best thing about the Lilly & Lime team?
Ash and Em and their wonderful work ethos. How they both do it all with two kids each is beyond me!

We know we’re biased, but aren’t they an absolute crackerjack of a team? We have to pinch ourselves sometimes to believe we’ve found this geographically dispersed bunch of believers in what we do, who also happen to be great at what they do. A big thank you to the Lilly & Lime team, we love you! 💜🧡💚❤️💙

Ash & Em xx