SYDNEY, Australia — It is 8.00 a.m. on a perfect Summer day at Bondi Beach, but it feels as if this place has been awake for hours. The ocean is full of surfers, the sand is sprinkled with baking bodies and training surf lifesavers. I arrive at North Bondi to spend a day modelling with new and upcoming swimwear label, Kopper & Zink. Hailing from a sunburnt country, it seems only fitting that a city known for its magnificent beaches should possess such a designer to dress those who visit them, and thus the market for swimwear is ever growing in Australia.
Kopper & Zink, designed and owned by Sally Burgess, portrays the Australian beach culture. The name mimics the golden copper tones of skin paired with her nostalgic memories of rubbing zinc on her face before playing in the sand, memories to which most Australians would conceive. Basking under the extremely hot Sydney sun, I was invited to take part in the new Kopper & Zink collection’s social media shoot. As we begin to shoot, Sally takes me on a captivating journey through the new collection and her brand’s business development.
Kopper and Zink: A Designer in the Making
In the workrooms, at UTS Fashion Design Building is where it all began for Sally Burgess. After pushing her creative boundaries in her final year swimwear collection, Sally went to New York to gain valuable work experience in design, production and manufacturing. Returning home with a passion for design, new skills and drive, an entrepreneur was born.“I sampled with a few different factories in the beginning to find the right one,” explains Sally when recalling how Kopper & Zink came to life.
“It was a balance of finding the best quality and also the factory that is going to be best for the style and size of my brand. Eventually, I found a great factory and we work extremely well together.”
Kopper and Zink in Action
The shoot starts with the black ‘Jessa Top’ and white ‘Evie Pant’ styled with white sneakers and a black cap. The look is a perfect equilibrium of sexy and sportluxe. As I move into several different positions, I could feel the bikini flowing with my body, I feel secure, comfortable and confident. As we go on to shooting a coral bikini, I could not help but notice the spectacular colour tone. It is vibrant, refreshing and flattering. From every angle the bikini is outstanding. In particular the ‘Mia Pant’ provides a flattering line and shape around the high hip and abdominal area of the body. By the time we get to the ‘Dylan One Piece’ it is clear that Kopper & Zink has a point of difference; colour tones and structural engineering.
“I create swimsuits which are exciting from every angle,” comments Sally.
I believe that a swim suit should look good from every perspective and this provides me with more opportunity to set myself apart from other designers.
Sally also highlights that swimwear has evolved to not just a piece for swimming or tanning, it is also “a space for a creative statement.”
Kopper and Zink: Business on track
Through utilising all previous work experience, dedication and heavy involvement in social media, Kopper & Zink has established a solid collaboration with several stockists and has become a popular brand on the fashion scene and on the sand.
“I dreamt big, I wanted to be international immediately and wanted to look as professional as possible from the very beginning. Throwing yourself in at the deep end is the best thing because you have to figure it out. You have no choice because no one is going to do it for you. I am now not just a designer – I run the whole business,” concludes Sally with a proud smile.
Since Kopper & Zink was established in October 2015, the brand has been stocked on The Iconic in Australia, Revolve Clothing and Shopbob in the United States. Without doubt, this proves the beginning of something great. With summer fast approaching in the northern hemisphere of the globe, it is now the time of year for this swimwear to bask under the sun.
