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Sustainable Beauty

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The long hot summer months are coming very soon, so it’s time to start thinking about having some new stylish poolside attire. At the same time, why not make sure it is sustainable and created by a local start-up; that start-up being the recently established swimwear brand Alta Bella, created by Bella Horner. 

 

Hailing from the Philippines, Bella has been living in Macau for around 10 years on and off, and with the lockdowns and travel restrictions of the past two years, she found herself needing a meaningful outlet for her creative talents and energy.  So, in August last year she started working on designs for pool and resort wear, a subject close to her heart. 

 

Bella Horner

 

“I’m doing this out of passion. It’s something I’ve been planning for many years,” says Bella. “Last summer we couldn’t travel so my husband and I were going to different hotel pools, and I thought ‘you know, we’re living in a bubble, but it’s a very beautiful bubble’. But finding the right swimwear is still a struggle.  It’s either too tight or too loose, or doesn’t complement your personality or body.”

 

So, the former model decided to take matters into her own hands and create a range of swimwear for all shapes and sizes. 

 

“I wanted to create something for the ‘every woman’, something sexy but something they wouldn’t be scared to wear,” explains the 51-year-old. “My products are minimal, classical and functional, and I want to empower women to accept their imperfections and be confident enough to go out there and show the world that ‘I am worth it!’. Women are not commodities, we are more than our size and colour.” 

 

 

 

To reinforce her brand’s philosophy of body positivity, Bella has generally not used professional models for most of her promotional photoshoots.  

 

“We are trying to cater to plus-size women. My models are mothers, ordinary people, local girls.  I have one woman who is a bartender by profession and another who is actually the daughter of my seamstress. Brands can be deceptive when they promote their products, but I want people to see my swimsuits on real people,” explains Bella. 

 

Even though the brand is still young, Bella has already produced three lines of resort wear and 12 lines of swimwear, and she has many more ideas in the pipeline. 

 

“We don’t do mass production, we are small scale, so for each design I normally have three different colours in four different sizes. Some items are seamless and some are reversible. I am very particular because I want to focus on the details and the quality of the fabric.” 

 

    

 

Bella has a strong focus on sustainability in all aspects of her business operations, starting with the material she uses, ECONYL regenerated nylon, made from nylon waste. 

 

“I was born in a small town in the Philippines and our house was just a few meters from the sea, so every day I would see the ocean and feel that is was amazing. But now we see marine life dying because of the pollution, so, I think it’s time people step up and do something about it and I want to be a part of that,” she comments. “ECONYL is made from fishnets and plastics from landfills and it can be recycled over and over again.”

 

She is also very focused on the wellbeing of her employees. 

 

“There are three aspects to sustainability: Planet, people and profit, and for me profit is last. All my finances are focused on production and making sure that my workers are happy,” notes Bella. “My main seamstress in the Philippines is a single mother with two kids and she supports her family through her sewing.  We have been collaborating since November and it has been an amazing journey so far. I really love her.” 

 

  

 

“I want to show the world that Filipina craftmanship is world class, that we are not just drivers and domestic helpers.”

 

For the coming summer, the ever-creative Bella has many more new designs planned. 

 

“I have a ‘Yacht Cruise’ collection, and a ‘Flower Power’ collection, and a full nude collection entitled ‘Truth and Bare’. I want to shoot this collection with women without makeup, all natural, because that is what we are promoting.”

 

So far, she has done all her own marketing and promotions, all online, but she has been fortunate enough to receive some unexpected endorsements from some celebrities in the Philippines too.

 

“I’m not paying them. They just found out about my brand and decided to endorse it because they believe in it and want to support it.”

 

  

 

Bella is also in the process of running two promotional campaigns. The first 50 buyers of her new spring/summer collection will go into the draw to win a MacBook Air. And she also has an online competition to search for ‘Miss Alta Bella’ to be the next face of the brand, with a photoshoot and cash prize for the winner. 

 

“I’m looking for the true Alta Bella quality, a woman who is comfortable in her own skin, who embraces her flaws and is still empowered. This is what we need to show the world.”

 

  

 

Model, wife, mother of four and recently a grandmother, Bella is also a cancer survivor, and despite the challenges of being an entrepreneur in the current global environment, she is confident she can make a success of her new venture. 

 

“I’m positive. When you believe in something, you just need to be patient and put in a lot of effort.  I feel so blessed. God is giving me this opportunity, so this is my time to make the most out of it.  I want people to know about the brand and experience the products, and I want to create a personal relationship with my customers.”

 

   

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