I really enjoy the one-on-one with my clients,” says swimsuit designer Coleen “Boom” Sason. That’s why her custom-made swimsuit line, Boom Sason Quick Custom Ready-to-Wear, has become a hit in recent months. Sason knows how to make her clients feel special.
But success didn’t happen overnight. “It was a journey,” she says. “I took courses on womenswear, resort wear and swimwear at Istituto di Moda Burgo and Istituto Marangoni in Milan for three-and-a-half years,” she adds. “I learned to do pattern-making for swimwear, as well.”
Sason explains that when she was in Milan, she wanted to acquire all the skills she could, “so I can bring them home for the people who want to have custom clothes made.”
She herself has had a hard time buying swimsuits. “My body is different,” she says. “Whenever I buy something off the rack, sometimes the top would fit but the bottom wouldn’t.”
But after almost four years of studies in Milan, Sason felt she wasn’t ready yet. “I was about to open my business. I had to learn the marketing and business aspects.” She then enrolled at Central Saint Martins in London to learn the business side of fashion, from PR, fashion labels and fashion marketing, to a little fashion design.
Sason says she went through a lot before starting her business. “I wanted to come in prepared. It was also good that it happened later on in life, when I had developed my taste already. I was mature enough to know what I really wanted to put out there, and one of my goals was, I wanted people to look at something and automatically know it’s my work.”
Sexy, powerful
She defines her custom swimwear as sexy, powerful, clean and strong.
Lead time for orders is usually two weeks. She launched her swimsuit line in 2016, although her atelier opened earlier, in 2013. But she had to put her swimwear line on the back burner because there was a bigger demand for bridal gowns and evening wear.
At first, people didn’t know what custom swimwear was, since people are used to buying off the rack. But her clients tried it, and liked it. “I get so many return clients because they can’t get the fit anywhere else.”
Her first swimwear clients were actually moms, “the ones who had just given birth,” Sason says. “They can’t find swimwear anywhere else because they’re at that stage where they’re trying to lose weight, and want to hide their stretch marks.”
Sason strives to hide “imperfections” to boost her clients’ confidence, as not everything can be addressed through surgery, she explains. “These little things I take seriously, and you can see the difference for the client.”
Her custom swimsuit starts at P5,500, but prices can change, depending on the size and if the client wants add-ons, like padding. “I also cater to plus sizes—everyone is welcome here.”
Sason encourages people to invest in a piece. “I want you to be able to wear it five, six years down the line.”
She uses a combination of fabrics to help the swimsuit fit well. “It has to hug the body the way that I want.”
Of course she has plans for her brand, but Sason is also content where she is now. “I’m really enjoying every moment that I am in. But I also welcome growth.”
Special thanks to Joey Bernardino, Jonah Villena and Veronica Eder of El Nido Resorts
Photography: Jerick Sanchez
Styling: Luis Carlo San Juan
Hair and makeup: Theresa Padin using Dior makeup,
available at SM Beauty,
The SM Store Makati
Model: Alaiza Malinao
Shot on location at
Pinagbuyutan Island,
El Nido, Palawan