AVENTURA, Fla. — South-of-the-border swimwear brand Zingara is heading north. The Cancún, Mexico-based, privately owned company, which makes contemporary suits, cover-ups and beach accessories for women and girls, plans to open five to seven U.S. stores annually over the next three years. In December, a corporate flagship at Aventura Mall near Miami opened, following a franchise at Houston’s Highland Village in April 2009.
“These cities are good launching pads since many Latin Americans have second homes in both regions, and their climates dictate need,” said Nathalie Azoubel, who designs the collection from Miami Beach with her sister, Jeaninne Azoubel, who resides in Mexico City. “We’re a nomadic family because our parents, who created the line 30 years ago, live in Montevideo, Uruguay, where our main production takes place.”
Related Articles
You May Also Like
Since the bulk of their 42 corporate stores and franchises are in Mexico, founders Nessim Azoubel and Raquel Teitelbaum moved the headquarters and showroom there, where retail density has reached Starbucks level. They operate four shops between two malls in Cancún, as well as five others along nearby Playa del Carmen’s Fifth Avenue, an intimate, meandering pedestrian mall.
“People discover our brand while vacationing. Some request business opportunities, as was the case with our Acapulco partners, who were our first franchise in 2004 and own seven stores today,” said Nathalie Azoubel.
Another franchisee opened at the stores at International Plaza in Tampa, Fla., on June 16, and units will open at St. Johns Town Center in Jacksonville, Fla., and Galleria Dallas in the fall. Meanwhile, Nathalie Azoubel said she’s been scouting California potential from Beverly Hills to San Diego, with a Los Angeles flagship a top priority.
After launching at San Antonio’s North Star Mall next year, growth focuses on Las Vegas, Miami’s Dadeland Mall and Lincoln Road, New Jersey’s Mall at Short Hills, and other Florida locations include Town Center at Boca Raton, Orlando’s Mall of the Millenia, and The Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens. Boutique sizes fall around Aventura’s 1,200 square feet, which is average within a range from 900 to 2,400 square feet, according to Nessim Azoubel.
He reports the company, which has always been geared toward well-heeled Latin Americans who summer in chic resort towns such as Uruguay’s Punta del Este, began opening boutiques a decade ago to reclaim exclusivity and quality control from wholesale and private label divisions run amok.
“We’re aiming to deliver the whole experience and service, along with products they can’t find everywhere,” he said.
Key to its business model are mix-and-match tops and bottoms that can be customized in different solids, prints and sizes from 0 to 12 or 16, depending on the style. Further bottom choices are Brazilian, a fuller American cut and a European style, which lies in the middle. Seamless cuts, removable padding in tops and tie closures also improve fit, according to Nathalie Azoubel, who meticulously monitors confidence and comfort through personal trial and error. Based on feedback from busy mothers, embellishment is kept to a minimum, like a single buckle in black lacquer or colored resin, or a spray of glass beads.
Twelve annual mini collections feature exclusive prints, such as signature paisley and animals, that never repeat, and core silhouettes — two tops, two bottoms, a monokini and a one-piece — generally retailing from $49 to $150. Variety increases each year, peaking with 36 prints this year.
“Our prints and fashion colors really separate us from other major swimwear companies that tend to be surf inspired, sporty or not in sync with clothing trends,” said Nathalie Azoubel, who is exploring global tribal themes this year.
Beyond Uruguay, production is outsourced to factories in Europe, Tunisia and South America, and all fabrics hail from abroad, including Indian silk and Italian Lycra spandex. In 2000, the company expanded deeply into cover-ups and daywear such as a silk sleeveless dress with smocking, totes, hats, jewelry, beach towels that coordinate with prints and sandals such as a best-selling leather sole for $49 with interchangeable fabric straps for $15. The sisters said Latin Americans desire the same head-to-toe ensembles for swim, down to the matching scarf.
Or, as Jeannine Azoubel put it, “We’re known for complete resort wardrobing, a one-stop shop before a Saint-Tropez or Hamptons holiday.”