Ty started Blackbough Swim in 2017 since then the company has become a note-worthy name in the swim-wear industry.
For Blackbough Swim founder Jemina Ty, swimwear is a perfect balance of design and comfort—something most brands don’t factor in.
Ty knows this from first-hand experience. As a college student, she bought a one-piece from another swimwear brand and when the suit finally arrived; it was ill-fitting. That disappointment led to the creation of bikinis designed by Ty for her friends and herself, but soon others became interested in her designs. Six years later, Blackbough has grown tremendously. Ty has been featured in numerous magazines, including Forbes and her designs have been spotted on major celebrities, including Miley Cyrus and Vanessa Hudgens.
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When designing, Ty makes sure all the pieces are fun, flattering, fairly priced, and versatile. She focuses greatly on making every piece wearable and functional for every type of body. Her biggest inspirations come from her surroundings, including travel locations, interiors, and friends.
Last year, Ty came across “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” when it was initially released, becoming hooked and immediately feeling that there were aspects of the series that reminded her so much about Blackbough. The Blackbough team reached out to the cast and sent over some items. It later surprised them to see a TikTok video of Gavin Casalegno (Jeremiah) and Sean Kaufman (Steven), wearing their swim shorts on set. From then on, Ty knew she wanted to create a swimwear collection for the series. 
Apart from the Blackbough website, viewers can also shop for “The Summer I Turned Pretty” collection on the Amazon storefront.
Check out our full interview with Ty below
The Knockturnal: What was the catalyst for starting Blackbough Swim?
Jemina Ty: Back in college, I bought a one-piece from another swimwear brand with the allowance I had saved. I was so excited to wear it to the beach because the brand was known to make unique prints, and have great quality. However, when the suit finally arrived, I was disappointed as it was see-through, ill-fitting and flimsy, and I knew I could make something better.
Because of that, I started creating small batches of bikinis designed by myself just for my friends and I. Surprisingly, strangers started coming up to me in school, asking me if they could buy a piece or two. Bikinis started filling out my bedroom, my living room, my dining and kitchen, and from there, I knew that this small business of mine could eventually become bigger if I worked hard and focused on it.
I eventually decided to take that risk. I chose not to continue my studies in university, and instead pursue growing my business instead. It definitely took a lot of hard work, time, grit for Blackbough to become where it is today. I’m incredibly proud of myself and of course my team, for bringing my small bedroom passion project into the worldwide and well-loved brand that Blackbough is now.
The Knockturnal: Where did the name “Blackbough” come from?
Jemina Ty: As a college student, I kept things simple, just like our brand name – my favorite color was black and “bough” was a word complementary to it, which led to “Blackbough Swim”.
The Knockturnal: Can you give us some insight into the design process for Blackbough?
Jemina Ty: When designing, I make sure all the pieces I create are fun, flattering, fairly priced, and versatile, in that they can be worn and styled in different ways. One of my biggest priorities is ensuring my customers have an easy time shopping for swimwear online-something that can often be challenging-which is why I focus greatly on making every piece wearable and functional for every type of body.
When it comes to the design, I tend to veer away from doing anything too trendy. I find inspiration from all the things around me – from travel locations, interiors, friends, and certain moments in my life, which is then translated into the prints you see on our website.
I absolutely love and enjoy designing and it has been one of my hobbies ever since I was in college. Seeing my designs come to life and seeing customers in our prints make everything even more special and worthwhile.
The Knockturnal: Did you expect your designs to take off in the way that they did?
Jemina Ty: I genuinely did not anticipate all the love and support that my designs have been receiving. My main motivator for designing prints is the fact that it has always been my main hobby and creative outlet.
I am forever grateful for our customers and followers who appreciate our Blackbough designs. I can promise that so much love, thought, and memories has been poured into the prints and styles that we create. x
The Knockturnal: How do you ensure that your products are high-quality and durable?
Jemina Ty: Before releasing anything to our customers, our bikinis undergo a long sampling, evaluation, and production process to ensure that they are high quality and durable.
After conceptualizing/designing a whole collection and deciding on the material, fabric, lining, and other details for each bikini, we then request for samples which go through a very meticulous evaluation. This includes selecting team members to try on the samples to make sure that each piece looks good in all sizes and all body types, is durable, and is ready to be released to the public. Once all of the comments are addressed, then that is only when we finally move on to bulk production.
The Knockturnal: How does your company incorporate sustainability into its business practices, beyond just the production of swimwear?
Jemina Ty: As someone who loves being outdoors, I try my best to help the environment in any way possible through our ethical business practices.
Aside from the fact that 80% of all our swimwear is made using recycled fabrics, our custom designs are printed directly onto the fabric instead of using dyes, which means less water is used and wasted in the process. We also make sure to control the amount of fabric produced by printing only what is needed.
In the event that we do have extra fabric, we breathe new life into them and turn them into other usable pieces, such as the scrunchies and headbands you see on our website, which further reduce our fabric waste. To cap it all off, all our orders are sent to our customers in biodegradable and reusable packaging.
The Knockturnal: Can you tell us about the collaboration with Prime Video’s “The Summer I Turned Pretty?” How did this partnership come about?
Jemina Ty: I first came across The Summer I Turned Pretty last year when the show was initially released. The Blackbough team was buzzing in excitement about the first season, and this piqued my curiosity. Once I looked into it, I was immediately hooked. There was something about the series that reminded me so much about Blackbough – its youthfulness and sunny outlook, as well as the essence of summer feeling like forever.
Sometime last year, Our PR team decided to take a chance and reach out to the ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ cast for a Blackbough gifting initiative. In October 2022, we were so surprised to see a Tik Tok video from Jenny Han of Gavin Casalegno (Jeremiah) and Sean Kaufman (Steven), wearing our swim shorts on set. From then on, I knew that I wanted to create a swimwear collection for this series. To our good fortune, the stars aligned, and that opportunity presented itself to us.
When making the swimsuit designs for The Summer I Turned Pretty, I made sure to incorporate the series’ youthfulness, as well as its playful and beachy personality. The flowers you see in the collection’s prints were also inspired by the ones you see in the series’ logo. We also integrated a lot of loud and vibrant colors, so that the suits stand out when worn on a sunny day.
The Summer I Turned Pretty series is something close to our team’s hearts, as it is a big part of our childhood. Seeing it being brought to life through Amazon Prime Video was something nostalgic for us, and our team.
The Knockturnal: Beside your website, where can viewers shop for the looks from the collaboration?
Jemina Ty: Apart from our Blackbough website, viewers can also shop for the ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ collection on the Amazon storefront.
The Knockturnal: What are some visions, dreams, or commitments of Blackbough that you’re working to expand?
Jemina Ty: As Blackbough continues to grow, I wish for us to stay true to our vision to impact the world through sustainability and our advocacy. I would love for our business practices to continuously revolve and evolve around creating a better environment and championing different causes.
Our Blackbough team is full of passionate individuals and we will continue to foster that mindset of always choosing the greener option and contributing to those in need whenever and wherever we can-whether it’s donating to initiatives or amplifying voices through our platform.
