We swear we blinked and we were in the middle of the month of June! With so many amazing things planned for the coming months, we sometimes forget to take a moment to celebrate all that we have already accomplished as a brand and as a team. In fact, July is right around the corner and that means that we are coming up on our fourth anniversary of 437 (July 8th).
Time really does fly when you're having fun.
And we have to say, we've been having a LOT of fun. From introducing our new staple colour espresso to expanding our collections to include apparel to seeing our pieces worn by likes of Meg Thee Stallion and Vanessa Hudgens, we have made some serious advances as a company. There are many ways that we want to continue growing but we decided we'd take a second to celebrate how far we've come.
Left to Right: Chantel Jeffries in the Sanders Set/Espresso, Sabrina Claudio in the Aubrey Set, Megan Thee Stallion in the Sanders Set and Kylie Jenner in the Bloom Slip.
With all that we have accomplished as a team, we wouldn't be where we are today if it wasn't for the dream of two incredible women: our Founders and Forbes featured 30 under 30 CEOs,
Hyla and Adrien.
Hyla and Adrien.
Since it's been almost 4 years since the start of 437, we think it's time we give you all a little re-introduction to the brand and the founders.
437 was started by Hyla and Adrien in 2017 during their 3rd year of university. While studying abroad in Europe they quickly realized there was a major gap in the swimsuit industry. There were very few - if any - swimsuit options available that complimented the diverse body types of women. Many of the swimsuits they had seen abroad were restrictive, designed for one specific body type and/or uncomfortable to wear for long period of time.
So, they started thinking:
So, they started thinking:
What if there was way to create the ultimate swimsuit? A swimsuit that was still stylish and helped women feel confident and sexy BUT didn't require one to give up their favourite foods to achieve the perfect 'bikini body'?
L to Right: The Kenzie x Aubrey Set in Rose, the Sanders top and bottom bikini in black, The Kenzie and Sanders sets in espresso, white and black.
And from there, 437 was born and it has grown into the brand you all know and love today!
Okay Okay... so it wasn't exactly that simple.
There were actually quite a few roadblocks from: trying to start a business with little to no design experience to sourcing a reliable manufacturer, to hiring their first employee and expanding into a Loft space, having collections arrive damaged prior to a drop, to pivoting an entire company during a major pandemic... we could go on and on (Click here to listen to the 437Offline podcast to learn more).
L to R: Hyla and Adrien visiting our manufacturer in China, Adrien's original sketch of the Kenzie set, the 437 Loft in Toronto.
With that being said, how amazing is it how much we've grown in just 4 short years? We've hired more employees, collaborated with amazing influencers (Nitsan Raiter, Emma Leger and Sophie Suchan) to create fun new collections like That's So Sabotage, and worked to expand our sizing to be even more inclusive (work that we are always committed to improving). With so much happening over the coming months, it's hard to believe 437 was once just the dream of 2 best friends in university.
Now that we've given you a little refresher on who we are and re-introduced our CEOS, we thought it would be fun for you to get to know Hyla and Adrien as regular people like you and I! So, we've compiled a short list of their frequently asked questions:
1. How do you balance work and your social lives?
We have made it a point and a promise to ourselves since starting 437 that we would prioritize our wellness. It's really easy when running a company to forego your personal, emotional and physical health in order to make sure that everything in the company is running smoothly. From day 1, we have tried to prioritize getting enough sleep, eating well, exercising and recharging with friends and family. During our free time we love travelling and also think that it's important to spend time with each other outside of 437 work to keep our bond to one another strong.
2. What is your go-to self care move?
Adrien: Putting on lip liner + gloss, slicking back my hair and putting on a nice sweat suit for my work from home days is a fool-proof way for me to get ready for the day. Elevating my work from home uniform never fails to make me feel a little better!
Hyla: I am a huge fan of using my jade roller throughout the day. It's a great way for me to take a quick break between busy meetings and I always feel like it's a simple way to do a little bit of self-care and skin-care at the same time. I'm also a huge fan of The 5-Minute Journal. I try to write in it most days.
3. What is the best advice you've ever received?
Don't take everything in life so seriously. Both of us have very high expectations of ourselves and were raised to follow a very linear pathway of excelling in school, finding a secure career and then buying a house and settling down with families of our own. While there's nothing wrong with this pathway, we do wish that we had spent more time from the age of 18 onward taking in life for what it is: exciting and unpredictable. We should have tried more things and gone on more adventures! Life is short. Spending time enjoying the little things, taking risks and living in the present is the best advice we've been given. It's also advice we hope you all take to heart!
While we aren't 100% sure where or how 437 will grow, we are confident in each other and our amazing team. We have a lot in store for the upcoming season and we can't wait to share it with you! xx
To shop the 437 staple collection click here.