How Luli Fama brought Latin sizzle to the U.S. swim market

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By Marcy Medina | for The SKUpe

Born in Cuba and raised in Miami, designer Luli Hanimian has always been inspired by the beach. Along with her brother-in-law Augusto Hanimian, she founded Luli Fama nearly 30 years ago and has developed it into a leading luxury swim and resort brand with hundreds of wholesale accounts worldwide and fans including Lady Gaga and Camila Cabello. Here, she shares how she’s growing their retail presence in South Florida and helping emerging swim labels develop, too.

 How would you describe your customer?

The “Luli Babe” is a fashion queen, effortlessly setting trends and turning heads wherever she goes. She’s bold in her choices, unafraid to stand out, mix prints, rock daring cuts and own every room she steps into. She’s unstoppable, chasing her dreams, curating her life with passion, and living unapologetically on her own terms. Above all, she’s secure in herself—her confidence radiates from within, and she wears every piece like it was made just for her. She’s the embodiment of fearless femininity and elevated beachside glamour.

How did you first enter the U.S. market?

Originally, we started by bringing Augusto’s aunt’s collections to the U.S.—she was a swimwear designer in Argentina and her collection was completely different than what was available in the U.S. market at the time. In those days, the fashion in swim was very limited and very inexpensive. Neons and full-cut bottoms were the only trends. We brought skimpy, sexy-back bottoms with European fabrics and sophisticated prints with a more elevated quality and fit to the market.   

What kind of brand experience do you try to create with your retail stores? What are your fastest growing markets in the U.S.?

Our retail stores are designed to fully embody the Luli Fama brand experience, offering much more than just products. We provide a personalized and memorable shopping journey. Our in-store representatives are deeply passionate and highly knowledgeable, committed to guiding each customer in finding the perfect fit and sharing the essence of what it means to be a Luli Babe.

We are currently focusing our expansion efforts in our beloved South Florida, a region that has consistently shown remarkable growth over the past 20 years, with particularly significant development in the last five. We currently have four boutiques here and the market continues to be an integral part of our brand's success and community presence. 

What advice would you give other brands trying to get into the U.S. market?

We recommend that they focus on all aspects of the brand-building process to ensure a comprehensive and sustainable approach. It is essential to develop innovative, well-conceived designs that not only present a strong creative vision but also maintain their intended fit and quality through production. We often see emerging designers with exceptional creativity; however, without proper attention to fit and construction during manufacturing, even the most impressive designs may not achieve long-term success.

At Luli Fama, we take great pride in owning and operating our own factory in Colombia, which is dedicated exclusively to producing our brand. Recently, we have also extended our expertise to support smaller brands, offering them the benefit of our extensive knowledge and experience to help them develop and manufacture high-quality products that preserve both the design integrity and the fit as originally intended. 

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The SKUpe is curated and written  by Marcy Medina and edited by Bianca Prieto