Beauty queen, model, actress, and VCU alum Lisa Opie is all the talk in Miami right now. She’s one of Miami’s hottest new fashion designers, and the co-owner and designer of Vizcaya Swimwear. Her line is even the official sponsor of the Miss United States Pageant! We’re so excited for her and we just can’t seem to get enough of her and her hot, hot, hot world of swimwear fashion; and I am absolutely thrilled to present this interview with Lisa herself discussing her gorgeous new collection.
Brisa Del Mar features a beautiful array of unique bikinis designed with intricate details made up of stylish colors, straps, patterns, and the daring and trendy Brazilian bikini bottom featured in major fashion magazines right now. Admire all of Brisa Del Mar’s beautiful bikinis in the 2014 Lookbook on the Vizcaya Swimwear online boutique and get a behind the scenes look with the lovely Lisa Opie in this exclusive interview.
What does Brisa Del Mar mean or stand for?Briza Del Mar means “Sea Breeze” in Spanish
When was the collection released?The collection launched in February, 2014, just in time for girls to order their dream bikinis for spring break.
How would you distinguish this line from your former collections? Each collection is very different from another. This year I went from the glamorous “pretty” bikinis to styles that are more rustic, earthy, and bohemian. They kind of have a gypsy vibe..
As a designer, how do you manage to combine sensuality, luxury, and elegance into such small pieces of apparel?The material is everything! I am very selective about choosing only soft, luxurious and durable fabrics and hardware for my designs.
What were your major inspirations behind Brisa Del Mar? I was inspired, as always, by travel. This year I spent a lot of time in South America and the Caribbean, doing everything from exploring the jungles and caves in Belize, swimming with wild stingrays in the Cayman Islands, to sand surfing in the desert in Peru… and I drew all of my inspirations from what I saw and experienced at these exotic locations.
Which one of these bikinis will you wear most this summer?The Esther bikini! I love it in all of the colors! You can always find me at the beach in my Esther bikini.
What do you love most about the Brisa Del Mar collection?I’ve become really open minded this past year and I chose to be more expressive with my designs. My previous collections were very pretty, but they weren’t artistic. I feel like this year I found a way to incorporate art into the tops by exploring different ways to create designs with the strings.. for example, the cage neck on the Esther bikini and the back straps of the Belize bikini!
Make sure to view Brisa Del Mar’s Lookbook and their online boutique!