Meet Damarys: Creating Luxury and Beauty Through the Bight Swim Collection

Damarys is on a mission: to inspire confidence, boldness, and self worth in others. She believes everyone, no matter age, size, or station in life is worthy of affluence. Luxury isn’t about financial status, but a state of mind and your happy place. How does she do it? Through her swimwear and resort collection, The Bight Swim.

Growing up on one of Honduras’ Bay Islands, Damarys was meant for a life among the tropics. But born in the small village of Punta Gorda, Roatan she always felt like something was off. While her five siblings made plans for the future that included getting married and starting a family, Damarys decided her future looked different. Even though she felt a strong connection to her town’s unapologetic culture and vibrant love for life, she was at odds with some of their conservative values. As a town in the heart of the tropics, they held strict views on how women should present themselves. This all but prohibited swimwear. Damarys’ lifestyle may have been restricted, but it didn’t stop her from being who she wanted to be. She took life by the horns and forged a path that led her to where she is today.

As Damarys found more and more freedom to experiment with swimwear, she encountered a common problem: the fit, style, and function were all wrong. So, she found the answer by altering the swimsuits into exactly what she wanted. Damarys got compliments from other women, who were then confused why the same suit from the same retailer didn’t fit them. Then she realized she forgot to mention everything she removed, added, sleeked up, and basically made into her own. “My sister got tired of tweeking for me and was like, ‘Why don’t you just do this yourself? You’re really good and know what cuts work.’ So here I am, doing it myself,” she says.

For Damarys fear plays two roles, depending on what you do with it. It can either motivate you to take a leap of faith, or kick you down to failure. This is why she says mindset is so important. When she first started out, Damarys assumed she would find instant success since she was clearly talented and had friends in the fashion industry. But she had a hard time finding the right help for a while. After her titan business friends fluked on her, she spent time trying to manage everything on her own. Damarys discovered something very important–she might design amazing swimsuits, but she wasn’t great at business and marketing. When she realized she was getting deeper in the red, she knew she needed the right help. 

Damarys understands success in a new light. To her success is survival. If you make the choice to show up every day and persevere, you are successful. When you open the emails and fulfill the two orders you received this week, you are successful. Eventually, with success comes financial freedom. This is when you have the opportunity to see others flourish. For Damarys, she plans to rebuild schools on the “less desirable” east end of Roatan where the country offers fewer opportunities. Her NPO “Where Are You From? Project” is also currently helping with the learning experience of children on the island. 

Damarys’s next project is already underway. She has launched a new, bold line of men’s luxury swimwear. She plans to start the trend of adding a little gold to men’s fashion swim. Damarys also has her sights set on celebrity swimwear for names like Beyonce and Rihanna. You can follow Damarys on Instagram @thebightswim.