How do you achieve ‘fashion insider’ status? Dressing some of the biggest A-list fashion icons is a strong place to start. Yet, Lisa Caprio, founder of It Girl-approved Heavy Manners, who counts Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid and Dua Lipa as fans, is repeatedly described as a ‘fashion outsider’ due to her lack of fashion background.
After working as a makeup artist, she founded her first label in her 20s – a made-to-order brand called Rosemilk, with Mirror Palais founder Marcelo Gaia – but it didn’t last a year. That learning experience led the way for Heavy Manners, launched at the end of 2019.
“I often reflect on that beginning time… When you have nothing to lose, you’re not afraid to take risks,” Lisa shares. Starting with a collection of dainty bikinis, she took the brand’s name from a ‘70s ska band; she liked how its masculine connotations contradicted her feminine designs.
She was modelling the swimwear herself, and working with a small, family-run Portuguese factory and just two employees, but it didn’t take long to draw attention. The brightly coloured micro bikinis have now become synonymous with the brand, inspired by her and her older sister’s swimwear growing up in the nineties.
“[The first time I saw someone wearing HM], we were in Miami and there was this woman at the pool. I went over to thank her,” Lisa says. Five years on, she reflects on the “crazy train” the company has been on. Having finally achieved the dream of seeing Rihanna (“She’s an island girl and fashion icon!”) in one of her designs – the 2Cute4U green bikini top that the artist layered under a sheer top and sports jersey, paired with a tulle tiered maxi skirt – she also wants to return to Heavy Manners’ roots.
“As a creative person, you want to experiment,” she says, referring to the ever-evolving product categories, “[but] I’ve learned to focus on what we’re good at.” For Heavy Manners, that’s swimwear and jeans. “We’re going back to exclusive limited-edition prints – just for the year, then they’re gone – and we’ll continue with our core denim. In the next couple of years, I hope we can experiment with resort wear that matches the swim.”
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Alexandria Dale is the Digital Fashion Writer at Cosmopolitan UK. Covering everything from the celebrity style moments worth knowing about to the latest fashion news, there’s nothing she loves more than finding a high street dupe of a must-have designer item. As well as discovering new brands, she’s passionate about sustainable fashion and establishing the trends that are actually worth investing in. Having worked in fashion journalism for six years, she has experience at both digital and print publications including Glamour and Ok!
