Lucy and Hannah Cochran walked out of the fourth floor elevator, laughing at their adventure through the maze that is the OSU Student Experience Center. I was surprised to see how young the girls were. The twins are only 19 years old, not what you might expect from such a polished bikini brand. Just beginning in the fall of 2016, the Bend, Oregon based business is taking off.

Clove and Honey’s Instagram feed is a chic Northwest aesthetic, featuring unique handmade swimsuits, embroidered tops and lingerie. Click on the link in their bio to check out the Clove and Honey Etsy shop, where each item is made with hard work, passion and love.

The sisters were full of excitement on the site of the collaboration with DAMChic Magazine and as we watched the photo shoot, Lucy and Hannah told me about their company and the journey that led them both to this moment.

Meaghan Evans- DAMchic Editor: Tell me a little more about Clove and Honey. How did it get started?

Lucy Cochran: Hm. Well we’ve been crafting our entire lives. Sewing, crocheting and quilting, literally any sewing. It just kind of evolved slowly into my baby. It’s like my favorite thing.

I went to school last year and dropped out very shortly after. I needed something to do with my time to keep me grounded and I found that crafting and selling it on Etsy did that.

Meaghan: What were you both doing before the company?

I was going to University of Oregon. I figured out that it wasn’t the right path for me. I ended up completing a 200 hour yoga teacher training instead, and I think that has influenced a lot of the designs [for Clove and Honey].

Meaghan: In what way?

Lucy: The Prana top. Prana in Sanskrit means breath or life force and I liked that.

Hannah Cochran: I was a big time track athlete and I suffered a back injury last winter that took me out of the sport completely. I joined Clove and Honey that spring and that started me on a new path. So new beginnings for both of us.

Meaghan: What inspires you both?

Lucy: [laughing, looking at Hannah] You can go first.

Hannah: I really love the human body and emotion. And how expressive hands can be. There’s a sweatshirt that we have where the hands are holding boobs. Because that’s something that we all do subconsciously, especially running up and down stairs.

Lucy: Right now, I’m really inspired by Southern California, Palm Desert. Like Mod, 60’s summer.

Meaghan: That all sounds really cool. So, what makes you different from other swimsuit companies?

Lucy: We have a lot of room for customization and we don’t charge extra. You can order combo colors, reversible pieces, and we will make it any size. We don’t put elastic in the swimsuits either so that it doesn’t squish your body.

Meaghan: It seems like you guys really think about different body types.

Lucy: We try to make them for everyone.

Meaghan: What do you want your customers to know about your company?

Lucy: Whenever you order something, I literally do a happy dance because it makes me so excited that people are interested in what I’m doing.

Hannah: Hearing that ping on our phones makes my heart race.

Lucy: Even if someone is just favoriting a shop or liking an item. Immediate excitement.

Meaghan: What else do you want people to know?

Lucy: That everything is made with love. I actually put that in the materials section on Etsy.

Hannah: Lots of hours have gone into making every pattern. There’s a lot of effort and thought behind every single piece.

Meaghan: Last question. What have you learned?

Lucy: I think if you’re passionate about it, stick with it.

Hannah: Two heads are better than one.If you don’t try, you don’t know. And grow slowly.

Meaghan: What do you mean by grow slowly?

Hannah: We’ve had people ask if we want to take our swimsuits and have them manufactured. And we don’t want to do that, at least right now. I think it’s important that they’re handmade by women in the United States.

Meaghan: I lied. One more question. Any favorite experiences?

Lucy: This [DAMChic collaboration] might be one of them honestly.

Meaghan: That’s awesome. Thanks so much for hanging out!