Business student’s passion leads to becoming entrepreneur

Cal State San Marcos

Sophia Lombardi discovered a love for sewing and entrepreneurship during the pandemic.  

The Cal State San Marcos student picked up sewing as a hobby when she had extra time on her hands. Wanting to be resourceful because fabric was expensive and she had limited funds, she saved her leftover scraps, not knowing what she would end up doing with them. 

Little did she know it would set her on the path to a burgeoning career. Those fabric scraps that Lombardi saved became the basis for sustainably made swimsuits and the creation of a business, Amalfi Swiim.

Lombardi proposed her sustainable business model as part of a quick pitch contest through CSUSM’s Innovation Hub, winning a $500 microgrant for her work on Amalfi Swiim. The contest closely resembled the TV show “Shark Tank.” 

Lombardi curated her brand name while reminiscing about the time she visited Positano on the Amalfi coast of Italy with a cousin and aunt (the extra “i” in Amalfi Swiim is because her preferred Instagram handle was taken). 

As Lombardi began sewing in the early stages of the pandemic, she searched for inspiration and came across a novel technique that she incorporated into her work. She started to play with the leftover scraps she had saved and molded them together to create her first swimsuit without using any new material.

“I don’t think I would have started my journey if I waited to put everything in place to make sure it was perfect before,” said Lombardi, a business administration student who will graduate in spring 2023. “I think if you have an idea, just go for it, make it and get it manufactured,
whatever it is.”

Lombardi created a TikTok video that showed her process of sewing a bikini. The video went viral with more than 11 million views, and seeing the comments made her realize that her sustainable sewing efforts by utilizing leftover fabric scraps were having an impact. “It clicked for me that I could actually have a bigger mission, which is to decrease the world’s pollution rate,” Lombardi said. 

Lombardi decided that her zero-waste swimsuit could be a statement piece in her clothing line because it stands for sustainability awareness. She also creates tote bags with the same innovative sewing technique. 

Lombardi connected with other small businesses, and she now accepts donations of fabric scraps. She has reached out to over 50 local swimwear brands; one of her main providers is Amy’s Sport Co., a golf clothing brand she interned for as a high school senior in Palm Springs.   

Becoming a business owner in college is a huge time commitment for Lombardi. She spends up to 20 hours a week marketing, sewing and using social media to promote Amalfi Swiim while being a full-time student and a member of the CSUSM Entrepreneurship Society.

After juggling everything herself at the outset, Lombardi has hired a fellow CSUSM student to help her sew, allowing her to focus more on marketing the business. She plans to apply her prize from the quick pitch contest toward establishing Amalfi Swiim through a legal entity. 

“I have all my sights set on growing this business after college,” Lombardi said. “It has been quite a ride, and it’s definitely stressful to have so many obligations. But at the end of the day, I’m choosing this for myself. I really am passionate about starting a business in college so that I can support myself financially by the time I graduate.”