A New School student is making a splash with her own swimwear company.
Evita Scoccia, a fourth-year Strategic Design and Management student at Parsons, is the founder of EVITA, a swimwear company that features intricate beading, colorful designs, and unique shapes. Scoccia’s designs led her to show at last year’s Miami Swim Week, and she says she is on a mission to empower women and remind them of their confidence through luxury swimwear and beauty.
“My goal is to empower people with my suits because they’re luxurious,” Soccia said, “And to just show your confidence, like you are beautiful. You should always have a moment where you feel beautiful, and I just wanted anyone to feel beautiful in my suits.”
Scoccia was interested in fashion from a young age, having worked as a model in high school. But she was hesitant to pursue a career in fashion and began studying business at Point Park University in Pittsburgh.
But the fashion bug never left her, and during her first year of business school, she created a few swimwear pieces. With the support of her father, she used them to apply to Parsons.
Scoccia set out to create a new swimsuit industry, “because I haven’t really seen any suits that really stood out to me showing confidence, luxury, and very unique pieces. And I wanted to change the industry with swimsuits, with my tastes.”
Three bathing suits from the Jungle Dynasty Collection during a photoshoot for EVITA. 
The SIERRA swimsuit debut at EVITA’s showcase in the Miami Swim Week 2020 show.
Scoccia is immersed in the fashion industry, learning in school while working as a model, styling for Kate Spade, networking, and running her business.
EVITA is a sustainable brand, Scoccia said, using recycled materials and sustainable labor to create bathing suits and working with her overseas manufacturer. “There is so much fabric waste and pollution with fashion. And I want to create high-quality items. Being a luxury brand the products will last a long time,” Scoccia said.
Scoccia is hands-on and works closely with the design team. She has a sketch team that she collaborates with where she shares her ideas, what she wants, and how she wants the pieces to look. The team sketches these ideas and sends them to the manufacturer. Scoccia is then sent samples which she often alters to her exact specifications. She has a local seamstress in her hometown who does all of the beading for her bathing suits.
The seamstress is a new addition to the team. Originally, Scoccia and her grandmother would hand sew all of the beading and Swarovski crystals onto the swimsuits.
Scoccia said she has learned that she can’t do it all by herself. She modeled the company’s swimwear herself at the start, but needed more models to work with as the company grew. Earlier this year she created an ambassador program, where she gives discounts to people who share their photographs of them modeling her suits. In addition, she edits some of the pictures on photoshop to create the background and message that she wants to represent her brand on the EVITA Instagram account.
The KAYLEE swimsuit, a high waisted bottom paired with an adjustable top adorned with Swarovski crystals. 
No better location than a crisp blue pool to show off a variety of Evita swimsuits.
Scoccia’s favorite swimsuit from her brand is called The Kaylee. “It’s a two-piece. It’s light blue and has Swarovski crystals, it’s such an elegant touch. And high-waisted makes it more like vintage housewives. Like you’re in the Hamptons, and you just want to have a cocktail.”
In 2020, EVITA was featured in Miami Swim Week after they reached out to Scoccia following her application to numerous shows. Although the COVID-19 pandemic halted many shows and gatherings, Miami Swim Week took place, showcasing smaller brands in a smaller altered setting with fewer models and people backstage. Here she showcased her latest collection, Jungle Dynasty.
While EVITA won’t have another collection until 2022, Scoccia said her future goals include expanding the size range and experimenting with more color in her collections. She also is working towards getting EVITA suits manufactured in Italy because she is Italian and wants to connect her brand to her heritage.
In the meantime, Scoccia and her father are launching a new project to benefit women in Mali. Scoccia’s father owns a missionary in the country, and Scoccia will donate a portion of each sale to help Mali girls go to school. “So if you buy a suit, 12 dollars will go to a child so she can go to school,” Scoccia said.
Photography by Mihn Tien Nguyen, @mihn.photos on Instagram.