We recently connected with Jessica Boynton and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jessica, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
Hakuna Wear began in 2018 after I went on my first tropical surf trip. I had a blast going on scooter rides and boat trips to the breaks but didn’t have a pocket to bring money or a hotel key and kept losing my bottoms in the surf. I felt un-empowered by my bikini and I wanted to change that.
Jessica, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Hakuna Wear makes innovative active swimwear to empower people in the water, or as we say “swimwear with no worries”. To us no worries swimwear means sustainably made, surf tested, and with pockets, that make you feel and look good.
Every piece we design is made with both fashion and function in mind. Made to move with you for all water sports.
Our suits have pockets!
We add a pocket with a key loop to hold items you may want to bring out with you, like wax, a car key or some sunscreen.
Designed with comfort and support in mind
Our tops are made with seams that allow more stretch and support, with thicker cross back straps to distribute the weight. And our board shorts have a revolutionary side tie. We are always striving for the newest innovations.
Designed for women by women
Hakuna Wear design accentuates your warrior curves with mesh details and triangular cutouts. Our bikinis are reversible for double the fun.
Sustainable fabrics and ethics
All of our fabrics are made from recycled materials made from plastic water bottles and ocean plastic and designed in San Diego.
Building community
We are more than a swimsuit, when you buy something from us you join a community of rainbow warriors around the world who fight for their ocean, planet, and equality for all.
Mission
We are a small brand with a big mission, we believe in all people and giving them the tools for success to have the best time possible in the water. No matter your gender, color, orientation, etc. we want you to feel confident and unstoppable adventuring alone or together and free to be you! Sustainability for us follows from that support of people, it isn’t just about sustainable materials but giving back to the community. We do this by hosting weekly surf meet ups and beach clean ups and volunteering or supporting non-profit organizations.
We took care of all the worries, the only thing we want you to be thinking about is how much fun you’re having.
Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.
My biggest failure or learning experience was in manufacturing. We were 6 months late to deliver our side tie board short because our manufacturer made mistake after mistake in samples and general process. I was frustrated and disappointed, but I stayed calm and focused on the fact that delivering a quality product was more important than a timely one, and updated our customers as often as possible on the progress.
We did not give up, and our customers did not give up on us. After 6 months we were able to deliver the quality and innovative product our customers had been waiting for and the reviews were fantastic. It was a long road but it made me realize that as a doer, I did too quickly and didn’t research enough.
In our second manufacturing, I prepared questions, looked at reviews, interviewed multiple manufacturers, and was meticulous about the feedback and quality of samples. It has been a huge learning process but it’s so rewarding when people across the globe are stoked on products they have been waiting to find and make them feel ready to do anything.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
We are actually mostly self-funded, I still work a full time day job using my PhD Chemistry degree, crazy right? We did have a IndieGoGo in the beginning though, friends and family helped out a lot to get our initial run started and we did get some initial pre-sales, it was amazing! Being mostly self-funded means that I have to think creatively and rely a lot on organic growth. It may be slower, but my goal is avoid burn out, I keep telling myself it is a marathon not a race and I believe that we have an amazing thing to contribute to the outdoor community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hakunawear.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hakunawear/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hakunawear
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hakuna-wear/
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hakunawear
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsqs11PK5LU&t=7s
Image Credits
Caleb Heikes, Rachael Downham, JJ Wilder, Esthela