We recently connected with Justine Willeford and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Justine thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I started Pelican House because I wanted to bring positive change to the industry. Most swimwear is made with cheap labor over seas using virgin nylon and toxic fabric dyes and chemicals. I wanted to make the most sustainable bikini possible, using only domestically sourced recycled materials, and ethical local labor. At the same time I created designs that actually flatter many body shapes and sizes, were extremely comfortable to wear, and would bring confidence to women who wore them. I wanted to also bring a different mindset to apparel commerce, not just the swimwear industry. I created my business around the purpose of giving back, and using commerce to raise funding for non-profits that are helping with the conservation of our planets biodiversity. Commerce with a purpose, that puts people and the planet FIRST.

Justine, 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?

I make consciously crafted swimwear for women. I only use locally sourced materials and either sew the pieces myself or hire a sewing team in San Francisco help me. No part of my products comes from over seas, not only reducing our footprint and providing the ultimate supply chain transparency, but also eliminating any ocean freighting from our model. 10% of profits is donated annually to NPO Island Conservation, as well as supporting smaller charities, community fund raisers, and conservation groups throughout the year. I am a completely self taught designer. I run my entire business solo, from design and sewing, to photography, and daily operations and order fulfillment. I went to school for a BS in Marine Biology. I worked in shark conservation, and as an aquarist at Monterey Bay Aquarium for some time before leaving to start my business. I taught myself how to make swimwear by trial and error, and out of necessity when I wasn’t finding swimwear options in stores that I liked.
Something special about my business model is that I do private fittings for my local customers. They can come in to the design studio and get a one-on-one shopping experience with my professional inputs, and even have a suit custom made or tailored to their exact measurements. It is really rewarding to have women try my suits and tell me that it is the first time they finally have felt beautiful and confident in a swimsuit!

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

I started my business with zero funding and was making swimsuits to order on a little desk in my house, using deadstock fabric (industry scraps). I soon realized in order to sustain without burning myself out I needed to find a way to get help with the labor intensive manufacturing of my suits. In 2019 I temporarily suspended normal operations to shift my business model from making every single piece of swimwear myself, to creating a collection with a local manufacturer. Being self taught and operation with only the money I had been earning as a waitress and nanny on the side, I had to learn everything along the way. I taught myself how to make technical drawings of my designs, and put them into a tech pack which is like a detailed blueprint to show a manufacturer how to make your product. I had to find and source my materials as well as a manufacturer that met my standards for ethics as well as quality. Most people would have told me it was impossible to do this all locally, but I followed every breadcrumb the universe left for me and trusted my intuition and ultimately by some miracle was connected to all of the people I needed to help bring the collection to fruition.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I would say the most important thing as an entrepreneur is using your intuition as your guide, and trusting that everything is “figureoutable” (something I learned from Marie Forleo’s Ted Talk). I had to navigate all of this process through the crazy times of 2020, which brought shutdowns, social distancing, and wildfires here in Santa Cruz. My loving partner was my rock and my intuition was my guide through it all. I learned that if you really want to do something, you have to know when to listen to the advice of others and when to tune it out by ALWAYS following your gut. Everything is possible when you trust in the unfolding and listen to your inner guide.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pelicanhousesc.com
• Instagram: PelicanHouseSC
• Facebook: facebook.com/PelicanHouseSC
• Linkedin:PelicanHouseSC
• Twitter:PelicanHouseSC

Image Credits
I take all my own photos: :) You can credit Justine Renee Photo if you need to include a credit