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Summersalt Announces Expanded Product Line & Travel Apparel

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Summersalt, the female-founded, direct-to-consumer swimwear brand, announced today the expansion of its product line beyond swimwear and into the apparel category, focusing on travel-focused items like cashmere sweaters and wrinkle-free pants that retail in the range of $25 to $125.

Sustainability is a key feature to the new product line: 90% of the collection is made with recycled materials, its packaging is compostable, and all pieces are treated with a sustainable, closed-loop finish called The Shield™ which wicks moisture, provides sun protection, and is antimicrobial to prevent odors. 

“Our sustainability mission goes beyond materials to include fair treatment for all workers, with each of our factories meeting global standards as well as the standards for their individual country,” said Lori Coulter, the brand’s CEO and Co-founder.

This expansion marks a pivotal point for the brand as it enters the highly competitive apparel category. Co-Founders Reshma Chamberlin and Lori Coulter knew they wanted to expand beyond swimwear from the company’s inception, but wanted to wait on introducing additional products until they’d reached the right stage in their business growth.

“Our decision to expand was strategic in that we were very aware that first we had to have an engaged customer base with confidence in our brand to grow with us as we expanded into new categories,” Coulter said.

An engaged customer base they certainly have: At present, Summersalt has made sales in all 50 states (as well as in Mexico and Canada) and the brand continues to grow steadily—sales are on track to increase to $40 million this year, up from $5.6 million in 2018.

The company’s expansion into travel-focused apparel comes as a good time, as data shows that consumers interested in higher-price point goods and luxury hotels are spending more on travel in recent years, with spending increasing at a compound annual growth rate of 3.6%.

Millennials are another prime customer segment for these types of products, as Nielsen reports show that this demographic focuses more on travel than any previous generation. This extends into their work lives as well: MMGY data shows that Millennials take an average of 7.7 business trips per year.

The brand’s entry into the apparel space does come with some fierce competition, as they’ll be facing off with other digitally-native high-performing brands like Away and Lunya that have their own travel apparel collections as well.

Web Smith, founder of 2PM, says that the macroeconomic trend of Millennials and Gen Xers placing a strong value on travel opens up a unique opportunity for brands to capitalize on travel-focused products, including apparel. 

What’s more: For brands like Summersalt with an established customer base, it’s a good way to reduce acquisition costs while increasing the lifetime value of their existing customers.

He went on to say that he sees this move as one that will help the brand expand beyond what can often be a seasonal product (swimwear) and hedge for the rest of the year—but only if customer data and demand supports it.

For Summersalt, customer feedback was indeed at the core of this decision.

“Our customers often asked where they could get cover-ups and other travel staples—and if we were planning on carrying them,” said Reshma Chamberlin, Summersalt’s Co-founder and Chief Brand & Digital Officer. “We knew our customers wanted more pieces from us, and since we captured trust with the fit of the most intimate category [swimwear], it was the perfect time to provide additional items.”

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