Crowd Surfing

Drift caught up with the team at ‘Kinda Fancy’ to discuss their crowdfunded Surf Bikinis, Jameson’s and boobies! It doesn’t get much better than this…

So can you tell us a little bit about Kinda Fancy and what you guys have been doing?
Hey Drift, Kinda Fancy was born from the realization that there are few swimwear options available to a surfer girl or active female beachgoer that are both stylish and functional. So we at Kinda Fancy set out to make some really rad bikinis that will stay put while you are taking a huge set on the head or just cannonballing into the hotel pool. Oh, and did we mention they look pretty amazing on any body type!?

So what has been happening since your kickstarter?
Since that ended, we have concentrated on getting our production “ducks in a row.” I flew out to Florida to make sure all was going smoothly, and we are happy to say we are moving right along. Which is good news for our sister, who otherwise would need to re-open her one person sweatshop. Another huge focus of ours right now is the website. My brother has slacked up on his Jameson intake in order to concentrate on our website and online store. Unless he has a relapse, we should be selling suits online in the next month.

Are you living the dream?
Duh, that’s the point! Honestly, I am working harder than I ever have before. Some days I feel like a fraud because I started a surf brand and barely get a chance to surf anymore! But, when your company revolves around water activities and drinking beer, it’s really a labor of love. Hopefully the pendulum will swing back and I will be able to get my wave count up again sometime in the not-to-distant future. If not, I quit. Damn the man. Oh wait, I am the man.

What are the plans for the future in terms of growth and new products?
We’ve got big plans! We have some rad leggings coming out for Summer (think neon geometrics + deer + parrots). Okay, those sound horrific, but I promise you they are amazing. We also realized that a huge percentage of the market came from girls with bigger boobies, so we are trying to create tops (and have one available for Summer) that cater to those girls. We definitely want ladies of all shapes and sizes to look in the mirror and think “Damn, I’m so sexy I want to make out with myself.” And then maybe they do, I don’t know, I’m not there. So anyway, we are trying to grow our product line so that there is a good fit for any body type.

Can you tell us about your patent application?
We applied for a patent on a credit card sized pocket on a bikini. We hadn’t found any other bikinis with this feature, and thought it was something pretty easy to copy, so we got some protection. But, we are prepared to keep evolving and adding cool things to our suits so that the pocket isn’t the only cool thing about them.

And how about worldwide shipping? Is that going to happen?
That’s the plan!! We made the suits available for girls everywhere during Kickstarter, and our plan is to keep it that way with our online store. I need to iron out some details about shipping, because yesterday I tried to FedEx a suit to Canada and it was $76.00!! I almost crapped my pants. Anyway, once we have a more efficient shipping method, the suits will be available in Europe too.

Anything else crazy exciting you want to share with us??
My brother is pushing to have a recurring segment of “Who wore it best” when he faces off against me in whatever new bikini we are introducing. So, watch out for that. The scariest part is that he might win.

Catch up with Kinda fancy at www.facebook.com/KindaFancySurf