Year End Reflection

Wow. Another year gone by, and what a year we’ve had.

2018 started off strong with the launch of our Spring Globetrotter Collection, which featured beautiful, bright colors and custom prints evoking wanderlust and world travel. The collection sold quickly and we were stoked to have such strong support from our customers! Thank you for all of the love!

In June, I (founder Sensi Graves) competed in the Triple S Invitational, the biggest kiteboarding competition in the US. It’s always a balance being a professional kiteboarder and running a swimwear company but I’m proud to say I managed to snag 4^th place. The women’s field is getting super competitive and the female athletes are shredding!

After Triple S, team rider Colleen Carroll and myself found ourselves as part of a Hollywood production featuring kiteboarding. Send It! the movie will be premiering sometime in the Spring of 2019.

In October we jetted over to Maui to photograph our 2019 collection, and visit with my friend and Sensi Bikinis ambassador, Debbie Jean Hollomon. We spent the week surfing (every day!), kiting (only once), hiking, eating yummy food, and shooting our entire 2019 range. We are beyond stoked with how the photos came out. And as Victoria (our customer service and sales ninja) pointed out, every woman that we shot with was a surfer and overall active lady. These women rip! We were proud to photograph beautiful and strong women.

 Big wins as a brand:

We transitioned our hygienic liners and recycled plastic bags to compostable poly bags and compostable hygienic liners, moving closer toward our goal of becoming a zero waste swimwear brand.

We won the inaugural Title 9 pitch fest in Berkeley, CA. We got to see the Title 9 HQ, rub shoulders with and listen to speeches from female founders, and celebrate women in business. We’re beyond stoked that we will be featured in the Spring 2019 catalog with Title 9 and carried nation-wide in their stores.

We partnered with fellow PNW brand, TREW, on a super rad print which we featured on 2 bikinis and a one piece. TREW made a sweet jacket that packs up into a fanny pack and features the same custom print called Funky Fern. We also shot a dope video showcasing female shredders!

We donated a lot of product in support of environmental initiatives, specifically auction-style events with 1% For The Planet and the Changing Tides Foundation. We also donate 1% of our sales to environmental groups of our choosing (Columbia Riverkeepers in 2018!). Additionally, we gave away suits to support women in surfing and to inspire the next generation of female watersports athletes.

We’re producing more and more of our products with recycled fabrics and over 50% of the fabrics we use for our 2019 collection are made out of recycled plastic bottles and reclaimed fishing nets.

We partnered with loads of rad brands on big giveaways to bring you awesome products!

Lessons learned:

• Courage comes before confidence.

• If it’s not a hell-yes, it’s a no.

• If it feels big, scary, and gives you a nervous tingling in your stomach, you’re probably meant to do it.

• Dream big!

• Enjoy the journey.

Gratitudes:

• The many strong, courageous women who continue to push and inspire me.

• Our customers who believe in our mission and products.

• This platform through which we can deliver healthy living inspiration, self love and body confidence and continue to serve and inspire, every day.

• Our team of athletes that work so hard, and are so inspiring.

• The ability to inspire change

• All of the women (and men!) that work for and with Sensi Graves Bikinis, specifically Victoria, Annette, Ali, Molly, Nina, Meeling, Kelly and Debbie!