I recently worked with Rose Bay, premium men's swimwear brand providing consultation, factory packs and general guidance on the manufacture process. Joe and the team were great to work with and had such a refreshing business model.
Can you introduce yourself and the brand?
I’m Joe Viner, the co-founder and CEO of Rose Bay, the tailored swim short brand offering customers a high-quality product at a fraction of the cost of our competitors.
Rose Bay was conceived to help guys look better on the beach. While living in Australia, I would see first-hand how bad some of the swim shorts being worn were. After looking into the industry, a few boutique brands we’re trying to sell a high-end product that would mean men look good on the beach and transition into a bar or restaurant without looking out of place. The problem was that these limited options were priced incredibly high at around £150-£200 – hardly accessible pricing.
With that in mind myself and two others (Harry Simonis and Charles Kedwards) set up Rose Bay with the goal of creating a tailored swim-short taking inspiration from the Sydney beach culture and lifestyle. Using exactly the same materials as the brands charging £150+ but with a fresh innovative design.
Part of this mission was to incorporate price transparency so the consumer could see exactly where their money was going.
What was your background prior to launching in the fashion industry?
I worked in Wine and Champagne importation in the UK and Australia.
What drove you to set up your brand?
A gap that we saw in the market for a brand of tailored swim shorts that could transition from beach to a bar without a 5-7 x markup that had become common place.
How long did the launch take from concept to product?
11 months. It took so long due to the sampling phase of the process and making sure the factory suited the company and quality the product needed.
What have been your main challenges with regard to being new to the fashion industry?
Both of my partners are a lot more experienced in the industry than myself. So with any issues that encountered or questions I had I would refer to either of them or you.
The main challenge that Rose Bay has encountered is finding a factory/ manufacture that could bring our vision to reality. This was the most time consuming and also frustrating part of the 11 months from concept to launch.
If you could go back in time knowing what you know now, are there any changes you would have made to how you started out with the brand or launch?
We’ve made a fair few mistakes on the way and taken a bit longer than we’ve wanted but that’s all part of the process. I do wish we’d come to you sooner but apart from that I wouldn’t change a thing.
Which of my services have helped the most and why?
Your help with the design and in depth technical packs allowed us to begin seriously sampling our vision in a way we had struggled to beforehand. Not only that but your willingness to answer questions and queries that you thought were probably a bit silly.
Is there a top piece of advice you’d give other startups considering launching a brand?
Do it!
The one thing I hear all the time from people when discussing Rose Bay is their own idea and vision for a startup. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these people don’t go through with it.
We now live in a time where brands are born out of bedrooms. Brands like Gymshark using Shopify are taking on some of the most established brands in the world like Nike and Adidas. All you need is an internet connection and an idea.
What are your plans for the brand in 2019?
We have various new colours and products in the pipeline.
We plan on taking the formula and brand behind redesigning tailored swim shorts and applying it to other summer products becoming a store that specialises in summer fashion wear for men.
You can shop with Rosebay and find more about their brand values here:
https://shoprosebay.com
https://www.instagram.com/rosebay__/