A lot has changed for Danielle (Dani) Atkins and Alex Babich since they founded Australian swimwear brand Kulani Kinis in 2014.

For one, they’re now married, and they have two kids, Hendrix and Maverick. But their Sydney-based brand has also grown alongside their family over the past 10 years. Last year was Kulani’s most successful year yet, with 60% growth through both direct-to-consumer and a rapidly growing wholesale business, and the company now employs more than 70 people.

What hasn’t changed is the brand’s focus on appealing to a younger demographic on a budget through inclusive sizing, a huge variety of cuts, and clever marketing campaigns that show how easily Kulani’s designs can seamlessly fit into a casual day at the beach or a five-star resort.

“A lot of brands play in very particular niche identities,” Babich explained in an interview with Shop Eat Surf. “We don’t really want to be a surf brand, but we want to service people that like to surf … We can shoot in Palm Springs or we can shoot in the North Shore.”

Babich oversees marketing, e-commerce and operations, while Atkins spearheads the creative side of the business. They both aim to be accessible and trust their creative vision rather than get pigeonholed into any niche or chase trends.

“We carry a very large selection of Kulani,” said Andrew Desiderio of Gone Bananas Beachwear in San Diego, California. The colorful designs pop in the store, and Kulani’s Halter Bralette and Ring Bandeau tops are best-sellers, while the Y-Cheeky is “hands down” the store’s best-selling Kulani bottom. “While their solid groups are strong also, the prints have a great playfulness and vibrancy.”

Each collection starts with a muse or source of inspiration.

“It might be a girl is our muse, it might be a location that we’ve had saved in our minds for a little while,” Atkins said. “It’s just something that sparks the concept, and then we build around that.”

The Stolen Hearts collection, for example, started with a playing card from the 1970s that inspired Atkins. She and her small creative team generated ideas around the concept, and then Babich acts as a buyer, editing the ideas down to what he thinks will be commercially viable.

“We’ve both been around for 10 years, and brand has this really long history where we know what has worked,” Babich said. “We can keep each other in check.”

Transcending Categories

Kulani originated online, but surf shops were the first to show interest in wholesale and carrying their brand.

“Everyone was just looking for what was next,” Babich said. “What’s the younger demographic going for? I think a lot of people were using the brand as a way of attracting a new customer base into shops, to get them in.”

Kulani now sells both direct-to-consumer and wholesale, with wholesale making up between 15% to 20% of its sales.

“I love that girls can buy our swim, and then they might grab a pair of denim Billabong pants or something,” Atkins said. “It just fits nicely.”

A lot goes into each marketing campaign for each collection, too, where Atkins said the goal is to produce what they call “heartstopping” moments in both their very popular social media channels – they have one million Instagram followers, for example – and in mini-magazines they produce in print and digital formats.

“We’ve been slowly showing people that actually you can wear prints, you can wear color, you can be bold,” Babich said. Celebrities such as the Kardashian family made neutrals ubiquitous, but that has changed.

“We always stuck to prints,” Atkins said. “We love color. They’re our bread and butter.”

Apparel, European Growth on the Horizon

Kulani Kinis’ shoppers tend to be repeat customers, with 40% to 50% of online customers coming back to buy more. Atkins attributes that not just to the designs, but also to the customer care and shipping experience. Its loyal online following also learns about retailers that are carrying the brand with social posts showing where they can find it in-person.

“They have promoted my shop quite a few times and it is unlike any other brand I have worked with,” said Maddie Smith, the owner of A Diamond in the North, a boutique in Minocqua, Wisconsin. “When they share or promote my shop it feels amazing, like my hard work is paying off!”

Trade shows, such as last month’s Collective Shows in Huntington Beach, are where they’ve met major retail accounts such as Nordstrom, ASOS, Revolve, and Bikini Village, and plenty of small retailers too, which drive a lot of business, Atkins said. This year, after becoming so dominant in North America and Australia, they’re focused on growing their European presence. In September, Kulani will show at Splash in Paris.

Kulani has also hired an apparel designer with experience designing for resort and has plans to launch new products as early as March 2025.

But as the brand evolves, Atkins and Babich say they’ll always stay true to the heart and soul of Kulani.

“We don’t give a hoot what anyone else does,” Babich said. “All we do is our thing.”

Kate Robertson can be reached at [email protected].

---