Episode 342: Building a Successful Swimwear Brand | Johanna Davenport Calica | Founder & Creative Force Behind LaPorte Swim
Johanna Davenport Calica is redefining the swimwear industry. As the founder and CEO of LaPorte Swim, a fast-growing swimwear and resort wear brand, she shares her journey from intern to entrepreneur and how she built a successful fashion business from the ground up. In this episode, Kara and Johanna discuss how to launch and scale a swimwear brand, the importance of thoughtful design and body positivity, leveraging modern technology while maintaining human connection, and key strategies for growing a business in a competitive industry. You’ll hear Johanna’s insights on entrepreneurship, building a brand that resonates with customers, and how women founders can create impact while chasing their dreams. This episode is a must-listen for aspiring entrepreneurs, fashion business leaders, and anyone interested in swimwear, brand strategy, and female empowerment in business.
“You just have to be willing to learn and study and look at other brands and see what people are doing. Be curious, be wildly, wildly curious. ”
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Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Powerful Ladies
00:28 Meet Johanna Davenport Calica
01:17 Johanna's Background and Journey
03:39 Challenges of Starting a Swimwear Brand
08:46 The Importance of Team and Support
13:37 Navigating the Fashion Industry
18:12 Embracing Technology and Authenticity
21:46 Sustainable and Thoughtful Growth
27:41 Virgil Abloh's Thoughtful Brand Strategy
28:52 Learning from Successful Brands
30:05 Balancing Marketing and Product Development
30:53 Data-Driven Decision Making
34:44 Personal Style and Fashion Trends
40:14 The Concept of Powerful Ladies
44:25 Self-Improvement and Leadership
50:04 Expanding the Business Globally
51:05 Connecting with the Brand
00:00 Introduction to Powerful Ladies
00:28 Meet Johanna Davenport Calica
01:17 Johanna's Background and Journey
03:39 Challenges of Starting a Swimwear Brand
08:46 The Importance of Team and Support
13:37 Navigating the Fashion Industry
18:12 Embracing Technology and Authenticity
21:46 Sustainable and Thoughtful Growth
27:41 Virgil Abloh's Thoughtful Brand Strategy
28:52 Learning from Successful Brands
30:05 Balancing Marketing and Product Development
30:53 Data-Driven Decision Making
34:44 Personal Style and Fashion Trends
40:14 The Concept of Powerful Ladies
44:25 Self-Improvement and Leadership
50:04 Expanding the Business Globally
51:05 Connecting with the Brand
342 - Johanna Davenport Calica
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[00:00:00]
Kara: Welcome to the Powerful Ladies. I'm Kara Duffy. It can be so intimidating to start an apparel business. Even scarier, in my opinion, is a swim or intimates business because I know how complex those body specific products are to make. You can easily add 10 times the steps and requirements to make those types of businesses come to life and actually work and go to market.
Kara: This is why I am so impressed with today's guest, Johanna Davenport Calica. She's the founder of LaPorte Swim and they have been expanding so rapidly. They're landing incredible collaborations. They're getting into great retailers. They've expanded beyond swim into ready to wear, and she's breaking additional rules such as creating a swimwear business based in Chicago.
Kara: She and then could have talked for hours about business and fashion and how you need to structure your life to make your crazy dreams work.
Kara: [00:01:00] Welcome to the Powerful Ladies Podcast.
Johanna: Thank you. I'm so excited to be here. Kara, it's really, it's really nice to connect with you like this. I know we've chatted offline and in different ways, so it's nice to officially do an episode with you.
Kara: I am excited as well. Um, let's tell everyone before we jump in, your name, where you are in the world and what you're up to.
Johanna: Uh, my name is Johanna Davenport Calica. I currently live in Chicago, Illinois. Um, that's where I'm seated at the moment. And I am the founder and creative director behind the swimwear and Resort Wear brand LaPorte.
Kara: When I've worked in product creation most of my life, uh, and when I think about categories that intimidate me, it's intimates and swimwear. So when I, when I hear that you've started a swimwear brand, I'm like, you are a brave, brave person. And I say, it intimidates me because [00:02:00] there's such complexity about fit and wear and durability, and it's impossible to to build an intimate or a swimwear brand for women that everyone is happy with. So if we go back to the beginning, what made you say, I have to do this?
Johanna: It's, uh, well, everything, to start off, everything you're saying is true. It's extremely hard and you can't satisfy everyone. Um, and I was one of those people growing up in the Victoria's Secret era where I was mixing and matching and I could never find like the perfect fit. And it was almost like beyond fit for me.
Johanna: It was why does swim always feel like an afterthought? It feels like this thing where someone's like, well, I'll just wear what's good enough. And to me, when you're putting on a swimsuit, it should be like, oh, out of all of your outfits, it's the most naked you'll ever [00:03:00] be in public by choice. So I think that you should treat it. It should be treated like an outfit. It should be treated and felt by the customer. It should feel good. You should feel excited. It should feel like a full look. And so that's really been our approach is fit first. Then style and function and all of that goes into our materials and how we design and really taking this ready to wear approach to swimwear to make women feel their best, um, whenever they're at the beach or the pool or out to dinner, wherever you feel like wearing your pieces.
Kara: And did you have a background in fashion and apparel or was this your first endeavor into the space?
Johanna: Um, yes and no. So in, I went to Northeastern University in Boston and I will forever be grateful for that school because during, do [00:04:00] have an option there. You can do the school in five years and you can work while you're in school.
Johanna: Or you can do it in four years and go to school year round and work. And during my time there, I worked at Rue La La as an intern and I loved it. Growing up on Cape Cod, we didn't really have, like, the closest thing to fashion to me was a Vogue or Bridal Magazine or Cosmo at the Stop and Shop grocery store and j crew at the mall.
Johanna: And like that to me was like fashion and that's how I could connect. Um, the nearest city was an hour and a half away and when I was in school I was like, I really wanna start this clothing brand. And I was a part of this program there called Idea and it was the Interdisciplinary Entrepreneur Association. And they're like, cool. How are you gonna do it? And I was like, I don't know, but it's gonna be great. And okay. And [00:05:00] so while I was in school, I started working and like flushing out this idea what would it look like, what it would feel like. And that vision has evolved over time. And when I told the idea to my parents, they could not have been more supportive. But my dad, and I love him for this, he's so process oriented and he can like get in the weeds and go from like super dialed in to a 30,000 foot view to be able to look at a roadmap and say like, well if you're gonna do this, you need to understand how it's done.
Johanna: And so from there I went to, I was work, I went to day school at Northeastern, worked part-time at Rue La La and then at night I went to Boston School of Design and got my degree in clothing construction. And so. I, I learned the process of how to make clothes. I'm not the best at math and precision. Um, although I did get a very good grade in my cutting class. But, uh, pattern making I [00:06:00] knew was not for me and I would not be making the patterns for all of our swim. And so from there I learned the process. Who are the pieces of the, who are the players that I need to start this business? And from there, I was able to kind of take these pieces of my life over time and this knowledge and like, bring all the, all the elements together.
Kara: Well, I'm, we're, I'm learning so many overlaps that we have. 'cause I consider Boston home, so
Johanna: I, in no way.
Kara: Yeah. I, I, um, went to high school on the North Shore and then really, uh, college in Worcester.
Kara: Mm-hmm.
Johanna: That's amazing. Yeah. I, oh my gosh, I, I miss home. Cape Cod is really, that's where our pearl detailing comes from. Mm-hmm. Um, I was always, you know, I, I had a, a, a lovely upbringing and, but I was surrounded by Lily Pulitzer and pearls and pink and green and this kind of fem bot Stepford aesthetic, [00:07:00] and I was t-shirts, swimsuits jeans.
Johanna: This is not acceptable. I, everywhere I went, I was told, uh, Johanna, you need to go change. Um, and so I never really felt like my personal vibe fit in with the Cape Cod aesthetic. And I've found a way to be able to bring these, like local elements that I love so much. Like I loved the pearls, but the way that it was being brought forth to me mm-hmm. Was not the way that I would style it. And I feel like we were so limited back then in our style expression. Um, and now that's how we utilize it, um, in our design.
Kara: Well, and it's been, I haven't been able to go back, uh, to the East coast this summer, and I'm a big believer that East Coast summers are the best summers anywhere.
Johanna: Ah,
Kara: yes. It's like
Johanna: absolutely
Kara: either give me, you know, it Italy, the Mediterranean, or give [00:08:00] me, you know, the Northeast and it's been so, so much fomo seeing that like New England summer is trending. Uh, and I just know, I mean, I live in California, so I have no complaints. And it's a completely different experience of what summer is and how you beach and how you engage with the season. Um, and now that like fall won't really be here in California until November, so I'm just like doom scrolling, looking at like fall decor and sweaters and I'm like, I've got months to go guys. Like how do I block this for now?
Johanna: New England, summer New England fall. There's nothing better. There's nothing better than that air. Yeah. Oh, it makes me so happy when I'm home.
Kara: Yes. Um, so you went from Northeastern and working your butt off, like, I don't know if you actually ever had time to breathe or have fun in that period because between school and work and school again. Um, [00:09:00] and then how quickly from when you graduated, did you launch? Was there a mid section or just right into it?
Johanna: No, there were many years. Mm-hmm. Um, I worked for a startup out of school. I ended up getting really sick. I come to find out I had aspirated, like a piece of plastic, um, oh. And it made me very ill. And one day I was. It came out, I was immediately better and I had had to move home because I, I couldn't function at the time. Um, had to quit my job and I said, okay, what's next? And I, it was kind of at an influx and where I wasn't quite sure what I was gonna do. And I was like, well, I could go to New York. But New York felt too scary for me at the time. LA was cool, but it felt really far.
Kara: Mm-hmm.
Johanna: And I had just visited some friends in Chicago and I was like, well, you know, Chicago's not that far. Like Chicago [00:10:00] was kind of nice. Why don't I try that? So I started applying to graduate schools to figure out what the next steps were and just start moving forward in my life, even if it was taking different course, I lived with a guy randomly off of Craigslist, which. My parents were like, absolutely not. And I was like, no, no, no, he's totally fine. They're like, no, this is a Dateline episode. And he was actually super lovely. Um, shout out to Chris, my former, my former roommate. Um, and I lived with him. I was certified, uh, teaching yoga at the time. So I taught yoga and bar while I was there, until I got accepted into grad school and decided at Northwestern and decided to stay.
Johanna: Um, I actually went to grad school for, um, psychology and had actually worked in a private practice for two years, um, being a licensed [00:11:00] therapist, um, licensed counselor. So that was a, a big part of my life here. And during that time, I met my husband and after grad school, after working at this practice for a while, I was like, there's still something in me that doesn't, it still feels a little square peg, round hole, but like, I feel like I'm getting closer.
Johanna: And uh, that's when he said, he's like, you've always talked about this, like in like the first few weeks of meeting my husband and I talked about like my dreams of starting this brand. And he himself is an entrepreneur and co-founder of a tech company, um, with a co-founder, co-founder who's a female, which I love.
Johanna: Um, and. They've built really something wonderful together. And so he's pretty risk, he is not very risk averse. Um, and I said, you know what? Maybe I should, maybe I should try this. So I just started dabbling in it, started working and got to a point where I was like, [00:12:00] okay, I think I can like quit my job. And at that point, I was doing everything in the business.
Johanna: I couldn't really shape what it was like between like the branding. I did this site, I was doing the shipping, I was doing the design, ordering the fabrics, working with the factories. There are so many intricate pieces.
Kara: So many steps. Mm-hmm.
Johanna: Unless you have the masters of their craft working in each lane, you cannot efficiently start a brand. It's just, it's near impossible. Um, and one day I, after going through two different people who really were not the right fit for the brand and. Experiencing like devastating disappointment with factories and just people who weren't right for us. I went on a deep dive and found who's now our COO and head of production, and she is a godsend to me.
Johanna: I wouldn't be doing [00:13:00] this without her, and there's no one else I'd rather do it. She is like the ying to my yang. And once she joined me, we were, we've been able to build the business at an extraordinary rate. Um, from there we hired a sales team and I was able to finally like, dive deep into design and branding and marketing mm-hmm.
Johanna: And fill in the gaps where my strengths lie, um, and be able to start filling out the roles that were further necessary as we grow. Yeah. So that's kind of how, how we came to be today.
Kara: You know, it's, I feel great and sometimes cursed knowing how many steps there actually are in bringing a product-based business to life. Because when someone, you know has an idea for a business, like I'm a business coach, right? Like I am, I do this all day long, help people launch things and optimize them. And there [00:14:00] are certain categories that I'm like, whew, are you ready? 'cause we can do it, but you better buckle up. Yeah. And there's so there are, there are so many intricacies and there are ways to make them more efficient or just like cut things out and have them be in your business model. But you are someone who is detail oriented and cares about the craftsmanship and the messaging landing at every moment. It really is like a fully embedded process that needs to be looked at. And I'm not saying this to scare people away who are listening and have an idea to start a business. It's more just to be prepared like. Who's on your team matters so much. Mm-hmm. Having people who've done it before matters so much. Um, and even if you have like the people who you mentioned, Victoria's Secret, which is actually, they have a, um, remote location in Andover, mass that I worked at where they design, um, [00:15:00] pajamas and intimates randomly.
Johanna: That is really random. I didn't know that.
Kara: So random fact, but, but it was one of my first, uh, foyers into this industry. But the, it's, it's about like you could have people at Victoria's Secret who've done this a million times and taking it to these extraordinary scales, but it's still not going to be a perfect fit for your company because everyone is unique.
Kara: Everyone's gonna have their own challenges, and there is nothing about creating a business and definitely not a product based business that is linear, like. I don't think people realize how often you're gonna have to be like, all right, marketing's done, and then six months later you're like, now we need to like uplevel it again.
Kara: Like you keep, uh, iterating every step as you go. And I think once you get comfortable knowing it has these cycles that everything's gonna keep getting touched to some extent, as you grow, I, that gives me peace of mind to know that I'm not crazy for having [00:16:00] these, like, repeat conversations.
Johanna: No, no. And I feel like starting this business is truly an onion. There are so much that you don't know, and there's so much, even as consumers we take for granted of what actually goes into making the product that you wear. It's not someone just like sewing it and putting it together and someone just like slapping a price on it. It's truly a, a work of art and it's everyone coming together to do the best that they can at what they do.
Johanna: And. It's extremely challenging. Um, I think there are a lot of elements that unless you are willing to be grossly curious and willing to make mistakes, don't sign up for this because there's gonna be a lot that you, you don't, you think you know what you're doing and you don't, and that's okay. I don't, and that's why you have people you should surround yourself with people who have, as you said, um, been there, been where, or built where [00:17:00] you wanna go. Steph, our head of production, she has, and she is an incredible experiential background. And I was like, oh, I know exactly what I'm looking for, and like, this person fits that bill.
Speaker: Mm-hmm.
Johanna: Um, I know where we wanna go. Um, but even, even at this moment, there are things that come up. We're like, oh, forgot about that. And you know, teeny tiny things that you think you know what you're getting into and you don't. And that's, I think totally okay. And part of the fun, I think.
Kara: Mm-hmm.
Johanna: So much today is like designed to be easy, and I think so much of our lives are automated that we are, we shy away from what is difficult and I love what's difficult.
Johanna: I love our team and I am so confident in my abilities and the people that I work with that I, that is the only thing that I expect is a positive attitude and, and your mobility, your ability to be agile and reactive versus, or [00:18:00] responsive versus reactive. And how can we stay grounded and make choices that are better for the business? No matter what is thrown our way, which lately has been a lot.
Kara: Yes, so much. Um, I think also what's unique about the space that you're in with swimwear and just women's fashion in general is there is so much evolution about body positivity. Can, are we gonna switch to all AI models? You know, are we leaning into reality of who consumers are?
Kara: Or are we going the opposite direction into the fake models? Fake real, like fake images of reality. Where have you guys kind of stood on what stories you wanna tell and how you wanna relate to your dream customers?
Johanna: Um, you know, I think AI is really interesting. I think at any junction, any. Technological progression.
Johanna: It's important to [00:19:00] always be thoughtful. And as a brand that's a core value. It's one of my personal values. And so how we execute our assets are really important to me. We always have, I always joke that like I should have been born in the seventies because that's really more my vibe. Um, like this nostalgic, slim air and aesthetic, which
Kara: mm-hmm.
Johanna: Filled me untouched, unfiltered, raw, and yet elevated at the same time. Mm-hmm. Not so stiff. And I love that we've never, we don't use retouch on any of our models. We present them as they are because all of these women are stunning. Like, when people are like, what really makes a model a model? And I'm like, their skin.
Kara: Yeah.
Johanna: Their skin's beautiful. They just have this natural skin. Like there's something about the way their skin is and the way they move and how they can just. Effortlessly give you a little petty look and you're like, why does that look so good? It's just there. It's just some [00:20:00] people are born with it and that's incredible.
Johanna: And I think, there are times when we have forgotten to shoot a style or oh my God. We're like, oh my God. And this most recent collection, we created a set in this coral, a lace set in coral. Well, when I put it on to try out the sample, I was like, this is giving grandma fleshy, not the vibe. And we decided to. Turn it to Navy, but we didn't make a Navy sample. We just have a coral sample. So you have to utilize technology. We utilize AI and our, um, our graphic designer, and you, you can change elements like that. Mm-hmm. For me, personally, I foresee us using AI as a way to do ghost imagery, as a way to do flat lays, to change colors, to be thoughtful.
Johanna: But I really believe that even though AI will push us forward [00:21:00] technologically, I actually think there's more connection to be had because with, for every like trend that there is, there's like an anti trend to it. And I think human connection is that, and I want to maintain human connection, like offline is the new online Yes.
Johanna: In my world. And I think it's important to keep that at the forefront. That will always be my MO. Um. I really am not even on my own personal social, I'm not a big poster. I would love to try to be more like that, but I, it's just not na, it's not natural to me. I'm a big offline person and I infusing that into the business and being thoughtful of how we use technology is important to me for the future.
Kara: You also mentioned earlier about like being accessible and I know from my experience that when you know how long it takes to make a new product and you know the steps and you know the [00:22:00] cost. Like, everything that comes into my house, I have a different appreciation for, because I know whether it was my cell phone or a water bottle or you know, these new jeans, I have so much went into making that happen.
Kara: The whole world had to touch it in some capacity to get it to into my house. Mm-hmm. And it's really shifted, seeing behind the curtain changes how I value and treat what does get allowed into my house and how I take care of it. And I also know part of why I left working in fashion at the time was I couldn't understand why we needed more stuff.
Kara: Like the conversations were always about adding more SKUs, adding more quantities, opening more stores, and of course that's the, there's an element of like, that's the game of it. But we were talking about like multi-billion dollar companies. I'm like, do we need [00:23:00] more? At those companies. And I think there's such an interesting space for these, you know, right sized fashion companies that have room to be innovative and bring in freshness and keep the design conversation going without being like, and there's 1 million of these in circulation.
Kara: So kind of two-parter here about what is your approach on the, let's just start there. What is your approach in your business of creating freshness and newness? And are you chasing the million unit order or are you thinking about it in a, , more premium capacity?
Johanna: Um, well, my whole approach on design and it, this, it says it in our Instagram bio, we're destination wear for the discerning and not as me as a customer. I'm a very discerning customer. I think I [00:24:00] study it, I wait to purchase. And I think our price point positions us. We are strategically in the advanced contemporary, which sits you above contemporary, but below luxury. Mm-hmm. And to me, I recently was listening to a podcast, so it was talking about how scale scale always breaks things.
Kara: Yes.
Johanna: And, and scale can break companies. And I never set out to create, a mass market company. I think it's always important to be thoughtful of when you do certain things, if you're gonna go into a different category, to be really mindful of it. Um, like you can't just like go into men's, I tried it, it doesn't work. You can't just like make it be like, Hey, because we make women's swimsuits, men should buy this too. Whole other set of buyers.
Kara: Yep.
Johanna: Whole other pricing strategy. It's not, two plus two equals four. Um, and so that is the thoughtfulness that we bring to our business [00:25:00] strategy. We just launched globally. When this podcast come comes out, um, we'll be presenting at Paris Fashion Week and our strategy has always been to create exclusives. Mm-hmm. So that it's, you can go wide and deep, but you can create, also create newness and exclusives where only X amount are made for a certain vendor and it makes fresh product for them everyone can feel special and everyone can have what they want. Um, and we work with specific factories in that capacity so that we can do smaller batch runs and we have the capacity to tens of thousands of units, but we're not just running the same one piece a gajillion of times.
Johanna: We have a core offering that will always be consistent in our flow. Mm-hmm. But we're not pumping out, um, mass market here. That's not what we're designed to do. And I think we do cater due to the intricacies of our design and our fabrication, we [00:26:00] do cater to a higher end clientele which is also how we are priced accordingly.
Kara: Well, and I think a question that businesses don't ask themselves enough is like, what is, um, sustainable as a business model and like, what is actually enough? Like you can have a very successful, very profitable business at all different revenue, uh, numbers, you know, and, and for some businesses being a $10 million a year business is perfect for others, it's, you know, even 2 million can work or a hundred million and the number doesn't correlate to how much stuff we're making because things aren't a dollar. Right. So, but I think we undervalue thinking about intentional growth, which I think you guys are doing versus growth for growth's sake. And so many corporations I've been a part of or have been brought in to be a consultant, they're like, why isn't this model working anymore? I'm like, well, you've [00:27:00] sucked the entire soul out of the business 'cause you've leaned into. All sales, all operations, all efficiencies. You're saying yes to everyone. Like no one cares if you're saying yes to everyone. Like how are you making sure your customers feel seen and special? And you can't do that when you're servicing millions of people. And I think people forget that, like it's, you know, the, they used to have the phrase like being the sellout, like, and it's, there's a line of like growth versus growth because it's purposeful versus growth because it's growth.
Johanna: Yeah. I think a great example of catastrophic rise of a brand and with combined thoughtfulness would've been Virgil Abloh with Offwhite.
Kara: Yes.
Johanna: Mm-hmm. He was so mindful of how the brand was executed, and [00:28:00] yet he was able to bring it to a meteoric rise. And he was the soul of the company and soul of the design. And I think he was so forward thinking in his strategy and everything that he did was so thoughtful. Every store that they opened had different product that the New York store had different product than Mikanos, than Paris, than London. Like everything was special that he touched, and yet he did it at such scale and, but that was over the course of several years.
Johanna: And the way in which he, in from my perspective of it, he, he built things up, but he, he went tall and he went wide as he did it. And I think that is something I always say, as he said, the blueprints are out there. You just have to be willing to learn [00:29:00] and study and look at these other brands and see what are people doing.
Johanna: Mm-hmm. Be curious, be wildly, wildly curious. It's rather than looking at their brands and being like, oh, they suck if, but they're doing, you know, tens of millions of dollars just because you're not, I'd be like, I look at them and I'm like, okay, they're getting something right here, what is it? Mm-hmm. And you can really dissect a business, even as a consumer if you really want to. And you can learn so much from strategy. And I think. That's our approach is to learn from who did it best and, and model and be really thoughtful as we grow.
Kara: Well, and and that's such a great example as well, of having media work success and visibility and desirability and opportunities and different collaboration, um, that, that were coming through. And yet all the product is still so hard to find. The scale of the, of the [00:30:00] brand did not equal quantity scale of what they were making.
Johanna: Yes, yes.
Kara: And I, people often think like, well, we have to just have more units and just has to be more all the time. And there's one brand that I was working at where I was head of product and I said, I wanna move 75% of our budget to marketing. And they went, why would you ever say that? I go because we don't need to be making this much product, but if our marketing isn't working, none of this matters.
Johanna: Yeah.
Kara: And it, I just don't know that enough brands get that piece. So like how are you guys balancing how much you're investing in telling the stories and also in the new designs. 'Cause it's all, all of those areas are really glamorous, but they can also, you get writer's block in design. Yeah. And good content, just like anything else.
Johanna: Absolutely.
Kara: Mm-hmm.
Johanna: I think that's a piece that is very nuanced to every season and as [00:31:00] you go into your roadmap, because budget matters and you have to make and create in order to have revenue, in order to have the budget for the next marketing period.
Johanna: So I think it's a combination of looking at each season's revenue, pulling it over and seeing like. From a truly a data analytics perspective. We're a very data-driven company. And I think a lot of creatives are all about just like, well, let's make newness new, new, new. But you have to look at also like what does really well?
Johanna: Mm-hmm. And how can you roll it over in a new and fresh way that continues to generate revenue for you and how do you, how you allocate that into your marketing budget. And this year was like a really, it was a huge year for us. We tripled our business, um, which
Kara: amazing
Johanna: in what felt like overnight. Yeah. It's, we've, we've hit a [00:32:00] couple really incredible milestones that were not expected. And so it's allowed us to then look at the brand, step back and be like. Now that we're going global, I think this requires a little bit of a fluff and buff rebrand. Mm-hmm. And so we put some budget towards that. And then all of our new assets, we just did the, a two day, the most expensive shoot we've ever done in the history of the brand.
Johanna: We have video now. We have a, a, an element that we're incorporating is ai, but it's like the tiniest part of our production, um, coming forward, which is not any human AI in that. But it's more for fun. I'll call it more on the fantasy side of AI and branding, um, or in brand marketing. Um, and that's kind of how we look at it. We look at it season to season, but we also have our staples that allow us to have, have a certain framework. But we strategize off of data always.
Kara: You have to, I mean, um, I think sometimes [00:33:00] that Olivia or my business partner that, you know, like. Looks at me and she's like, why are there so many spreadsheets in our Google Drive? I'm like, 'cause there's so much data that's telling us so much stuff. And like,
Johanna: yeah,
Kara: I'm like, pivot table wonderlands, because it does actually help us. It justifies our intuition. It can course correct us if we don't, um, if we have doubts. And today there's so much data across the brand from SEO metrics, ad sales, TikTok, let alone consumer behavior. And then of all of our budgets and all those fun things too, calendars, maybe that's my biggest tip to people listening. If you're gonna start a product based business, um, learn how to love a spreadsheet.
Johanna: Absolutely. Absolutely. It's, the data is important. And I think previously that's something that I shied away from because numbers honestly don't lie., And I'm someone who previously would be like, it's not this style, let's do this. [00:34:00] And so I was like, no, no, no. This is like, this is how you grow properly.
Johanna: Mm-hmm.
Johanna: Um, you have a certain amount of core and then you have new development and then the line expansion, um, and getting into different categories and what is like the matrix and the ratios that you develop, new that you expand into, where are you investing?
Johanna: Mm-hmm. What did season on season, you know, last season's data and not saying like. A resort season prior to spring and summer, but what was last spring and summer, what did really well? Mm-hmm. Because they're very different seasons. Um, yeah. And, and design that you're catering to. So it's important to, to keep that in mind when you're building out the business.
Kara: As you are now, you know, kind of guiding how women feel about themselves and giving them confidence and kind of your, your, uh, contributor to the story of what it means to be fashionable and wearing a [00:35:00] bathing suit and be female. How do you, like, what pressure do you put on yourself to honor that space?
Johanna: I. Honestly, majority of my time, I'm in sweatsuits, um, because I live on my computer and when I'm not
Johanna: I am always surrounded by, I feel like the luckiest person with my friends. They're all so amazing. So if I'm not, if I'm like a week before my period and I am just like paying, I always say paying the, the troll toll.
Johanna: You know, it's like, it's the best, the best fashion is great friends. And I really, I, I love that about my life. And so I never really feel the pressure of like, do I look right? Is this the perfect look? Is this gonna photo well? Sure. Like if I'm on vacation, I'm like feeling saucy, I'll be like, get a quick pick of me. Like, is this cute? But you know, I have a spray tan, I [00:36:00] got a lymphatic fat drainage massage and I did all the things to feel good. Yeah. So, you know, there's like a time and place for everything. In my everyday life it's, it's pretty chill and I'm not looking to have a super curated look. Mm-hmm. It's just easy. And that's how our pieces are designed. Mix and match them. Wear them on your own. Honestly, half the time when I'm out in Michigan with our friends, it's jeans and like a bikini top. Like I'm wearing underwear, but I'm just like hanging out..
Kara: Yeah.
Johanna: So I, I always wanna look at our pieces and think of like, how can someone wear this outside of just being at the beach, like, you know, moms chasing after their kids at the country club or on their vacation, like a cute mini skirt to make you feel fashionable. These little details that just add a little pep in your step and ease into your attire so that you can throw it on and feel like totally done. And you don't have to fuss because I don't like fussy. I mean, I'm wearing a sweatshirt in this conversation. I like to keep it [00:37:00] easy. Um, it is something I'm passionate about is creating ease and making people feel really good in like, the least amount of effort.
Kara: I think that's also why so much of the nineties aesthetic is trending right now, because yeah, there is a a blend of practicality that is seen through it. And it wasn't, I mean, I level me like oversimplify a whole decade of like what was happening trend-wise, but it's, it's much more like there's the nineties aesthetic that's trending is something that's lasting and you know, it's a mix of hand-me-downs and classics and more, are you comfortable doing the thing you're doing versus do you look overly done?
Johanna: Yeah. Yeah. I think the, I guess was an interesting era, but I think everybody's, like, every year there's a new [00:38:00] old becomes new again. Yes. Um, and I think every millennial was just dying. When low-rise jeans came back, we're like, you know what, we're, we're still recovering from that. I'm not ready. I'm not ready for low rise to be back. No, love everyone who's wearing them, but for me right now, it's not, it's not a fit. And that's okay. Um, that I think there was so much before us, that was nineties were really kind of the last decade that was truly analog. I feel like there was so much more free expression, whereas now I sometimes I feel like everybody looks the same.
Kara: Yes.
Johanna: And that's why detailing, I think, is so important to stand out as a brand and like know who you are.
Kara: Mm-hmm.
Johanna: Because not everyone's gonna love it. And you have to have this element that people can play with and like how it speaks to their style and how can they. It to make it their own. And that's really, [00:39:00] that's important. And in life and how you dress. 'cause it's what makes you feel like you,
Kara: I mean, being someone who, um, I graduated like I was in high school in the nineties, and I miss the concept of how are we all being interesting and different and what we all bringing to the table. Like when I think of the ideal community, I think of a dinner party in New York where you, there could be someone in financial services next to someone who's a sculptor, next to somebody who like, who knows what all these random collective of people do.
Kara: But there's a shared level of interest or place or history. And I, and yeah, I, I do not understand the cloning, um, that has come through so much of the social media component. Um, because there's so much fun to be had in [00:40:00] choosing for yourself and creating your own narrative, whether you choose to share it on social media or not. That totally. I'm like, no, I wanna know who you are not. Can you replicate what somebody else did?
Johanna: Yeah, I agree. I agree.
Kara: So we're of course in the Powerful Ladies podcast. So when you hear the words powerful and ladies, what do those definitions mean to you or those words? And do their definitions change when they're next to each other?
Johanna: Oh, I love that question. That's a great question. Um, I love, uh, fun fact about me. I'm like maniacal about language and like choice of words. Um, so to me, to an opportunity to think about words and how we use them is really fun. All my friends are really, I'm like, well, if you consider the context in which they're like, can you not? Um, so I love thinking about powerful ladies in this concept. I think it's almost, it's [00:41:00] in a traditional sense, it's almost, it, it creates this dichotomy, right? Like where previously powerful was only for men, and only men could have power. There were only certain seats at the table. And ladies, you know, it was all about overly femme and soft and sweet and well, you just, you sit over here.
Johanna: And so when I think of them coming together. I think it's about the creation and the elevation of women and creating more seats at the table and more equality. Um, I'm a big fan of everyone can work together. Men and women, we can all share the same amount of power. And I think it's an incredible thing because I think life is all about balance.
Johanna: You have to have a yin and a yang all the time, um, even energetically. And I think being a woman is such a blessing and a curse. You [00:42:00] know, we as women, men don't have to pay the troll toll that we do.
Kara: No,
Johanna: they don't. Um, and yet power comes so easily or more easily to men than it does women. And there's so much that we go up against. So for me, I would say bringing them to together, those two words together brings me great joy. It brings me hope, and it feels. Inspiring. Um, I think of all my friends, I think of the women in my life who are just so incredible and moving through life, being so grounded and presenting with grace yet so strong. And I think that's part of what power is. I think people think that power is about like reaching a certain height, but to me it's about moving in a really grounded way forward. It's not just climbing that like corporate ladder in a traditional sense. I think there it's [00:43:00] so much more complex than that.
Kara: We also ask everyone where you put yourself in the powerful lady scale, if zero is average everyday human and 10 is the most powerful lady you can imagine, where would you rank yourself today and on an average day?
Johanna: Oh, it's interesting that you put in today and on an average day, because I was gonna say, I don't know, it depends on the day.
Kara: Mm-hmm.
Johanna: Um. I think I'm in this new phase of life where I am always just trying to put my best foot forward to be better every day. So it, it would be hard to put myself on a scale. I think I, I'll let my, I'll let my team judge me for that. Um, but I am trying to garner my own inner strengths and find power in my own right. Um, you know, facing challenges of learning to find your voice and how to articulate yourself properly when you just feel like [00:44:00] being nice and you know that you need to be stronger and tougher than that. It changes every day. So I'll say every number so I don't have to choose. Um, but it's. It's something I'm always actively working on to stay in tune with that power. But my goal every day is to always be grounded and graceful, um, to the best of my abilities.
Kara: I think that a big thing that's underestimated when people jump into entrepreneurship is how much work you need to do on yourself to continue to be the leader that your business needs and to not like, not be the reason it stops.
Kara: What are examples of work that you're doing to, to know yourself better? To keep expanding who, who you know yourself to be?
Johanna: Um, one I, everything I do. With the exception of a few TV shows, everything I listen to, everything I read is falls under the category of [00:45:00] work or self-improvement, always. Mm-hmm. Um, I'm always consuming to learn and consuming to be curious.
Johanna: Um, that's step number one. So number two, therapy. Therapy is great. Um, I love having someone hold a mirror up to me and sometimes that comes in the format of friends. Uh, I am really fortunate. I have a core group of really great girlfriends and one of them in particular is never shy to hold up a mirror and be like, yo, you could work on this.
Johanna: And I'm like, and rather than saying like, what are you talking about? I'm like, you know what? Thank you. Thank you for honoring our relationship and being willing to expose something to me that maybe I was avoiding or was unaware of. And then three is higher people who are better than you. And that might be, they might be better than you at Excel sheets.
Johanna: They might be more calm than you. Mm-hmm. They might be. They just might have a more grounding [00:46:00] presence. Our, our ops team and our partnerships team, they are, they move the way they move through life. I am better because of them. I have evolved and am actively working on improving based on their core values and who, how they present in the business space.
Johanna: And I learn a lot from them. And I try to be as sponge as much as possible to take the good and work with the bad. And I'm really grateful to be surrounded by a lot of people who are not afraid to educate me or share their knowledge with me. So I think who you spend time with is just so important for that self evolution in that space.
Kara: It does. It's like it's, it's who you surround yourself with, and then also the power of proximity.
Johanna: Yeah.
Kara: It's not who you know it, who know, who knows you exist. And that's true as a brand or as a person. And you know, I think so [00:47:00] often we can fall into the trap of hiding behind our computer or our phones.
Kara: And whenever someone's like, why isn't this working? I'm like, have you left the house? Have you gone into a room that you don't normally go into with like other entrepreneurs or in a d even a different industry, just to get your brain thinking differently. Um, because yeah, as, as easy as it is today to be at home and running empires from a laptop, um, to your point you mentioned, it's like offline is like the new thing and the most successful people I know have a healthy offline space for their business and their personal lives.
Johanna: Yeah. In, in our recent collaboration with Camille Caustic, there was an issue early on that arose something logistically, and she said, my mantra in life has always been, and I made it rhyme because [00:48:00] otherwise I will forget anything as long if it rhymes, I can remember. Um, but it's every day in every way, things are working in my favor, and I truly believe that.
Johanna: And when things aren't working, it's due to alignment and what's meant for you truly will be. And I think that's important for anyone to going into this to remember.
Kara: Yeah. It it, when someone asks me how I'm able to make the impact with clients that I do. It's because we're throwing out everything that's not meant for them and their particular business.
Kara: Like there's so many examples of that. We can copy Paste, we can ask chat GPT, but we're not often asking how we build businesses selfishly. And once you like, I don't know, you feel the alignment differently. Like I'm sure you felt that, you're like, things are sticky or things are moving. And the more that we can tune into what that feels like for us
Johanna: mm-hmm.
Kara: It makes it so easy to make [00:49:00] choices when you're like, Nope, this feels good. This is, this is an easy choice. Versus why is this not working?
Johanna: Yeah. She, she fundamentally rewired my brain and talk about being around someone whose presence is such a gift. And I mean, she is so much more than being, she's obviously so stunning, but she really rewired my brain in a lot of ways and. It's all, again, as I said, it's all about who you spend your time with and who you, who you choose to be around that really matters and how you improve as both in business and just as a person in general. Yeah, because I think as an entrepreneur, there's so much of that that overlaps.
Kara: This is also a very connected, supportive, wanting to pay it forward and make magic happen for people community. What is something on your to-do list, wishlist, manifest list that you wanna put out to this group? How can we help? What do you [00:50:00] need
Johanna: right now? Uh, we're just working through the kinks of expanding the business globally. It's a, it's a big endeavor. Mm-hmm. Um, so honestly, thoughts and prayers, just, just keep me on your mind. Please send me well wishes. I am. It's a lot. Our team is unbelievable, and that's something that we're, we're really striving for.
Johanna: But I'm really hoping that in the next year, um, my capacity to give back continues to expand. Um, I'm really excited to start working with the branch, uh, or is it North Branch? Um, and being able to mentor more people and just honestly sharing more hot, just more hot tips. Let's, like, I love how I, I could talk about brand building and business scaling and all of that all day long.
Kara: So I just a girl of my own heart.
Johanna: Yeah. I, I love that. So if anyone [00:51:00] has any questions, feel free to hit me up. I'm, I'm happy to sound off.
Kara: Well, for everybody who wants to connect with you and to buy your products, what are all the places that they can find, support, follow and contact you?
Johanna: Um, we are at LaPorte Swim on Instagram and at LaPorte on TikTok. I am at Joe Davenport Calica and we're LaPorte swim.com. You can find us also on Revolve Anthro, Dillards, and Moda Operandi coming this fall. So we're very excited.
Kara: Well, I am so happy that Olivia connected us and that you are Yes.
Johanna: Me too.
Kara: To this conversation and to powerful ladies. And it's, yeah, it, it brings me joy to talk about all those same topics. So to find someone who is like, yes, let's just, we could go for hours. I, I can Happy as a clam..
Johanna: Me too. I'm wishing you guys all the best. I'm so [00:52:00] excited to see what you guys do in this next year, and as always, an open book in here to support.
Kara: Thank you.
Speaker 3: Thanks for listening to The Powerful Ladies Podcast. If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe. Leave us a review or share it with a friend. Head to the powerful ladies.com. We can find all the links To connect with today's guest show notes, discover like episodes, enjoy bonus content and more.
Speaker 3: We'll be back next week with a brand new episode and new amazing guest. Make sure you're following us on Instagram or Substack at Powerful ladies. To get the first preview of next week's episode, you can find me and all my socials @karaduffy.com. This is a Powerful Ladies production produced by Jordan Duffy and Amanda Kass.
Speaker 3: Until then, I hope you're taking on being powerful in your life. Go be awesome and up to something you love.
Related Episodes
Episode 293: How Personal Style Shapes Who We Are | Olivia Ivey Bannock | OIB Styling & Co-Founder of Olivet
Episode 224: She Couldn’t Find a Swimsuit She Loved, So She Created One | Hayley Segar | Founder, onewith swim
Episode 281: From Goodwill to Global Style | Mylea Hardy | Founder, Forager’s Goods
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Created and hosted by Kara Duffy
Audio Engineering & Editing by Jordan Duffy
Production by Amanda Kass
Graphic design by Anna Olinova
Music by Joakim Karud
