Community Highlights: Meet Witney Tucker of Laya

Today we’d like to introduce you to Witney Tucker.

Hi Witney, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Growing up in Cape Town, South Africa and spending countless summer days with family and friends on the beach is where my passion for swimwear was born. After years of struggling to find good quality bathing suits that focussed on fit instead of the latest trends, I decided to start my own line of timeless swimwear – one with quality and fit at its core.

Through a process of many years, we developed the perfect bathing suits that we knew would be loved. Swimwear– with SPF 50, seamless finishes and fully lined features on butter-soft, supportive fabrics in a variety of one and two-piece suits. Our pieces are all made on the island of Mauritius by local artisans.

Our commitment is to long-term sustainability and responsible business practices, manufacturing our bathing suits sustainably with environmentally friendly fabrics. We set out to create swimwear you can feel confident in and timeless pieces you will treasure for years to come. “Don’t be shy” are words we live by.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Being a predominately online brand, our struggles have been mainly on conveying the quality and fit of our suits online to new customers. After a few years of building a small but loyal base of repeat customers (who often bought the same suits in multiple colors) and the consistent orders we would get from our wholesale accounts, we knew we had to find a retail space to grow. We are so excited to share we have opened our first retail location at 1406 Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, Los Angeles.

As you know, we’re big fans of Laya. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
In addition to our online business, we have just opened up our first retail store at 1406 Montana Avenue in Santa Monica. You can find our full collection of solid, textured and printed bathing suits here along with other resort-wear brands and accessories. We will be bringing in new pieces monthly so come say hi!

Our fabric quality and fit at our price point are what sets us apart. All our pieces are made on the tropical island of Mauritius and our fabrics are sourced from Spain, have SPF 50, seamless finishes and are fully lined, which make for the ultimate swimsuit so you can feel confident and comfortable in.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
When things are not working out, finding a way to pivot yet stay true to your vision along with hard work will pay off.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.layaswim.com
• Instagram: @laya.swim