Meet Jessica Boynton | Founder & Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessica Boynton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
Pattern making and size distribution. We love feedback and ask for it all the time, but sometimes we get feedback about our lack of range of sizes or making new styles. I would absolutely love to make all the sizes in the world to promote body positivity! In fact, I wish I could make each suit custom fit for the person. But to be within a reasonable accessible price range for sustainable materials made in California, it just isn’t possible. Every new design takes me months of back and forth to perfect, along with testing by multiple people to make sure it is the best product out there. Size wise, every size we have has to be paid for as well to make the pattern, and as a small company, having inventory of a large range of sizes makes it really hard to keep my costs down enough to stay in business. That doesn’t mean you all shouldn’t keep dreaming and giving feedback though! It motivates us to find a better and more efficient way to solve our customers pain points.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Hakuna Wear is a no worries swimwear company, we make innovative active swimwear to empower people in the water. Our suits have pockets, are surf tested to stay put, comfortable and supportive, and made with recycled or plant based fabrics. All designed in the heart of San Diego, California, USA. In summary, we are a swimwear/surfwear company that specializes in solving swimwear problems. What gets me excited it helping others through my passion. Swimwear can be hard for a lot of people, and our goal is make that a little easier by making your swimsuit work for you. Our mission statement, our tagline, and the logo that goes with it all represent that desire to help others. Our logo is a rainbow above a barreling wave; the rainbow symbolizes diversity. We believe very strongly in inclusivity, we want to say it loud and proud that the ocean does not discriminate and it is there for everyone to enjoy, and our suits can help you do that. ‘Be free to be you’ is our motto.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This sounds like a delicious and fun week! I will condense it to a day or else it will get too long! I have so many amazing places to recommend in San Diego. We would start out with a morning on the water, wake up early and go surf or paddle board at my favorite break, Cardiff Reef. After getting in the water we would head to brunch. My favorite brunch spot is Kindred, but there are so many good ones. After brunch, we could relax at the beach in OB or go for a stroll in Little Italy along the harbor, both spots have great people watching. If we went to OB we would have to stop for lunch and grab some fish tacos at South Beach or Mike’s. Then for dinner, I would take them to grab Thai food at Chaba Thai in Kearny Mesa or Awash Ethiopian in North Park. Can you tell I love food? After dinner, it would be fun to check out Trailer Park After Dark in the Gaslight District and get our dance on! The rest of the week would be filled with hiking, biking, more surfing, checking out Swami’s meditation area and some food choices like Dija Mara, Sushi House, Din Tai Fung, Craft & Commerce, OB Noodle House, Cotixan, Oscar’s, UnderBelly, Kim’s Vietnamese, and going wine tasting, beer tasting, and drinking at Raised by Wolves, Noble Experiment, and Culture.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Oh my gosh, there are so many! I certainly wouldn’t be where I am without my community. Including my Voyager community. I started with an IndieGoGo and raised 15k, mostly due to family and friends who believed in us. My parents and my Aunt Beryl specifically really believed in my mission, my talent, and our product and that means the world and keeps me motivated. The surf community has also been super supportive, a lot of our first time buyers were in the San Diego Surf Ladies group and they continue to be very supportive in our journey. Groundswell Community Project founded by Natalie Small has also been instrumental. Our mission goes really well with theirs, we believe in empowering people in the water, and they partner with us consistently to elevate our brand and we try to give back to them as much as possible, whether it’s donations, time, or support.

Website: hakunawear.com
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Image Credits
@meganatsea @encinitassurfpics @shfotomassive