How best friends built a wildly successful men’s swimwear brand: Vacay Swimwear

Best friends who quit their jobs to start selling a men’s swimwear brand have revealed how signing a million dollar deal with David Jones made them one of the hottest swimwear on the market.

Vacay Swimwear Launched in early 2017 by founders Jordy Kallios, 27, and Corey Decandia, 28, of Adelaide, South Australia.

The pair decided to start their own business after noticing a “huge gap in the Australian market” for stylish and affordable men’s swim shorts.

Vacay Swimwear was launched in 2020 in David Jones just before the Covid pandemic hit Australia.

“Usually, when a brand first signs the David Jones contract, it is tested in only 10 stores. We were lucky that the buyer believed in Vacay Swimwear and took a calculated risk by testing us in 25 stores,” Jordan told FEMAIL.

“Today we stock all 45 stores across Australia and New Zealand and are currently the best performing male swim brand in stock.”

“Vacay Swimwear has been getting stronger after we started looking for them from David Jones. The collections have signature style with an Australian design backbone at a competitive price, which is why I think our customers love them,” said David Jones Menswear buyer Briar Withers.

“Our exclusive collaboration with Vacay, the Byron and Bondi swim shorts, will launch later this spring, just in time for the warmer months ahead.”

In the past fiscal year alone, the brand has achieved its sales target of one million in sales and has grown from a small office to a huge warehouse space with employees.

The colorful, stylish $79.99 swimwear is now available at major retailers including The Iconic, as well as online stores in Europe and Asia with plans to expand into the US.

“Seven figures don’t come overnight — if you understand your customer, are open to new ideas, produce the right content, and keep learning, you can achieve your business goals,” Jordan said.

Corey added: “I think the lifestyle we portray as a brand creates such a strong brand identity for us, which is ultimately the life Jordan and I love to live… summer and travel! We have always kept this ideology as our core focus in everything we do.

“I see a lot of brands get lost because they try to be too many things. We know who we are, the brand for the traveling man.’

The business idea came about during their European summer break in 2016 when they saw other men wearing bright, multicolored shorts – a style the duo had a hard time finding at home.

The pair previously told FEMAIL that their achievements were not an overnight success, but they have been victorious through continuous hard work and dedication to the brand.

After returning from their overseas trip, Corey and Jordy started designing and making shorts for themselves and some friends.

While both founders studied marketing at university before starting the brand, neither of them have a background in business or textiles.

Today they are proud of what they have achieved in the short span of five years.

“We had no idea about manufacturing, making clothes, sewing or what it takes to run a business, so it was a lot of trial and error at the beginning,” Jordy said.

“But we persisted and swapped the test pieces until we found the perfect fit we wanted.”

Jordy said the product development process took up to eight months to ensure their swimwear met the highest possible market standards.

Since the inception of the company to this day, the couple designs and leads the creative direction of the brand.

Both Corey and Jordy have committed full-time to growing the brand and reaching its maximum potential.

The $79.99 shorts are quick-drying, on-trend and can be worn to the beach, pool or bar.

Each print is named after and inspired by the world’s most iconic vacation destinations, such as Bora Bora, Mykonos, Miami and Ibiza.

In addition to the popular shorts, the brand now sells t-shirts, 100 percent linen shirts and caps that complement the shorts.

Corey said the brand usually releases two drops a year to cater to both the Australian and European or American summer, and each release includes new prints they haven’t sold before.

Eight months after its launch, Vacay Swimwear was in Australia’s largest online retailer, The Iconic, followed by its Asian equivalent Zalora.

“We were so excited to be on a platform like The Iconic because it was one of the goals we had from the start,” Corey said.

The clear swim shorts can also be found in more than 60 retail locations in Australia, Indonesia and the Middle East.

When asked what’s next for Vacay Swimwear, Corey said they aim to grow the brand internationally in the US and Middle Eastern markets.

“There’s no secret formula for success – it’s all hard work, perseverance and dedication,” Jordy said.

Corey added, “Knowing that we built the company from scratch and now that the brand is recognized worldwide is a great feeling.”

“Now that the world has officially opened up and travel is once again on the horizon, we are partnering with a major global hotel chain known in Europe and America – stay tuned, as we have exciting plans in store. This is going to be huge.’