Jaime Shetler and Laney Williams have known each other since they were 9 years old.
Little did they know that almost 20 years later, they would be launching a swimwear company together.
"I had a concept in my head for a couple of years and decided to go forward," said Shetler, who used to work as the West Coast sales rep for Scrapbook, a young contemporary Los Angeles label, before starting the swimwear line Luca Lynn. (The company is named after Luca––Williams' son––and Shetler, whose middle name is Lynn.)
The friends live miles apart––Williams resides in San Diego, and Shetler is in Laguna Beach, Calif.––but in this high-tech world, distance means nothing.
Williams is in charge of production and customer service. Shetler heads up sales and design. The pair chose to manufacture their swimsuits in Brazil because Williams' husband is Brazillian and they have a house there. "Along with great fabric, Brazil is one of the best manufacturers of swimwear," Shetler said.
The pair use Brazilian nylon spandex for their line of mostly two-piece suits devided into four groups: tattoo, nautical, Rasta and camo (camouflage).
Some of the suits are embellished with sewn-on, screen-printed designs of butterflies and sparrows to give them a certain tattoo feel. Anchors and sailboat screen-printed designs grace the nautical group. Some of the suits have belts that can be removed and converted into elastic headbands.
Luca Lynn, which wholesales from $45 to $55, aims for a 16 to 30-year-old crowd. For more information, call (760) 672-6689 or visit www.lucalynn.com.––D.B.
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