# 006: Customizable swimwear with Kelsey Duffy of Versakini

- Show: [Product Startup](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup)
- Published: 2016-04-19
- Length: 49m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-04-19-006-customizable-swimwear-with-kelsey-duffy-of-versakini
- Listen: http://www.theproductstartup.com/episode-6-kelsey-duffy-with-versakini/

## Summary

Kelsey Duffy, CEO of Versakini, explains how she pivoted from the failed Mix Bikini to launch her own interchangeable swimwear brand after appearing on Shark Tank. She details the challenges of manufacturing, including early errors with overseas factories and the importance of building personal relationships with reliable partners in Colombia. Duffy also discusses her strategy of collaborating with Project Runway alumna Amanda Perna to design collections while maintaining a lean team and focusing on direct-to-consumer sales to control brand identity.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-04-19-006-customizable-swimwear-with-kelsey-duffy-of-versakini#t=0) Introduction: Kelsey Duffy and Versakini
- [1:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-04-19-006-customizable-swimwear-with-kelsey-duffy-of-versakini#t=112) From Mix Bikini to Versakini and Shark Tank
- [6:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-04-19-006-customizable-swimwear-with-kelsey-duffy-of-versakini#t=403) Product Development and Design Process
- [9:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-04-19-006-customizable-swimwear-with-kelsey-duffy-of-versakini#t=573) Intellectual Property and Patent Strategy
- [16:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-04-19-006-customizable-swimwear-with-kelsey-duffy-of-versakini#t=978) Collaborating with Designer Amanda Perna
- [21:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-04-19-006-customizable-swimwear-with-kelsey-duffy-of-versakini#t=1296) Manufacturing Challenges and Supplier Relationships
- [30:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-04-19-006-customizable-swimwear-with-kelsey-duffy-of-versakini#t=1853) Direct-to-Consumer Strategy and Competition
- [40:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-04-19-006-customizable-swimwear-with-kelsey-duffy-of-versakini#t=2410) Customer Education and Website Interface

## Topics

- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Intellectual property](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/intellectual-property)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Versakini (product)
- Mix Bikini (product)
- Shark Tank (other)
- Beyond the Tank (other)
- Amanda Perna (other)
- Project Runway (other)
- Mako Design + Invent (company)
- Mini Materials (company)
- Parsons School of Design (company)
- FIT (company)
- Victoria's Secret (company)
- Costco (company)
- Sam's Club (company)
- Nordstrom (company)
- H&M (company)
- Marcus (company)
- Kendall Jenner (other)
- Donald Trump (other)
- Bernie Sanders (other)
- Mara Hoffman (other)
- Lily Pulitzer (company)
- Kat Von D (other)
- Ashley Graham (other)
- Sports Illustrated (other)
- The Power of Broke (other)
- The Lean Startup (other)
- Curious Minds (other)
- American Life (other)
- NPR (company)
- Sanscrit (other)
- Farsi (other)
- Greek (other)
- Latin (other)
- Grimm (other)

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- [HIBT Lab! Universal Standard: Polina Veksler](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-11-hibt-lab-universal-standard-polina-veksler) (How I Built This)
- [Beyond Yoga: Michelle Wahler](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-02-10-beyond-yoga-michelle-wahler) (How I Built This)
- [Aden + Anais: Raegan Moya-Jones](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-07-17-aden-anais-raegan-moya-jones) (How I Built This)
- [Serial Entrepreneur: Marcia Kilgore (2018)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-08-12-serial-entrepreneur-marcia-kilgore-2018) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-04-19-006-customizable-swimwear-with-kelsey-duffy-of-versakini. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Product Startup.