Reel Skipper’s founders wanted to get away from the “shrink it and pink it” mentality applied to many women’s fishing clothing companies when they decided to launch their Miami label.
Today, the business that originally began as an answer to founders Michelle Jessica Lynn and Samantha Pettinaroli’s desire for stylish, yet functional, fishing attire is gaining traction from surf shops and the broader outdoor space with the company’s attention to trends, color stories, and fits. The line, now sold in about 125 doors, has managed to nearly double sales each year since its 2014 founding and is set to do the same again this year.
“Women are asking for this type of apparel more often because women’s fishing is growing, and retailers are seeing the demand,” Pettinaroli said.
“Especially after the way the outdoor space exploded during COVID,” Lynn added. “A lot more people are getting outside, and women are definitely some of those people.”
The brand is sold in retailers such as West Marine and Scheels, and has added new accounts in more recent years. Some of that growth has been in specialty surf, with the line sold at industry retailers such as Ron Jon Surf Shop, Island Water Sports, Boca Surf & Sail, Compound Board Shop, IRB Surf and Skate, and Salty Dog Surf Shop, among others.
The two chalk up the traction to an increase in the number of inquiries they’ve received from retailers reaching out to add Reel Skipper to their stores, in addition to a consistent presence at trade shows year after year.
The brand aims to continue that momentum with a big focus on fabrications to set it apart from competitors.
Moisture-wicking, solar protection, anti-microbial, recycled fabrics, and mix-and-match styles meant to be worn beyond the water are features touted for many Reel Skipper pieces.
“We really focus on the type of fabrics that we’re offering. We want them to be high quality and sustainable, which is not the easiest thing,” Pettinaroli said. “A lot of the fabrics you see in the market don’t feel great, so we put attention on making sure what we sell is soft, lightweight, and offers performance properties.”
More recently Reel Skipper made the move to Colombia, with 100% of the next production cycle set to be made in the country. Previously, about half of the brand’s product was made in Colombia and the other half was made domestically.
Reel Skipper co-founders (left to right) Michelle Jessica Lynn and Samantha Pettinaroli. Photo courtesy of Reel Skipper.
Bootstrapping
It was only recently that Lynn and Pettinaroli were able to focus on Reel Skipper full time.
The two bootstrapped the business with about $6,000 in start-up capital, born out of a need they had for trendy, quality pieces to wear while fishing. At the time of the business’s launch, Lynn was working as an attorney and Pettinaroli was finishing up her master’s degree in history. Both say they always had an entrepreneurial streak, but never knew what to do with it.
“At the time, we were fishing every weekend with Sam’s brother-in-law,” Lynn said. “He was taking us out on the boat, and we’d be out there for eight hours at a time in the sun. And, we had nothing to wear. We were getting burned, wearing these cotton, long-sleeve shirts we found in our pajama drawer. They’d get wet and wouldn’t dry.”
The two went to a big box outdoor retailer and headed straight for the women’s department to stock up on pieces that would last on their fishing trips.
“We could not believe the options available,” Lynn said. “Everything was either overpriced, unattractive, or really for a much older customer. We went home that night and thought, ‘I know there’s a lot of girls that fish because we’re Florida girls. We grew up here. We know that everyone’s doing this. Why in the world are there not any brands catering to women on the water?’ We saw this huge, gaping hole in the market and said, ‘Let’s fill it.’”
Reel Skipper headquarters originally started out of Lynn and Pettinaroli’s apartment. They’d work at their dining room table, while the linen closet served as a stock room.
Their first retail account was fishing store RJ Boyle in Lighthouse Point, Florida.
Reel Skipper’s Raya Twist Top and Board Shorts. Photo courtesy of Reel Skipper.
At the time, Reel Skipper was a fledgling business sublimating its designs on premade tops.
“We had our little catalogue. Our price points were terrible. We didn’t know what we were doing, but he (RJ) took one look at it and said ‘I’ve been looking for something like this. I have so many girls coming in here and there’s nothing for them to buy.’ So, he took a chance on us and that was the beginning of our wholesale business.”
The two built the business while juggling full-time jobs and then later part-time gigs before they were able to spend 100% of their time on Reel Skipper. They also made the move to a dedicated office and warehouse.
The two co-founders remain the sole full-time employees with all other work gets contracted out.
Ocean Lifestyle Focus
Currently, about 90% of the company’s sales are generated from wholesale accounts because that’s where most of the energy has been spent, and they will continue to focus on specialty shops. However, the two founders have also more recently pumped greater effort into the website. Now, they see plenty of runway for growth across both channels.
“Despite this being a strange year for everyone, we’re doing quite well,” Lynn said. “Our sales this year are projected to be double what they were last year. So, despite everything that’s going on, we are still in a growth phase.”
To continue that, the company remains “hyper focused” on women in water sports, Lynn said. There’s no interest in expanding to men’s. However, adding kids is a possibility for mommy-and-me types of releases.
“It’s for any woman that’s interested in doing activities on the water,” she said of the target consumer for Reel Skipper. “We started off as a fishing brand. That was our whole ethos and soul of the company. Then, we realized people are buying our clothes to go on a boat. They are using them for stand-up paddleboarding, free diving, scuba diving, even hiking. People are using it as a base layer for snowboarding. It’s really (for) the active female who loves the outdoors.”
Kari Hamanaka can be reached at kari@shop-eat-surf-outdoor.com.
