Daniella Ciano has more than 20 years of experience in the active lifestyle industry. She worked as a global designer at Billabong for 14 years, then launched Rhythm Women’s into the U.S. marketplace and later worked on Quiksilver Women’s. Now, she’s off to a new adventure – launching her own line.
Poolside Paradiso started as a side passion project on the Gold Coast in December 2021 after Jamahl Grey, a founder of Rhythm and a long time industry friend, encouraged her to launch her own line. At the time, Daniella had wrapped up working for Boardriders, was freelancing and had some free time on her hands.
Her debut range, “Tropicale,” draws inspiration from the islands of Hawaii. So far, it seems things are off to a good start.
“Our USA rep, Erin Benjamin, landed three key accounts for the first season – Prism, Free People and PacSun,” Daniella said, adding that the variety of the accounts illustrates the market’s need for an elevated women’s beach lifestyle brand.
“As I have grown out of wearing the traditional surf brands that I wore as a teenager, there wasn’t an option that suited me,” she said. “The other choices are fast fashion/mass-produced brands and then higher-end brands that come with a high price tag.”
Poolside Paradiso aims to deliver a small, curated collection of flattering and functional styles for all body types. The pieces aim to blend vintage inspiration with a modern look with timeless silhouettes, prints and color palettes. Daniella wants the women who wear her clothes to feel stylish without following fast fashion trends or breaking the bank.
“Our prints are not so trend driven, styles are not so complicated,” she said.
Poolside Paradiso swim separates retail at a starting price of $60/$65, and apparel starts at $85. The brand is targeting its distribution toward elevated surf shops and boutiques, with a focus on the U.S. market.
But, while Daniella has a clear vision for the look and feel of the brand, she admits managing the backend of the business – the details of importing to the USA, taxes, duties, etc. – is a challenge she needs help with.
“I have partnered up with Kasa Maison in the USA and Create & Supply in Australia that will manage the logistics/distribution side of the business,” she said. “This will allow me to focus on all the creative like design and marketing assets.”
Daniella says she had no expectations going into the business, but so far, she’s “pretty stoked with it.”
