As the 45-year-old Australian swimwear powerhouse bounces back from Voluntary Administration and returns to former owners L Catterton, the brand formally announces Brendan Santamaria as Seafolly’s new CEO. Santamaria is set to fix, reset and grow Seafolly, paving the way to recovery through the challenging COVID-19 retail landscape whilst tapping into the brand’s local and international growth potential.
An established Australian Business Leader, Santamaria has over 15 years of CEO experience in the branded Consumer goods industry, leading global brands such as Everlast, Lonsdale and Disney. In his most recent role as CEO of Designworks, he transitioned a private label apparel business into one of Australia’s largest branded apparel and footwear wholesalers.
Brendan Santamaria: “I am excited to be joining the team at such a pivotal moment for the brand and the global retail environment. Now is the time to shake things up at Seafolly and I see real opportunity for Seafolly to emerge post Voluntary Administration as one of the world’s most iconic swimwear and beach lifestyle brands. To date the brand has established and nurtured a global loyal customer following especially here in Australia. Our goal is to grow this customer base further and set the brand back on its trajectory to global success, together with our partners.”
Commenting on the appointment, Head of ANZ at L Catterton, Ondrej Ruzicka stated: “Brendan’s appointment comes as SEAFOLLY embarks onto a new chapter in its journey to further grow and elevate the brand that has been leading the Australian swimwear market for the past four decades. Brendan’s extensive leadership and retail experience will be a huge asset to SEAFOLLY in the next phase of retail post Covid-19 and in bringing it closer to becoming the world’s most iconic brand in this exciting category.”
ABOUT SEAFOLLY
Founded in 1975, SEAFOLLY has become synonymous with the Australian active beach lifestyle. Known for its dedication to superior fit, SEAFOLLY continues to set the standard for on-trend swimwear, cover ups, active swim, accessories and girls’ swimwear. The brand’s seasonal marketing campaigns feature world renowned talent such as Gigi Hadid, Miranda Kerr, Jessica Hart, Shanina Shaik, Toni Garrn and most recently Elyse Knowles.
There are 31 Seafolly stores globally (27 in Australia, and 4 in Singapore). The company ships to Australia. Singapore and the US through its own ecommerce site.
