Alumna launches activewear bikini line

Kinda Fancy

Ohio-born Fashion Design alumna Lauren Hoell Phaneuf (CCAD 2008) moved to San Francisco with her brother Colin and sister Lindsey to start Kinda Fancy, a line of stay-put surf bikinis designed for active beachgoers.

Designed and sewn in the United States, the bikinis use four-way stretch fabric and YKK zippers and all are tested to ensure they stay on and "look rad," said the three siblings.

The trio recently turned to crowd funding site Kickstarter to help cover production costs and get their products into more shops around the country.

"Now girls have the opportunity to wear a suit that is as equally functional as it is rad," they wrote on their Kickstarter funding page. "We're no longer forced to choose between unflattering athletic bikinis or sexy bikinis that will fly off when a wave slaps you in the face!"

Phaneuf said her CCAD education equipped her with design skills that she continues to use and build upon nearly six years after graduating.

"CCAD gave me the knowledge I needed to become a successful designer, and I am forever grateful for that," she said.

Phaneuf is from Pickerington, OH, where she attended Pickerington High School Central. She now lives in San Francisco.