During Women’s History Month, Women in Retail Leadership Circle (WIRLC) will be highlighting women who are making history today in the world of retail. The first in this series is an exclusive interview with Caroline Danehy, the co-founder and chief brand officer of Fair Harbor, a brand of environmentally-friendly swimsuits inspired by a coastal lifestyle. Danehy started the company when she was 17 years old, and has recycled nearly 30 million plastic bottles to create Fair Harbor swimwear in the process.

Inner Circle: Tell me a little about Fair Harbor and how you got started with the company.

Caroline Danehy: I started Fair Harbor with my brother, Jake, about nine years ago when I was a senior in high school. Fair Harbor is a sustainable apparel company, and we make our products out of recycled plastic bottles and other environmentally-friendly fabrics. It’s our mission to make products for people to enjoy the places they love while protecting them too. And we’ve had a real impact: To date, we’ve recycled over 30 million plastic bottles.

Our brand was inspired by Fair Harbor, a small town off the coast of Long Island where we spent summers learning to swim, surf, and fish and consequently became connected more with the environment. While Fair Harbor is our spot, everyone has their version of it. And we’ve focused on creating an inclusive platform that connects people through shared similar experiences in places they love and want to protect too.

IC: What are the biggest challenges you face when you make sustainability a core value of the company?

CD: Since we started FH, sustainability has been ingrained in everything we do and is the lens we look through every day. In the early days, it was tough to find fabrics that also met our standards. In addition, we didn’t have leverage with factories since we were making small quantities of products. However, we’ve now developed our own fabrics and have had the pleasure of working with some amazing partners who understand and value sustainability as much as we do.

IC: Can you talk about the importance of educating your consumers on your commitment to sustainability?

CD: Sustainability is at the core of our mission; however, we’ve always focused on the product first from a customer acquisition perspective and what differentiates our solution-driven products. The incredible comfort of our products is often the entry point for our customers, and then our supporting messages of sustainability serve to educate them. For example, they learn how we create our innovative fabrics by transforming post-consumer plastic bottles into the apparel they love. To date, we’ve recycled over 30 million plastic bottles, which has a real impact. We also organize and promote community cleanups, sharing this information and inviting our customers to participate. These local initiatives help spread awareness as people witness the real impact of everyday waste – bottle caps, cigarette butts, fast-food containers – washing up on the shores of the places they love.

IC: I understand you co-founded the company with your brother Jake. What’s it like working so closely with family?

CD: It’s a pretty special experience to grow Fair Harbor with my brother. Since we shared childhood experiences that inspired the brand, we have a clear vision for our company. We also have complementary skill sets, an important aspect to look out for when starting a business with a partner. We both have a tremendous amount of trust and respect for one another. Of course, we have disagreements from time to time, but we always know that whatever it is, we’ll work through it. It’s been a wild ride, and I couldn’t imagine starting a business with anyone else.

IC: You started the company with your brother when you were still in high school. What advice do you have for young female entrepreneurs hoping to make a splash in retail?

CD: Follow your passions, trust your gut, and surround yourself with people who have more experience than you. Then be open-minded to learning from them. Since starting Fair Harbor at such a young age (17), I’ve always said, “I don’t know what I don’t know”, acknowledging that I have a lot to learn. I feel fortunate to have had the support of industry experts, many of whom I’ve hired on my team.

Also, just keep growing and gaining experiences. I was cultivating skills for Fair Harbor way back when I had a fashion blog in middle school. I would reach out to stores to see if they had events, offer to cover it and write a blog entry about it. I would stand on the steps of Lincoln Center taking pictures of people who walked by and started conversations with people — asking for information on their clothing and about themselves in general. It wasn’t easy, but I learned to put myself out there and cultivate relationships that way. I’ve kept that same mentality in growing Fair Harbor.

IC: Can you share what an average day for you looks like?

DC: Every day is so unique, which is one of the things I love about being an entrepreneur. Some days I am shooting a new collection on location. When I’m in the city, an average day starts at 6 a.m. in my apartment in the West Village. I have a cup of coffee while I get dressed and then head into the office. I bike down to Soho and get there around 7:15 or 7:30 a.m. I am most productive in the morning, so this is when I get most of my deep work done. The team arrives around 8:30-9 a.m., and then I dive into internal meetings around 10 a.m.. I try to spend some time working at my desk, though my days are filled with meetings: reviewing samples, analyzing our marketing strategy, or going over an upcoming shoot concept, to name a few. I usually head out around 6:30 or 7 p.m. I might meet an advisor for a drink or try to get myself to Equinox to work out. I end every night journaling and going through the following questions: What did I do well today? What could I have done better today? What can I improve on?

IC: Where can people find your products?

CD: Online at www.fairharborclothing.com, at our retail stores in downtown Manhattan or Palm Beach, FL. We’re also sold in select stores, like Nordstrom, Saks, and a few hundred smaller retailers around the country.

IC: What’s next for the company in 2023?

CD: We’ve experienced significant growth over the last few years and have recently grown the team to support our future expansion. We’re taking this year to implement process, structure, and calendar milestones that we can continue to build upon as the team grows. In addition, we have some incredible product launches coming out this year that I’m really excited about, including new collaborations with amazing partners. The sky’s the limit for where we’re looking to take Fair Harbor, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for us.