Elevate Your Brand

Elevate Your Brand with Kaitie Sjostedt & Lisa Strandberg of The Shore Line

June 28, 2022 Laurel Mintz / Kaitie Sjostedt / Lisa Strandberg Season 3 Episode 41
Elevate Your Brand
Elevate Your Brand with Kaitie Sjostedt & Lisa Strandberg of The Shore Line
Show Notes Transcript

Sisters Kaitie Sjostedt and Lisa Strandberg founded The Shore Line, an independent women’s resort wear brand founded in 2021, made by women for women, featuring effortless feminine silhouettes with a salty spirit of coastal living. Inspired by their childhood growing up on the coast of Florida on the beach, swimming, surfing and everything in between, Lisa and Kaitie built a brand that transitions seamlessly and beautifully from the beach to the city streets—capturing the spirit and magic of a coastal lifestyle. Everything in the collection is meant to work by itself as well as together for a truly effortless and beautiful look.

Laurel Mintz, founder and CEO of award-winning marketing agency Elevate My Brand, explores some of the most exciting new and growing brands in Los Angeles and the US at large. Each week, the Elevate Your Brand podcast features an entrepreneurial special guest to discuss the past, present and future of their brand.

You're listening to the Elevate Your Brand podcast, where we talk to some of the smartest entrepreneurs and fastest growing brands in the market, today. I'm your host, Laurel Mintz, a reformed corporate MAA attorney who founded award winning LA based marketing agency Elevate My Brand. We've elevated some of the world's biggest brands from Facebook, Paw Patrol and Verizon to innovative startups you haven't even heard of yet. Are you ready to elevate your brand? Keep listening.


Hi, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of Elevate Your Brand. I of course. I'm your host, Laurel Mintz, and I am joined today by the Shoreline team, Kaitie Sjostedt and Lisa Strandberg from The Shore Line. Ladies, thank you for joining us today. 


Thank you for having us. 


Thank you so much.


 So The Shore Line is this really fun e-commerce clothing company. Tell us about it and how you started it for sure. 


Kate, do you want to go or you want me to take it?


I mean, you're talking you might as well take it. 


That's a true partnership right there, the sister bond that is through and through our company. 


But yeah. So we are sisters, and we're an independent woman's resort wear brand founded in 2021. We are made by women for women and produced and manufactured in the US. So we're really proud of that. And we really just kind of draw on our inspiration of growing up in Florida and kind of everything that went into the beach style, living to traveling, and so much in between. We started it kind of Kaitie had just graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, and I was moving back to Florida, and I was just kind of struck by the fact that the only thing I'm wearing to the beach is my Jean shorts and a T shirt. And I was like, we've got to switch this up. So I had a conversation with Katie, and that's kind of like where we started. And then she went into her technical background, all the fun stuff. I think that we definitely drew inspiration from our childhood. That was like something that we wanted to play a nod to because our dad took us on to all his favorite places, which happened to be, like very beautiful tropical destination. So we're super lucky. But yeah, we had such great vivid memories of these trips and just remembering things like the pink sand in the Bahamas and the Crystal clear water in the Caribbean and just the laser fair feeling of just kind of floating in the ocean. Those are all things that we wanted to bring to life. I like to say that The Shore Line is more of a state of mind rather than just a brand. And we created it really to be like an essence of our childhood, our upbringing, and the women that we grew to be. 


I love that. It's such a sweet story. I actually have a sister myself, and we talk about doing something together in our life, we could never do that. So I'm so impressed that you have created this really strong partnership. It sounds like you both really cover very specific parts of the business. So, Katie, you're more technical, and Lisa, you're the creative director. Is that a fair assessment? 


Yeah, it's just us have to jump in on everything. So we do a good job of, like, Bob and weaving out of things and taking ownership when it needs to be. But definitely my technical background has helped with fabric development and such, and Lisa's a strong creative, so a lot of our imagery and campaigns and social is run by her. So where I am just I'm lost in space when it comes to stuff like that, dividing and concrete. 


I mean, that's startup 101, right? So those are the lessons that everyone has to learn when they decide to launch a company. And everyone thinks that being an entrepreneur and starting up, especially in fashion, I would say, is such a sexy world. But there are so much blood, sweat, and tears that goes into launching a company like this. Take us back in time. And where was there moment? Was there, like, an Oprah moment where you're like, we're doing this, we're going out, and we're going to build the lookbooks. What was that moment like for you? 


It's so funny. You touch on, like, we have this vision of the fashion industry as being so glamorous and, like, from the outside, yes. And then you go to school and you're like, I don't want to be a buyer anymore because all you're doing is, like, crunching numbers and spreadsheets, and you're not going to the fashion shows and wearing totally expensive clothing. And it's a lot of hard work. But I always thought it was something that was in my DNA to be in this industry. And I think it really was the moment when I went to Fit and I moved to New York when I realized that this was really what I was destined to do. And Fit is so amazing. You get to work with industry professionals within the classroom and the opportunity to work things like Fashion Week and take odd jobs running samples through the garment district, and you just get to learn all you can from tangible work experience, which is amazing. And I think those years were super pivotal for me. And I joined LVMH right out of College and learned about the different maisons. So I got to know, like, the back end business ends of it, as well as the creative end with fashion design. So, yeah, when I started working, Lisa came to me with this idea, and I was like, well, how perfect is that? Why wouldn't we do it? We have the background, we have the bones of the operation. So all we had to do was the simple thing of making it come to fruition, just that little tiny thing of actually making a company, bringing a company to life. 


No big deal. I love how paste about it. It's like, okay, no big deal. We just launched a company in the middle of a pandemic, no less. My sarcasm. I'm sorry. No, I love it. I love it. At least it was really your idea matched with Katie's skill set. And you were like, let's do this. 


Yeah. It just comes back to that denim shorts and a T shirt at the beach. And I thought, we can do better than this. And I love resort wear because I think that growing up in Florida, I love it. I love the Zimmerman, and I love of the storytelling that they do and everything. But then I kept thinking, well, I love that, and I love everything about it, but it just didn't fit my lifestyle. So here I am with three kids running around the beach, and I had this little Zimmerman little outfit on, and my son says, well, here, can you open the ketchup and throws it explodes. And I'm like, this is where, okay, I need something that's washable but still in line and in step with everything that we wanted it to be. So we thought, okay, how can we create this updated cover up but with a fashion point of view? I mean, do people even still talk about cover ups? Or is it more just, like, square, or is it resort wear? That's where Katie and I were like, I came to Katie and was like, we can do this. 


I love that story. I think you're exactly right. The Zimmerman's, the guy is you're like, who's going to pop out while you're trying to get a sandwich. It's not functional for most people, and the fabrics that you've chosen are so easy and breathable and washable. I love that about them. As you know, you both sent me a couple of the looks, and I have been having so much fun with them, especially right now, because I'm in La and it's been 86 to 90 deg, and you just feel like it's a feather in those fabrics. They're amazing. 


Thank you. That was the idea. We put a lot of research into finding the perfect fabric, and we came across this really beautiful, silky radar that we just love. And it's airy, and it's everything you want to put on after you've been in the sun all day, or if you're running errands, you're chasing your kids around. It's just comfortable, and it looks good. And it's silhouettes that are classic and pivotal, transitional and just a 10th of time. 


I totally agree with all of that, and I love that you do these sets. I mean, the sets are, like, such a hot thing right now. Maybe I'm just waking up to them. But, like, the little stripe set, you have names for everything. What's the stripe set called? The top and the bottom. 


We have the Haley pants and the Landon tank and the little kind of our naming behind it is because Haley is our niece and Landon's our nephew. And so they're a little cute little set together.


They are cute little set together. And I love that you can dress them up or dress them down, as you saw this past weekend, I wore them with like a little denim jacket drape moment and a platform heel. And I dressed it up a little bit for a Sunday afternoon out and about in that heat. And it was so lovely and breathable. And I'm totally obsessed with this fabric. Now, I know that you just discovered a new fabric that you're going to be launching soon. Tell us what's next in the line. 


So we're going to do some linen. And I think linen is just like speak summer to me. It's super breathable, it's light, it's soft. All the things that you want in a summer garment. So we found this amazing light linen. And we're going to do a hot pink because. Why not? Because we're actually love that. Yeah. The hot pink moment. Yeah. We're going to do the set, which will be really beautiful. It's almost ready to roll, actually. We're just waiting on the tag. And we got a new dress coming. Like a silhouette, like a maxi dress that's a little more form fitting. Yeah. So we got some fun stuff coming up. 


It's so exciting. And I also know that you have sold out of a lot of your black pieces because the fabric is just like flying off the shelves. Although I can't really say that in the ecommerce site, flying off the web, I guess. Is that the appropriate way of saying that? I don't know. Anyway. But it's coming back. So for those of you who haven't been able to get these lucks, they are coming back very soon. And speaking of coming back, we're going to take a really quick break. We will be right back. Today's episode is brought to you by Mexicraft Tequila Seltzer. It is a top shelf tequila seltzer made with craft tequila from Jalisco, Mexico, real juice and sparkling water. Each can contains a shot and a half of premium Blanco tequila, which you all know is my favorite and no more than 3 grams of sugar. For those of you watching that, you can get it in Whole Foods in Southern California or order it online at www.mexiseltzer.com, follow them on IG @mexiseltzer and use podcast20 for 20% off your first order. Thanks for sticking with us. And if you're just tuning in, I am chatting with Katie and Lisa, who are the co founders of The Shoreline, which is the resort wear fashion house. And we were just talking about the fabrics and how you created the brand. Talk to us about what it was like to launch a brand during the pandemic. I mean, 2021 no joke. 


It was a shit show. It was kind of like well, what the f*ck are we going to do? Just sit here and watch the smells of light or are we going to do it? So, I mean, one of the biggest takeaways I think I've had from the Pandemic is like, don't idle. Yeah. Don't stay still and make decisions and make moves, because if you're not moving, you're not going to go anywhere. So we were like, let's do this. And it was really well received. I think it was a time when people really miss their lives and we were representing something that they kind of yearned for, which was travel and relaxation and that kind of thing, which we're very grateful for. It was definitely a devastating time for a lot of us, but we made the best of it, for sure. Drink a lot of so many. Exactly. But I think that when you officially launched, it was right when things were starting to kind of open back up again and people were getting back out into travel, at least domestically. And I think the timing on it was really smart. The other thing that I think was in your favor that I'd love for you to talk about is that everything is made in the US. So you didn't also have all of these offshore issues that so many fashion houses were having. So share with us a bit about that and why you decided to do that. Definitely.


I think that's one thing that I like to talk about is that we have ethical manufacturing practices in place and we have organizational integrity. So when we are starting this and I wanted to be able to control the supply chain as much as I can and that's why we chose to source our materials as locally as possible and shift away from that insufficient supply chain. So we're looking to promote sustainability, local work, and we really pride ourselves on being a US company. And like you said, we didn't have to deal with those delays from overseas shipment that other people did. It was a really good decision and I'm happy we did it. Obviously it comes a little more expensive, but it was something that we were willing to invest in. So that was intentional. That was an intentional decision you made prior to the launch. You're like, this is putting a stake in the ground. This is who we are as a company. This is part of our narrative and we're standing by it. I love that.


Yeah, we did. I think that just knowing from working in fabric and shipping all over the world, I just felt like it was time to bring this practice back to the US and to support local and it tells such a great story. We're a US company made for women, by women. And yeah, it's just a great narrative. Yeah. That was Katie from the very beginning. It was this is what she wanted to do and she really pushed and stood behind it and where we had people reaching out to us to manufacture overseas. And she was just like, absolutely not. This is what we're going to do and we're going to stick with it. And it's actually just been phenomenal for us. 


Yeah. Well, I think you can tell the quality of fabric is there because usually you would get a look like this and it would be from China. Right. And you would wash it once and it would fall apart or pill and you'd be like, what a waste. Right. Not only is it a waste for my dollars, but it's a waste environmentally so damaging this disposable fashion that's been taking over. And this is a real answer to that. I have so much respect for that decision. Thank you. So let's talk about what's next for the line. So you recently just launched in 2021. So you are a little over a year old at this point or were we not quite at the Mark yet? 


Yes, we launched February of 2021. So we are just a year old that we've been out from February. Other than the new fabrics and a couple of new look, what is the long term vision? Because I can just tell by talking to you that you have a bigger picture for what you want this company to be. I mean, you don't start a company in the pandemic. You don't start a company with your sister during this time without a bigger vision. So what does that look like? Let's just say if you could wave a magic wand, what does the future look like for the brand? I think continued growth. I mean, obviously we're small, but I mean, we really believe in this and we think it could be really big. So we're looking forward to expanding our stuff into other markets and maybe developing like a kids line has been something that we talked about. Wanting to do some collaborations with swim and jewelry spaces makes sense. Yeah. I don't know. There's so much you can do with this. And we're excited to implement the new fabrics and get some new clean lines and just have that heritage shoreline vibe for continuously dropping new product. Yeah. And so looking back now from the year prior, what are some of the lessons along the way? Because we have a lot of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs that listen in who are either about to launch a company or thinking about launching a company may be in this space, maybe in other spaces, but would love to hear what are the big takeaways and lessons the two of you have learned along this journey? 


One of my main lessons that I've learned is just to kind of keep your head down and keep going. If it's something that you believe in and you feel like this is something I have a passion for, I really see its place and you are going to hear knows everybody says that. But if you continue to just put your head down, put the work in and keep pursuing what you believe in. I feel like we've just kind of and we've also leaned on each other quite a bit with that dynamic, that feedback and being open to it. So Katie and I, like you were saying, what are your kind of roles? 


We're very fluid and we keep each other accountable for our things and just to keep pursuing and keep pushing if it's something that you truly do believe in and be able to pivot have that flexibility to be able to Pivot. Like when we were thinking of the line, it certainly wasn't going to be launched during Kobed, but we learned a lot. We didn't put up barriers for ourselves. We kind of took them as like, okay, that's a speed bump. It's not a stop sign. It's just a speed bump. We might have to slow down or find other ways to get about what we want to do. But yeah, just that persistence to keep going. 


It really is. It's entrepreneur 101. Just keep putting 1ft in front of the other. I also think so many entrepreneurs, again, just like the fashion industry, they see entrepreneurship as being this really sexy, high profile thing when really it's about how can you be most efficient operationally? How can you make those Pivots to make the brand stronger and make better decisions for the overall company? I have been running my company for 13 years. So I get it. And I completely agree. That's the best lesson I could take away, Kate, anything from your side on the more technical pieces, anything that you would recommend or any big takeaways and lessons in your journey. 


Yeah, you're going to f*ck up. And I touched on this earlier, but it's like don't idle, don't stay still. I think that a lot of entrepreneurs get in their own way and they stop dead in their tracks of fear of making the wrong move. But really, sometimes you have to jump and build the wings on the way down, right? Totally. I don't know. I think that I say to myself, the trick is to collect the tries and turn them into trophies and you'll never lose. I love that. You should make that into a file. That is a great quote. Oh, thank you very much. Yeah. I mean, it's true, though, right? I mean, if you don't make these big decisions, you're never going to have big results. So if you don't try, you're never going to lead yourself in a path of winning. So go ahead. You might fall down six, get up. Well found down 100%. You'll fall down. Yeah, but you get back up. I think that's exactly right. 


I think there's so much to be said about getting out of your own way and getting away from the analysis paralysis or the perfectionism syndrome. Those are really the two things that I see for entrepreneurs that fail in any space. So this mentality is something that was born into you by your parents. Do you feel I mean, your dad clearly instilled this storytelling, this love for nature and beauty and the things that you're now creating on the fashion side. But where did the entrepreneurial spirit come from? 


I mean, you kind of nailed it if you knew our dad. Makes sense. But he never gave up. He always tried over and over again, and he took risks. And he's very inspirational. I think to our entire family, he's a character.


If we ever had any type of ailment or sick or anything, you'd be like, yeah, just go splashing salt water on it. That will take care of it. I think he said that to me the other day, actually. But hilarious. A lot of people in our family are people that we look up to because of their work ethic, and I think a lot of it came from him, for sure. 


That's so funny. I feel like I'm looking in a mirror that was totally who my dad was. And my sister and I both have a very similar work ethic. I feel like the four of us are going to hang out at some point in the near future and tell, like, war stories. Yeah. We're going to take another quick break. We'll be right back. Enjoying the episode? I certainly hope so. But we have no way to know unless you tell us after this episode. Please leave us a review on your podcast app of choice and let us know what you love and what you want to hear next. This podcast is all about you and how else are we going to elevate your brand unless you talk to us? All right. Chatting with Katie and Lisa, who are the co founders of The Shoreline. We were talking a little bit about your background in narrative and some of the lessons you learned along the way. Now I want to turn to you as entrepreneurs and individuals. We do this thing called Quickfire, and it's just top of mind answers, whatever comes up. So let's do it. So the first question is, what is the one thing you could not live without during the pandemic? And you can't sell your own products. Lisa, I'll start with you. 


I was going to go right to wine. Is that terrible? 


No, we've heard that multiple times. I am there with you, girl. Particular category of wine. It depends on season. 


Yes, I'm a Southern young Blanc girl. Yes.


 Katie, are you on the same sponsored? 


Pardon? 


I said, say there the name, and then maybe you'll get sponsored. 


Oh, there you go. There you go. 


We laugh all the time because it's a family joke as well, because of my love for Santa Margarita. And Katie will always laugh at me around Christmas. And she's like, Lisa, is it Santa again? 


That's funny. Well, I have to say, I'm really glad that they saw that in Costco because I always stock up there when I'm at Costco for Santa Margarita. You heard it here first. We talked about if you could wave a magic wand, what you would see for the future of the brand. But if there was someone listening in right now that could help you, what's the one thing you need today to be successful? Is this on me? Am I going like, let's go with you, Katie? Yeah, go for it. 


I would say let's go with an influencer that can influence everyone and get us so popular and pull out of everything. And I'm going to go with the Salty Blonde. I think her name is Hallie Alfante or something. 


Okay, we'll tag her in there. I was going to ask what your go to? Vice of choices, but it sounds like wine is definitely where it's at for both of you. What is your next travel destination? I'm assuming that when you travel, you look for places where you can do some kind of some shoots and things where you can get some content because content is King and Queen these days, as you all know. But where is your next travel destination? 


I'm going to Sonoma next, which I know you probably wanted me to say something kind of tropical, but I just got back from Costa Rica, which is lovely. But yeah, my friend lives out there, so going to do some again. Wine drinking all circles. 


I love it. Honestly, I feel. I feel like we could be really good friends. You're saying all of the right things, all the things that make me happy and joyful in my life. So I totally get it. The last quick bar question is what is your favorite word and why? And this could be something that has had real meaning to you over time or something that just pops into your head during this conversation. And we'll start with you, Lisa. 


This is terrible, but it's sh*t. It's just one of those things. And my husband will laugh at me and it pops into my head. That's the first thing that came into my head. I want to say something profound. I really did say, but it's not going to happen. I'm sorry. 


No, that's all good. Katie, what about you? What's your favorite word and why? 


I'm going to go with perennial? Okay. It's a new word because I was looking up words to describe what the stripe was, and I was like a good word. And I've been really using it a lot lately. I don't think it's my favorite word for life, but it's my current favorite word. 


Totally fair. It's one of those sat words, right? Yeah. I was going to go with something similar to Lisa. She took it. Before we wrap things up, if you could just let us know, our audience know where they can find your amazing products and your social so we can make sure we stay in touch, for sure. So we are at thisstheshoreline.com. And then our Instagram is @thisistheshoreline 


Instagram specifically, I think for you all is such a fun platform. It's so beautiful and so visual, and it really is that storytelling moment. You can feel that there is a through line and a vibe of what it is you're trying to convey with the look that you created there. I mean, you literally go on your Instagram and it's almost meditative because it feels like you're just looking at someone on this gorgeous vacation. And it's so aspirational, but in a way that isn't out of reach, which I think is so very important right now. And I think the same thing about actually a price point. You've done a really beautiful job of marrying and balancing these gorgeous looks with beautiful fabrics that are durable and easy to use and easy to wear with price points that aren't, like ridiculously off the charts. So I think you've done a really good job. 


Thank you so much. We just hired someone about two months ago, and she is an influencer but also owns her own brand, Savosocial, and she just started working with us. So we put together all of the shoots and everything like that and the content, and then she goes ahead and kind of lays it all together. And I just have to shout her out because she's been amazing. We love her. She's taken so much off of my plate and helped me learn so much. So I just wanted to put that out there.


I love it. First of all, women helping women. Right. So important. And the fact that you are learning how to delegate some of the more challenging pieces, like creative, which is can be a very intimidating part of the conversation for a new brand. So I love that you are building and expanding the team and again, supporting women. So fantastic. Any final words of wisdom before we wrap things up? Katie, we'll start with you. Share with us anything you want our audience to know about starting a business, about what you've done, anything inspirational for our audience? Yeah, just go for it. 


If you have an idea and you have the spirit behind it, why not try? 


Yes, absolutely, Lisa. And the final words of wisdom for our audience. 


Yeah, for sure. I think when we had this whole idea and it all kind of came together, my husband said we'll just do it. And I was like, what? Simple, silly words. There's so much that goes on behind that. But then if you just kind of take that naivety, really and just say, okay, it's amazing what you can actually accomplish if you've got that feeling of almost like a childlike feeling of fearlessness. And if you're not afraid of the outcome and you're just like, this is what I'm going to do. You find a lot of success comes from that, because so much of that passion and like, that innate decision making that you need during that time just kind of comes out. It's been really fun to be a part of. 


Well, you can definitely feel the vibe. You can feel the connectivity between you and Katie. Lisa and I'm so glad that you shared a bit of that positive creative energy with us today. Thank you, ladies, so much for being on the show today. Thank you for having us. And thanks to everyone who tuned in. Don't forget to check them out. This is the shoreline.com and on the social and you all have seen me. I've been wearing the clothes. They are fabulous and so easy to wear. So go make sure you check them out today and thanks. Thanks for tuning in. Stay tuned for more from elevate your brand coming up next.