Kendall Layt - Kokoh Bikini

Kendall Layt, owner/designer of KOKOH bikini is one of those persons who can proudly say “I’ve turned my dreams into my job”. The South East Coast of Australia is her home, and the beaches from all around Australia her playground. Her working and personal life gathers experiences from surf instructor to summer chaser. She has travelled to many places including Europe, California, the Middle East, the Maldives, Indo and Morocco.

At the beginning of 2013, Kendall brought the long lived dream of KOKOH bikini to life!

Tell us a bit about yourself…

I live on the coast of New South Wales, in the bush in a tiny little town called Congo with my husband. Sometimes it’s difficult being so far from the city, where the action is, where photographers and models are located, but this is where I grew up, this is home and this is the lifestyle I love. Plus there are really good, quiet waves down here.

When did you start surfing?

I sold my wetsuit and bought an old 8 foot mal when I was 15 and once I’d picked it up I just couldn’t put it down.

Where’s your favorite surf spot?

My home break is a wedgey right hander which is awesome, but I’ve travelled around a lot and I really love a spot called Coke’s in the Maldives. It’s so warm and beautiful and the waves are amazing.

How did Kokoh Bikini start?

I’ve always had a thing for bikinis and it was something I wanted to do for quite a long time. I started up about 3 years ago, in January 2013. I was getting samples from manufacturers, working on getting my website up and running and making sure everything was perfect. Then I realised I had 500 bikinis in my lounge room and I really needed to get on and sell them! I was ready for summer that year and from there I’ve just kept the ball rolling.

How do you fit in surfing around work?

When I stopped my full time job and I was working for myself I really thought that I would base my whole day around surfing, work the hours I wanted and surf as much as I could.

I find it really hard to take time away from work because there’s no-one there to say ‘today’s your day off’ or ‘you have an hour lunch break today’ so rather than needing to be disciplined to get work done, I actually have to be disciplined to take time out, separate myself from work and get in the surf.

I get annoyed at myself sometimes, when I’ll go for a surf and someone will say I should have been around during the week because it’s been pumping, so the reality of working for myself definitely worked out differently than I thought it would.

What’s next for Kokoh Bikini?

I’m focused on growing the brand; I definitely never feel that I get to a point where my work is finished. I find I get to a certain point and then I can see the potential for something new. I’ve been working on my Rubber collection of cheeky cut wetsuits and I definitely see the brand branching out. I’m looking at producing accessories and things to compliment the brand and grow it further. It’s really exciting!! 

Where can we find you?

Posted by: Sarah Price, on March 6, 2016
Categories: Interviews

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