St. Louis-based women’s apparel startup Summersalt is expanding its global reach.
The startup has announced it will begin shipping its products globally to more than 180 countries, a move Summersalt says comes as it has encountered consumer demand worldwide. With its expansion, Summersalt’s products will now be able to be purchased in more than 120 currencies.
Founded in 2017, Summersalt launched with an initial focus on swimwear and has since expanded into other clothing categories that include loungewear, knitwear, sleepwear, intimates and activewear. The startup has raised $26 million in venture funding since its founding.
Co-founder, President and CEO Lori Coulter said Summersalt up until now had primarily aimed to grow domestic sales, with Canada and Australia being the only countries it shipped to outside of the U.S. However, Coulter said the company has received in-bound interest from potential customers in additional countries. She said the company, with its expanded product offering and its headcount, also believes it is currently positioned well to go after its global strategy.
“From an infrastructure perspective, we have the bandwidth, the inventory, the breadth of offering that we believe is resonating not only here in the U.S. but certainly with consumers worldwide,” Coulter said.
Summersalt has about 80 employees between its full-time and part-time staff.
To gear up for its international expansion, Summersalt co-founder and Chief Digital Brand Officer Reshma Chattaram Chamberlin expanded its e-commerce technology so that it is customized to a consumer’s specific currency and language and accounts for the proper duties and shipping calculations based on the sales location.
Summersalt’s expanded shipping is another example of the firm's rapid growth. Coulter said the company's revenue grew 100% year over year in 2020 and it is currently on track to exceed that figure in 2021. She did not disclose specific revenue figures. The startup expects its global sales to be a big driver of its revenue growth moving forward.
“Over time, we anticipate it will certainly be a substantial part of the business,” Coulter said.
In addition to its growing global footprint, Summersalt said it plans to expand through new products and partnerships.
“We have a lot of really exciting plans both in the near term and long term from a category perspective,” Coulter said.
