Meet Kayla Rel Rooks | Swimwear Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kayla Rel Rooks and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kayla Rel, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I have always had a deep love for creating and an obsession with good quality clothes. It’s always been a dream for me to have some sort of curated shop of my own.

When I moved to Santa Rosa Beach in 2018, my obsession with swimwear escalated. Living at the beach, your swimsuits become your everyday clothes. I can be very picky with swimsuits. I developed an expensive taste in swimwear. In order to save money, I would try to make my own suits. This was great because I creating styles and using colors I wanted, but had a hard time finding. As I was wearing my designs, I had friends asking my if I could make them the same suits. That’s when I realized this could be my starting point for curating my own brand. I realized if I wanted to create a business, being a self taught seamstress alone wouldn’t get me there fast enough. So when I went on a trip to Colombia with my boyfriend (now fiancé), Camilo. I took the opportunity to look for a team who could help me make this happen. I had heard Colombia could be a place to find beautiful textiles and artisans. Camilo was born and raised in Medellin and was kind enough to take the time and help translate in my meetings. The fact that I realized I could create a line ethically made by the hands of a team of single women with dependent children, was a dream to me. So I took the risk and put my hard earned savings towards my first collection.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I love to create swimwear that women are proud to wear. I am proud that my suits are ethically handmade and excellent quality. I am excited to learn more about sourcing sustainable material. Sourcing fabric has been one of my biggest challenges, but I am doing research on how and where to find what I need to continue. I still have a lot to learn about this business, but I’m taking it all in.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I absolutely loved Swim Week. I went last year for the first time. Runway shows are so fun to watch. And it’s inspiring to me to see all these new designers show their new collections. Kosushi is a wonderful restaurant I have been enjoying. Great ambience and has an incredible menu.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Camilo Giraldo, my supportive fiancé, for always pushing me to do my best.

Website: estherrel.com

Instagram: @esther.rel

Image Credits
Sydney Jeter Photography Mark Little Photography Melisa Archer Photography