It was close to a decade ago that Ken Giddon, president of Rothmans men’s store, introduced Durand Guion, group vice president of Macy’s fashion office, to Caroline Danehy, a self-professed lover of fashion and a high school classmate of Giddon’s son.
Guion graciously asked her to lunch and when they finally had the chance to chat, he was impressed by her intellect, passion for fashion and entrepreneurial spirit. They continued to meet for a meal whenever she was home from college and Guion encouraged her to follow her dreams.
That dream became Fair Harbor, a sustainable swimwear brand that Danehy launched with her older brother Jake six years ago. The brand, which produces its collection from post-consumer recycled plastic bottles, was named after the beach community on Fire Island where the siblings spent the summers growing up.
The issue of sustainability was “a novel idea eight or nine years ago,” Guion said, and he pushed the siblings to take the plunge and create their brand. They did and Fair Harbor has since built a successful business. Although the Dahenys declined to provide a volume figure, they said sales and the number of shorts sold through May of this year exceeded that of 2020 as a whole.
