Buying Surf Boards To Acquiring Factories
Point Conception Swimwear Combines Sharp Business Sense With California Fashion Style

"O.K. So what are you going to do with the rest of your life?"

This question, not unfamiliar to many parents, struck 18-year-old Jamie Jung (pronounced young) like a fall from a surfboard into cold Pacific Ocean water. It strongly implied she was expected to find a life beyond surfing!

As a sun-bleached California surfer girl, Jamie had been making swimsuits for herself and friends for a number of years. The money this pastime brought her was enough for teenage spending and buying a new surfboard.

However, the "rest of your life" question required a more serious decision than what brand of board wax to use.

Using her interest and skill in creating swimsuits as a starting point, Jamie selected fashion design. Two years later she graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. With an academic degree and several years of sewing experience, she started in 1978 her own business - Point Conception Swimwear - working out of her mother's garage.

Today, the company that began as a practical way for a teenager to buy a new surfboard is an international business with collections of more than 175 swimsuits and separates, $8 million in sales and approximately 100 employees.

"Making swimsuits became the way I supported my surfing adventures," explained Jamie. "As a teen, I made everything from bikinis and swim trunks to crocheted bathing suits and hand-embroidered graduation dresses for my friends, and I still barely passed my high school home economics sewing class!"

Surfing Connection In those days, sales and marketing for Point Conception Swimwear (named after the scenic Point Conception surfing beach near Santa Barbara) amounted to Jamie stuffing samples of her swimsuits in a backpack and visiting local surf shops in between catching waves.

"Even after formally starting the company, it took me awhile to settle down and focus on business," the swimwear designer noted.

For several months she traveled. Her muse took her through Southeast Asia with only a pack back and surfboard, enjoying the arts and cultures of the countries.

Jamie's love of color, design and fabric deepened as she traveled to Bali, Java, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and India. However, once she returned to the United States, she was ready to commit her energy to the company.

QUALITY REPUTATION

With her commitment came growth. The market for Point Conception swimsuits grew rapidly, expanding from the surf shops into the larger specialty stores. Point Conception swimwear quickly gained a superior reputation built on the quality construction and quality fit - two elements that are too often lacking in women's swimsuits.

Four lines make up the collections from Jamie Jung - Point Conception, Point Sol, Kechika and Point Conception Kids. In addition, the company also manufacturers Toes On The Nose Swimwear.

While Jamie is the only surfer in her family, that hasn't stopped Point Conception Swimwear from become a major family-operated business.

Today, Jamie, as founder/owner, remains the soul of the company as chief designer and person in charge of the company's product development.

Brother Jeff joined the growing company in 1990 and is now the chief executive officer with operations and infrastructure responsibilities. Another brother, John, assists in shipping and receiving. Jenny, Jamie's little sister who in 1969 wore the first-ever Point Conception bikini when she was five years old, is now the company's Quality Control Manager.

Point Conception has two company-owned California manufacturing facilities, one in Orange and another in Riverside, in addition to the company's main office in Rancho Santa Margarita, east of Irvine, Calif.

The casual start to the company and the products' appeal to people in search of the laid-back California surf culture belie the sophistication that Point Conception Swimwear now uses in all phases of its operation.

In manufacturing, for example, the company uses highly specialized equipment such as computer-controlled automated cutting machinery and unique systems that move the material to sewing stations.

Sales and marketing, likewise, are a far cry from the early days. Samples stuffed in a backpack have been replaced by trade shows, sponsorship of a competitive surfing team and personal appearances. These, along with quality products, are some of the reasons why Point Conception swimwear is now sold in specialty stores and surf shops from Australia and Japan, in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, to resorts in Europe. The biggest markets in the United States are Hawaii, California and Florida.

PROFITABLE GROWTH ASSISTANCE

Wanting to continue the company's profitable growth and expansion, Jeff Jung, CEO of Point Conception Swimwear, invited the George S. May International Company management consultants to review operations and provide techniques to better manage the growing business. "We knew we needed to institute more accountability, as well as change some of the business structure that we had in place," explained Jeff.

"Thanks to May International's services," Jeff stated, "we have increased productivity through better scheduling, team meetings, position guides and better planning from the early stages of design all the way through to order fulfillment."

With a solid business foundation and the assistance from the consultants at May International, Point Conception Swimwear is well on its way to almost a quarter-century of business success.

"We want to stay true to the concept that began this company - great fit and great design for great fun," explained Jamie. "Then we combine those to communicate the all-American surfing image that people want to picture themselves living, if only for the time they're wearing our swimwear.

"My goal when I started the company was to create the perfect swimsuit for active women," she explained. "I still feel that way, but living up to that goal keeps me too busy to travel as much as I would like. So I'm being content building dreams of far away places and creating swimsuits."

For more information about Point Conception Swimwear see the company's Web site at www.pointconception.com or contact the company at (949) 589-6890.

BACK TO HOME PAGE