$300 and a Sewing Machine: How Slate Swim Became a Seven-Figure Sale

Jessica Liao Mayers launched Slate Swim in November 2015 with $300 of fabric, a sewing machine she already owned, and made-to-order swimsuits sewn in her Los Angeles apartment. Eleven years later, in July 2026, she sold the brand in a seven-figure acquisition — without ever raising outside capital.

Mayers grew up outside Dallas in a family of medical professionals. A high school fashion class, which she took because she thought it would be easy, redirected her career. "I ended up really, really loving it," Mayers says. She went on to study product development at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, graduating in 2014.

After stints as a designer at BCBG and a buyer at Tobi, Mayers started Slate on the side, buying fabric in the Fashion District during lunch breaks and sewing at home. She was 21.

What gap did Slate fill?

Mayers saw a market split between mass-produced, thick nylon swimsuits and high-end, trendy brands — with nothing minimalist in between. "There wasn't anything more cool and reserved, and that's very much my style," Mayers says. "I like to wear very clean silhouettes, neutrals. I didn't want to put on a swimsuit and not feel like myself."

Slate's swimsuits use minimal seaming and a thin, soft fabric — initially lining fabrics, an unusual choice — that lays flat on the body. That aesthetic discipline extended to product decisions. When Mayers experimented with trend-forward colors like neon yellow, the products flopped. "After that, I was like, Okay, never again. I'm just going to do my thing," she says.

For 11 years, she resisted expanding into menswear, resortwear or adjacent categories. "I would much rather be successful at one thing than mediocre at many things," Mayers says.

How did a trade show change everything?

Before Slate had inventory or a manufacturer, the Agenda Trade Show discovered Mayers's early Instagram account and invited her to exhibit — even though she was supposed to attend the same show as a buyer for Tobi. She quit her job with a week's notice. "They had no idea," Mayers says. "It was really insane."

She cut and sewed 30 samples herself in her apartment. At the show, Slate landed in 22 retailers, including Diane's Beachwear. A contact there connected her with a small Los Angeles production shop, which she eventually replaced with a family-owned overseas manufacturer she knew through Tobi.

Marketing followed the same scrappy pattern. One influencer's post generated 30 orders overnight. "It didn't really go so viral in a sense of one thing that happened or blew it up," Mayers says. "I think it was just consistently investing in those small relationships."

Where did she wait too long?

Until 2021, Slate spent nothing on paid advertising. When Mayers hired an ad team with an engineering background — chosen for its ability to understand Meta's systems and data — revenue grew about 76% in the first year. "Doing ads way sooner" is the one thing she says she would change.

Why did bootstrapping make the sale faster?

Slate's revenue mix was 92% direct-to-consumer and 8% wholesale. Mayers reinvested earnings rather than raising capital, which preserved ownership and flexibility. Over her final three years of ownership, the company grew 36% year over year.

Because Slate was profitable, organized and ran on contractors rather than salaried employees, the acquisition closed quickly. Her lawyer, she says, called it the fastest acquisition he had seen. The buyer's swim background and marketing instincts brought what Mayers describes as "an inner peace."

Mayers is staying on to support the transition, but her next move is already set: Knitte, a contemporary minimalist womenswear brand launching in spring 2027. "Womenswear and clothing is where I think my creativity shines the most, because I'm able to create without bounds," she says.

Her advice to founders matches how she built Slate: "You have to have that passion that's going to wake you up every morning. If you don't have that, you're just not going to get far."