26. Infamous Swim

Revenue: $7.44 million
Growth: 53%
Founders: Gemma Crowe, 38
Head Office: Nunawading, Victoria
Employees: 14
Industry: Retail
Website: https://infamousswim.com.au
Year Founded: 2018

How it started

Gemma Crowe had always wanted to work in the head office of a major surfwear label, but without a business or marketing degree was only given opportunities in retail stores.

Taking a junior role in the office for a toy wholesaler gave her the break she needed, and after hustling to create a boutique, low-margin volume business for the company, and following a period of maternity leave, Crowe finally had the opportunity to make her start in the swimwear industry.

Growth

Quickly spotting the potential for Instagram-marketed family swimwear, Crowe’s Infamous Swim has since grown into the leisurewear and general fashion sectors.

Cashflow is always a challenge — at first traditional banks were reluctant to back Infamous Swim as a new starter, but Crowe secured a $1.5 million loan from online lender Clearco thanks to Infamous Swim’s e-commerce metrics.

Crowe has kept the balancing act up, managing to grow revenue 53% in the past 12 months to reach $7.44 million while adding six new employees.

Where to next?

The company already has 10,500 SKU lines to manage with more in the pipeline.

Crowe rejected an offer to sell in 2021, and is now looking for investors to come on board, potentially as a brother or sister company.