Slate Swim, a minimalist swimwear label based mostly in Los Angeles, formally has a brand new proprietor. Nonetheless, quite than promoting to a non-public fairness agency or conglomerate trying to broaden its portfolio, Founder Jessica Liao Mayers bought her model in a “seven-figure” deal to an unbiased purchaser named Natalie Wisniewski on Monday. (Mayers declined to remark additional on the monetary phrases of the deal.)
Mayers was simply 21 years outdated when she based Slate Swim in 2015 with $300 and a purpose of filling the swimwear trade’s hole for glossy, minimalist designs. Since then, Mayers has scaled the model whereas remaining unbiased as celeb followers like Kylie Jenner and Camila Cabello helped drive reputation.
In Slate Swim’s early days, Mayers was adamant that she would by no means promote it, however upon the label’s 10-year anniversary, she realized she was prepared for her subsequent chapter. “I really simply felt so at peace and like I put in my time and that is its personal factor now,” she tells Fashionista. “It is fully taken off, it is its personal entity.”
Picture: Courtesy of Slate Swim
Mayers acquired ample curiosity from non-public fairness companies and established companies, however she knew that when the appropriate purchaser got here alongside, the method can be “so easy.” Though M&As are sometimes advanced offers drawn out over months (if not years), Mayers’ prediction proved to be proper. Mayers and Wisniewski met on the finish of April, and the deal closed three months later. (Within the phrases of Lana Del Rey: “When you realize, you realize.”)
Wisniewski, now the proprietor and CEO of Slate Swim, is a former collegiate NCAA swimmer with a “lifelong ardour for swimwear.” She graduated from Northwestern College’s Grasp in Built-in Advertising Communications program as not too long ago as December 2025, and lists advertising and marketing internships at womenswear model Mestiza New York and Snoop Dogg’s ice cream firm Dr. Bombay on her LinkedIn.
“She’s going to carry one thing actually contemporary to the desk,” Mayers says. “I am actually excited to see how a lot it grows.” As for what, particularly, comes subsequent, product growth and worldwide publicity have been mentioned, per the founder.
Picture: Courtesy of Slate Swim
Fellow model founders in pursuit of an acquisition, take word: Mayers credit Slate’s lack of founder-focused branding and its “turnkey” operations as prime promoting factors. Though founder-forward manufacturers have been all the trend not too long ago, constructing a model that doesn’t should depend on the presence of its founder can set it up for longevity no matter its proprietor. Plus, Slate Swim’s “easy” methods streamlined the client’s expertise, guaranteeing that there was no vital restructuring to undertake as soon as the deal was signed.
Mayers is not totally stepping away from Slate Swim. She’s going to stay a strategic adviser and inventive designer, specializing in creating the model’s future collections and advising Wisniewski via the management transition. She additionally plans on returning to her womenswear roots and exploring her minimalist aesthetic via a brand new class.
“I am prepared for that subsequent step in a brand new route,” Mayers says. “I really like [swimwear] a lot, however there’s simply a lot extra that I wanted to do.”
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