"We're not just selling a product, we're selling a mission. And we're allowing that customer to connect with us a build a community around the brand," said Holden Bierman, Coastal Cool CEO.
Using recycled materials, Coastal Cool swimsuits take plastic waste and turn it into swimwear all while keeping their One Pound Promise. With every purchase, Coastal Cool partners with Tidey Ocean to remove one pound of plastic. And in the last two years, they've helped to remove more than 80,000 plastic bottles and 3,000 pounds of plastic.
"Doing numbers like that is pretty cool. But also being able to connect that to an impact is also even cooler so it's been awesome," Holden said.
And it's an impact Holden has made at a very young age.
"Coastal Cool started my sixth grade year of middle school when COVID happened. I was twelve years old and it was straight boredom," Holden said.
Working exclusively out of his family home in Holly Springs, Holden started making shirts and hoodies for his friends in the neighborhood. Now, he's the CEO and sole employee of Coastal Cool, all while starting his senior year of high school.
"It's a lot. But I followed my passion. I took a risk early on and I just continued it. There was multiple times that I could've failed but I had this vision to grow this brand and be an entrepreneur at such a young age ," Holden said.
Holden's passion is now making the world cleaner--one swimsuit at a time.
"It's beyond just swimsuits at this point, it's a community," Holden said.
Holden says in between filling out college applications, he hopes to get Coastal Cool in more retail stores in the future. For more information, click here.
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North Carolina-based company uses sustainable products to build connections worldwide