Kemi Fakunle is channeling her entrepreneurial spirit to empower women through her new swimsuit line, Like Honey.
The Big Brother alum, 27, exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, November 5, that she was inspired to create her own swimwear line after seeing a need in the market.
“I guess it started with my love of fashion and always tweaking things to make them look exactly how I wanted,” she explained. “I used to go thrifting with my friends and rip apart the old clothes, sew them together and make new ones. Swimwear specifically came to mind a little after I graduated college in 2015.”
Fakunle said she “always had trouble” finding swimsuits that were “flattering to my body type” and noticed her friends had similar issues.
“I always knew I wanted to start my own line, but I decided to take the leap after one of my biggest inspirations, Conna Walker (Founder of House of CB), was listed in 2019’s Forbes 30 Under 30,” Fakunle said. “I was kind of like, ‘What am I waiting for?’ From there, Like Honey started to come to life.”
The former reality star added, “Starting a new business was terrifying and cost more than I anticipated, but I was fortunate to be able to shoot with some friends to get things going.”
Fakunle enlisted the help of Love Island USA stars Laurel Goldman, Caro Viehweg and Alana Morrison to help her model the line.
The Maryland native described her pieces as “sexy, versatile and practical,” noting that she designed the swimsuits to be “flattering for every body type” so that “women feel good when wearing them.”
Like Honey uses a specialty blend of fabrics that “hug curves to accentuate the female figure” and can be customized in multiple ways.
“So, if you’re looking to pack one bikini for a few days in the sun, we’ve got ya covered,” Fakunle said.
The CBS personality — who competed on Big Brother 21 — said her personal favorite swimsuits are the Burnette set and the Ava set in the color toffee.
“The toffee color is currently only available in the Ava style but is the perfect tan-brown for every complexion,” she explained. “I worked very closely with my manufacturer for several months to perfect a neutral color that compliments a wide range of skin tones.”
Follow @likehoneyswim on Instagram and subscribe to their newsletter for the first look at their upcoming collection.
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