Make Waves with THE SHORE LINE’s “Surfer Chic” Resort Wear from Austin Design Duo

Sisters Lisa Strandberg and Kaitie Sjostedt grew up on the Florida coast. They had three brothers, who made beach life even more exciting.

“I would always travel with my brothers,” says Lisa, the older of the two sisters. “I remember packing up a backpack for weekend surf trips, thinking what would look cool and still work to hang out with the guys while they’re surfing.”

After high school, Lisa moved to New York to pursue a career in modeling. She traveled the world modeling and later as an agent. Meanwhile, her love for fashion continued to grow and evolve.

When Lisa was in New York working as an agent at Ford Models, Kaitie, who was still in high school and unsure what she wanted to do after she graduated, came to visit the big city. Lisa introduced her to a friend studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. When Kaitie visited the campus, she knew that her next step was to study fashion there.

After finishing high school in Florida, Kaitie moved to New York to earn her Bachelor’s degree in textile development at FIT. She studied design, textiles, knits and woven materials, as well as interned with designer brands like Givenchy, Rebecca Taylor and Michael Kors. After college, she joined the team at LVMH in fabric research and development.

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As Lisa was immersed in the talent and modeling behind the fashion industry, Kaitie was learning invaluable technical design skills. “It was like us coming together,” says Lisa.

Even then, they would dream about ways to couple their skills to build something. Because of their childhood, beachside wear was always top of mind, especially because Lisa still found it difficult to find stylish clothes to wear while at the beach or lake.

Throughout the years, Lisa and Kaitie continued bouncing around ideas for their own brand, but nothing felt quite right. It wasn’t until the end of 2018 that the idea unexpectedly (and messily) hit Lisa.

“My son came running up to me with a packet of ketchup, and I had this great resort-wear piece on that I absolutely loved,” recalls Lisa. “The ketchup just went all over me. And I realized I could make something a little bit easier to wear and wash but still on trend.”

In 2019 and 2020, Lisa and Kaitie started building the brand and designing pieces inspired by their Florida roots but infused with their experiences in New York as well. The pandemic was a big motivator for them to finally launch the brand. They worked tirelessly revisiting childhood dreams, drafting the business plan, designing clothes and ideating their first campaign.

Lisa and her family, who have lived primarily in Austin for the past 12 years, spent a full year back home in Florida’s Tampa Bay area, where Lisa and her husband met over 20 years ago. This allowed Lisa to be fully immersed in the beach and surf culture that was inspiring the brand she was building. The result is an array of versatile pieces, focused on fit and fabric, that round out any vacation wardrobe.

“We wanted to hit that middle ground of in step with fashion but still really wearable — effortlessly cool and comfortable,” says Lisa.

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THE SHORE LINE officially launched in 2021, inspired by their childhood spent on the beach. Lisa’s experience in the modeling industry has lent well to creating beautiful campaigns in several beachside locations, where she manages the photographers and models to create stunning images. Meanwhile, Kaitie is still very hands-on regarding the technical design of the clothes. Oftentimes, Lisa has a vision for their next piece and will call Kaitie to talk through the technical side and then start to put the vision on paper.

Everything is made in New York, making it easy for Kaitie to manage and visit (she currently splits her time between New York and Tampa. Lisa runs the business from Austin and is planning to hire another full-time team member soon. Currently, her 17-year-old son is doing the social media marketing.

“He’s incredible at it,” says Lisa. “He sold us out of all of our stuff in two days. We’re having to change our stock because everything got picked up so quickly”

I don’t doubt it, because if I were served an ad from THE SHORE LINE, I’d be intrigued. The photos are incredibly captivating, and the clothes are feminine and breathable yet still exude “cool surfer chick” vibes. Made by women for women who don’t want to compromise style while out on the lake or beach, THE SHORE LINE clothes are a must-have for your summer wardrobe.

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