Designed to Inspire: Molly Curley '09

It’s fair to say that Molly Curley ‘09 has spent her entire life researching her new Molly J swimwear line. From summering with her family on Cape Cod, to years spent modeling swimwear, Molly has experience beyond her years in the design and fit of a good bathing suit. “I grew up on the water, in a bathing suit, so swimwear is really close to my heart,” she notes. On top of that, entrepreneurship is definitely in her blood. Both of Molly’s parents started companies at a young age, and her brother Jake Curley ‘12 has started his own sport fishing charter company, Jakamo Sportfishing, as well as a tackle design company, JC’s Offshore Tackle.

 

When Molly completed her major in professional sales at Bentley University in three years, she recognized an opportunity. With all her friends still in college, Molly decided to dedicate herself to starting her own swimwear company, and the Molly J brand was born.

 

One of Molly’s earliest strategic decisions was to forego outside investors. “I had saved up a lot of money from modeling, and I felt that if I invested my own money it would really feel like my baby, and it would make me work all the harder.”

 

Once in research and design mode, Molly spent time trying to find just the right fabric for her suits. “So many suits can be super cute, but if the fabric isn’t good, it doesn’t work.” Molly’s first line of five suits came out this year, and while she doesn’t gear her designs toward any particular age group, she says her designs are all about the connection between beauty and confidence. As she notes on her site, Mollyjswim.com, “having confidence in your own skin, and having confidence in what you are wearing, is the key to feeling beautiful.”

 

Each of Molly’s suits has the company logo, a gold compass rose, sewn into it. Inspired by a compass rose necklace that Molly received for her 21st birthday, the logo reflects the Molly J brand mission, which is to inspire women to “be the navigator of your own destiny.” Molly says, “I want this company to have an inspirational aspect, and when you see the Molly J brand, I want it to be empowering.”