Current Vine

By Denise Tong

Designer Ramona Senese has had a lifelong love affair with the beach—she grew up on Lake Champlain in Vermont and spent summers with her grandparents at Jones Beach in New York. Through her beachwear company Float, she gets to share that love with others.

Even though she had always been interested in fashion design, Senese studied business and art at Northeastern University in Boston—all the while visiting the city’s beaches. After graduation, she found work in advertising, but eventually the lure of fashion proved too strong. She moved to New York City to attend Parsons School of Design, where she studied women’s and children’s wear.

After Parsons, Senese began her design career in children’s fashion by working for upscale brand Baby CZ, Osh Kosh B’Gosh, and the GAP. She then founded Float and began designing high-quality, vibrant women’s resort wear.

Launched in February 2007, Float has already proven popular with women from such Northeastern areas as Cape Cod and Long Island. The company’s designs have been featured on DailyCandy.com, StyleHive.com, and SheFinds.com as well as in Hamptons Magazine, Burlington Free Press, and Improper Bostonian.

Faithful as ever to the sand and surf, Senese still spends occasional weekends with family in Long Island and takes annual birthday trips to Hawaii.

Senese discussed with Current Vine her career change and her design plans.

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CV: When did you first become interested in fashion?

RS: I’ve been interested in it for as long as I can remember. Growing up in a place like Vermont—hardly fashion forward—I had to branch out in my own small ways to fulfill my interest. Fashion started out as a way for me to express myself and set myself apart from the crowd by wearing things that I liked; it didn’t matter to me if they were part of a trend or not.

When I was very young I used to watch my pop-pop do needlepoint and it fascinated me how he was able to intertwine all of those colors and shapes and create such beautiful pieces. My early love for bright colors and shapes eventually influenced my Float designs.

CV: What made you decide to leave advertising and go into fashion?

RS: I had always had a dream of becoming a fashion designer but I thought it was an unattainable goal, like becoming a famous musician or a movie star, so I chose a more “practical” career and went into advertising. But I was so miserable every morning going to work that I thought, “I can’t do this for the rest of my life.”

I decided to start taking night classes at Massachusetts College of Art in fashion illustration just to see if anything sparked. It sure did, and from the first class I was hooked. A few weeks later I packed my stuff, left my job, and moved to NYC to pursue my dream. I never looked back.

CV: How did your experience designing children’s clothing affect your current designs?

RS: In children’s clothing, you are encouraged to be as creative as possible because there are a lot of opportunities to use fun shapes and bright colors. Float’s first print—the Napali print, inspired by a Hawaiian vacation—is really focused around a few key shapes and some bright colors that form an interesting combination.

CV: Has your line been influenced by any of the beach styles that you’ve seen over the years on the beaches of New York, Massachusetts, and Hawaii?

RS: Not at all. Float was born out of my desire to find a stylish yet practical beach cover up I could wear all day at the beach. There are many swimwear companies out there that offer many choices of swimwear, but very few coverups.

The coverups I could find I never thought were stylish and practical enough that I could just throw on and walk out the door in. Either they were drab, unstylish, made with scratchy fabric or they were so fancy I felt like I was going to get a cocktail and not to hang out on the beach.

I don’t design based on what the current trends are; I think what has happened in fashion history is much more interesting than what is happening right now. I tend to look at fashions anywhere from the 1920s to the 1960s. I do read Women’s Wear Daily to stay on top of what is happening in the industry.

CV: What are you considering for future designs?

RS: Float is going to continue to specialize in beach coverups, but next season I am going to add a bathing suit to match them, along with matching headbands and headscarves for extra sun protection. I am also adding larger sizes.

Right now I am having all Float garments tested for UPF [Ultraviolet Protection Factor] ratings. I would like to provide each garment with an UPF rating so my customers know how protective each one is. I think this is becoming an important piece of information for consumers of beach clothing.

Of course it is still very important to always wear sunscreen, but hopefully our coverups will provide even more protection from the sun.

CV: A lot of women are self-conscious about not only their swimsuits, but everything else they bring to the beach, like coverups and accessories. What does your collection have to offer them?

RS: Instead of flimsy little sarongs and sheer tunics, we offer all-over coverage without weighing you down.

I like women to feel stylish in my designs, but comfortable enough to just hang out in the sand at the beach or to go for a stroll along the boardwalk.

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Pictured: Napali Print Boating Neck Tunic. Photo courtesy Float.