brand, Summer of 78. The brand’s moniker is not just a nod to her name and the year that she was born, but also an open-ended sentiment that could reference a moment in time or a person, among other feelings. The company’s trademarked tag line — “A Summer Like No Other” — sums up the ethos best.
Last year Rapp started developing the company with her cofounder husband Stever, another seasoned executive in the swim and surf category. Thirteen years ago, the couple started the design company Add-Black, which they continue to own and operate. Further back, she teamed up with Mandy Fry and Paul Naude to launch the young contemporary label Amuse Society.
The price point-quality ratio for swimwear is something that has frustrated Rapp during her 23 years in the industry. Having designed swimwear, both for private label and for popular brands, she said she knows there is a way to create more aspirational, sustainable and fashion-forward pieces with more “attainable” prices, as in $108 and $148 for two-piece suits. The full range, which includes select apparel pieces, retails from $90 to $178.
“They’re universal so they can recycle those. We’re also not adding the cost into the garment especially knowing that a lot of women take them out and throw them right in the garbage,” Rapp said.In addition to the expected logo hoodie, Summer of 78 offers beach-to-bar styles, like a long camisole dress and a sparkly skirt, as well as some see-through and sheer fishnet pieces that were inspired by items Rapp’s mother wore in the 1970s.
Rapp and her husband, who worked at Hurley for more than 10 years, “definitely live the beach style” life with their two children, one of whom is avidly into surfing. “We travel. The sun, the salt and the sand are one of the reasons why I love the category and it’s part of my blood. I grew up surfing and surfing competitively,” she said. “I’m a fair-weather surfer now. I surf on vacation, when the water is warm enough to wear a bikini and not a wetsuit.