Voysey Brands Presents: A Fireside Chat with Fyn & Fia Founder Katie Carpenter on Creativity, Expansion, and Staying True to the Brand

 Earlier this year, Voysey Brands hosted a fireside chat with Katie Carpenter, the vibrant founder of swim and lifestyle brand Fyn & Fia, and Marine Antikainen, Managing Director at Voysey Brands. The conversation offered a candid look at Katie’s creative journey, her transition from founder to creative collaborator, and the brand’s evolution from bold bikinis to a full lifestyle label.

Designing from the Beach, For the Beach

Marine opened the conversation with a smile: “You have such a bubbly life. And I love how you’ve been talking about your inspiration, especially with color. How did you come up with all those designs?”

Katie laughed, “For me, with the swimwear, I really love to just design what I would want to wear. When I have a nice tan, I’m hanging out at the beach, I want really bold, vibrant colors that make that tan pop. So yeah, anything that I would wear is honestly what I would produce, and then it would sell.”

The Birth of Fin Swim

The original spark came, ironically, from men’s swimwear. “So I was on holiday with a bunch of my husband’s friends,” Katie recalled, “and they were all NHL players cutting the liners out of their expensive swim trunks. I thought, there’s a problem here.”

That moment led to the creation of the Fin Trunk, designed with a supportive Italian Lycra liner and ball pouch brief, a product that quickly caught the attention of professional athletes worldwide. “As soon as I launched Fin Swim, players across the hockey world were messaging me about how much they loved the trunks. That’s when I realized it could be something real.”

Building Fia For Women, by Katie

After several years of success with men’s swim, Katie launched Fia, the women’s line. “I wanted to design for myself, and also create a more complete brand. At first, Fia helped sell Fin, but then it became this beautiful brand in its own right.”

That evolution included a personal touch in everything, including the logo. “It was based on the Venus painting, you know, the woman on the shell. I drew it myself, with Fin and Fia together on the shell. I even sent photos of my husband and me to the artist so the figures would look like us,” she laughed.

Creative Roots and the Tulum Campaign

Katie’s creative fingerprints remain all over the brand. “When we launched the recent collection, you were the creative director for the shoot in Tulum,” Marine pointed out.

“I just love Tulum,” Katie said. “One of the first shoots I ever did for Fin Swim was in Mexico, so it felt right to go back to the brand’s roots. I wanted to keep it authentic.”

A Defining Moment: Miami Swim Week

Katie also spoke about a major early milestone, Miami Swim Week. “We got invited to show Fin Swim. That’s huge in North America. I handled the full production myself, I must have been 23. Coming out at the end of the show and realizing, ‘Wow, this was mine’, that was a defining moment.”

A Founder’s Challenge: Letting Go

Katie was open about the realities of entrepreneurship. “The hardest part was managing everything on my own. I started out designing, which I love, but then I had to run all the business parts too. That’s what led me to Voysey Brands.”

She admitted the transition to new ownership was emotional. “Letting go was hard. People still ask me questions about the business like I run it. But over time, I felt good seeing the brand in such good hands.”

Expansion with Voysey Brands

Marine turned the conversation to the brand’s expansion into bags, jewelry, and watches. Katie smiled, “Will [Voyey Brands Product Sourcing Manager] is killing it. I love how passionate the team is about elevating what I started. That’s what I hoped for, that someone would take Fyn & Fia and grow it without losing the soul of it.”

She added, “The teal linings, the baby blue colorways, it’s all still me.”

What's Next? Baby Blue and Back to Miami

Katie’s creative mind is already racing toward the next campaign. “I’m so excited about the new baby blue Isabella bag. I already had ideas for the shoot the moment I saw it. I’m thinking Miami again, with lots of bright colors to really make the blue pop. And I love that we’re keeping it rooted in North America, where the brand began.”

Audience Q&A: Her Favorite Piece

When asked about her favorite piece, Katie didn’t hesitate. “That’s tough, but I actually love the Isabella bag, that’s my favorite purse. And the Clamshell earrings, plus some of the jewelry. Honestly, I only wear Fyn & Fia bikinis. Everything flows so well, and the quality is amazing.”

Final Thoughts

Katie summed up her journey with a story. “I was at a spa recently and saw a guy wearing the Fin trunk. I complimented him, and he started telling me all about the liner, not knowing I designed it. That’s the best part, seeing something you dreamed up in your head come to life, and someone else loving it.”

With the continued partnership between Katie and Voysey Brands, that vision continues to grow, with texture, authenticity, and Katie’s unmistakable creative fingerprint.

Also Read:

What Drives Voysey Brands: Building the Future of Purpose-Led Consumer Goods

How Voysey Brands is Redefining Modern Heritage Across Design, Craft, and Everyday Luxury

What Drives Voysey Brands: Building the Future of Purpose-Led Consumer Goods

 At Voysey Brands, we’re focused on building the next generation of consumer brands that resonate with real demand and clear purpose. Our approach is grounded in creating products that are useful, desirable, and designed for long-term relevance. We specialize in growing brands that connect with diverse audiences, from lifestyle and accessories to homeware and jewelry, always with an emphasis on quality, agility, and thoughtful brand-building.

Our portfolio includes Fyn & Fia, Krua Jewellery, and Magisso, distinct brands that reflect both our entrepreneurial mindset and our commitment to quality. Together, they tap into different consumer audiences, from coastal-inspired fashion and accessories to artisan jewelry and innovative homeware. We believe in building brands with range, because modern consumers live multi-dimensional lives.

Purpose at the Core of Every Brand

At Voysey Brands, growth starts with purpose. We don’t chase product categories for the sake of scale, we build brands that are thoughtfully designed, carefully developed, and backed by values.

Fyn & Fia, for example, is our summer lifestyle brand. It’s all about effortless essentials for sunny days, city weekends, and coastal escapes. With a product range that includes swimwear, bags, watches, and jewelry, Fyn & Fia offers pieces that are versatile and designed to fit into real life. The brand is built on mindful consumption, every piece is designed to transition seamlessly from the beach to the street.

Krua Jewellery, a recent addition to the Voysey Brands family, represents an audience who appreciate artisan craftsmanship and timeless design. Handcrafted in Portugal, Krua’s collections honor local makers and celebrate small-batch production. It’s slow fashion for the jewelry world—quality over quantity, forever over fast trends.

Then there’s Magisso, our homeware and lifestyle brand, which taps into the need for smart, problem-solving design. Magisso creates products that improve daily life, from elegant kitchen tools to functional decor. The brand is known for its mix of innovation and aesthetic appeal, serving consumers who want both practicality and beauty in their homes.

This variety across our brands is deliberate. Voysey Brands is building for multiple audiences, across multiple moments of life. From homeware to jewelry, swimwear to accessories, we create products for people who care about quality, design, and purpose, no matter the category.

How We Operate: Speed, Without Compromising Quality

At Voysey Brands, we believe success comes from balancing speed with precision. Today’s consumer market moves fast, and so do we, but never at the expense of quality.

Our team works with a flat, agile structure, where brand managers, sourcing leads, growth marketers, and finance experts collaborate directly with Managing Director Marine Antikainen. We don’t have layers of hierarchy. This allows us to launch products quickly, respond to market needs, and fine-tune details in real time.

We also operate with a hands-on approach to product development. Our headquarters includes both in-house warehouse spaces and a dedicated showroom, keeping us physically close to the products we sell. We test everything firsthand, whether it’s verifying the stitching on Fyn & Fia bags, evaluating the clasps on Krua necklaces, or inspecting Magisso prototypes.

Each new product launch, product listing, and quality review is managed meticulously. Listings aren’t rushed, they’re carefully crafted. Photography, packaging, descriptions, and even logistics are reviewed down to the smallest detail. 

A Global Team, United by Shared Values

Voysey Brands operates globally, but we work as one team. From Europe to Asia, our staff brings diverse expertise to the table, contributing unique perspectives from sourcing to marketing to logistics. Each team member is encouraged to lead, share ideas, and take ownership of projects, knowing their work directly impacts the brands we build.

Because we are close to our products, both physically and creatively, we can respond quickly to changes, launch new ideas fast, and constantly improve. Our international team structure allows us to understand local markets while staying true to our global purpose-led vision.

Building for the Long Term

The consumer goods landscape is evolving, and Voysey Brands is committed to shaping what’s next. We’re not building trend-chasing brands, we’re creating brands with staying power, designed to meet real consumer needs across different categories.

From homeware to jewelry, swimwear to accessories, our portfolio is proof that variety doesn’t mean compromise. Each brand serves a unique audience, but they all share one thing: a commitment to quality, design, and purpose.

Whether it’s Fyn & Fia’s coastal lifestyle collections, Krua Jewellery’s artisan pieces, or Magisso’s innovative homeware, every Voysey Brands product is created with intention. We focus on products that improve daily life, offer lasting value, and resonate with modern consumers across different categories.

As we continue to grow, our commitment remains the same: to build purpose-led consumer brands that balance speed with quality, innovation with tradition, and global reach with local relevance. This is not about chasing trends, it’s about setting new standards for what thoughtful, consumer-first brand building can look like.