The Fabric of Life: Tara Grinna shares her plans for the future and an exclusive discovery from her past

If your business has survived nearly 40 years of hurricanes, recessions, and a world pandemic here in Myrtle Beach, you know you’re doing something right. And not only has Tara Grinna survived, but they are thriving.

The longtime Fashion House that manufactures luxury swimwear and resort wear in South Carolina proudly remains a family-run affair, with namesake Tara Grinna at the ownership helm and her daughter Kirsti Kelliher managing their five retail locations as director of retail and product development not designed and sewn in-house (handbags, footwear). Grinna’s husband, Rune, manages production and distribution, while Kirsti’s husband, Brendon, oversees the hand-cutting and sampling department. Together, Brendon and Kirsti are learning from her parents with the intention of continuing the family business in the future.

Tara Grinna’s five core locations: North Myrtle Beach at Barefoot Landing (the South Carolina flagship); Pawleys Island; Palm Beach, Florida; Bonita Springs, Florida; and Vero Beach, Florida; plus, they have an outlet store located in Conway. The company has also recently ventured into manufacturing its “hard accessories” (sunglasses, handbags, footwear) in partner factories in Italy.

“These are very small-batch, family-generational factories that do work for other luxury brands,” says Grinna. “Seeing our products manufactured alongside the world’s top luxury brands is a powerful validation of our craftsmanship. This shared production environment elevates our quality standards to an international tier. Witnessing the Tara Grinna line built right next to global icons is a deeply moving milestone for our brand.”

Grinna, however, assures that the company doesn’t have any plans of moving manufacturing from its roots in South Carolina.

“We recently hired two sewing machine operators, which is really rare because they’re so hard to find in South Carolina and our factory here, but we’re always hiring – anyone who just even enjoys home sewing,” she says. “Most of our staff have been with us many, many years, but it’s a dying art and an art that young people don’t necessarily have a desire for anymore, which is a shame. But we will continue sewing our swim and cover-up resort wear in South Carolina, and in the foreseeable future, we have no plans of moving that overseas.”

But future growth may be on the horizon back to Charleston, South Carolina, into Texas, or farther west in Scottsdale or Phoenix, Arizona, and Palm Springs or Palm Desert, California.

“We’d like to have at least 12 boutiques within the next 10 years,” says Grinna. “ … We definitely need to expand because the experience for us in the swimwear industry is that people still love shopping in our boutiques with our professional personal stylists – that level of the shopping experience is still very much enjoyable, rather than shopping online, and we have way more to offer in-store than online.”

The in-store Tara Grinna customer base has come to expect the brand’s elevated fabrics, bold patterns, and coordinated solids that used to encompass 80 percent of just swimwear, but now swimwear shares 50 percent of sales with resort wear.

“We make a great pant and every time we introduce that pant in another print, it sells out,” says Grinna. “Women love pieces that transition effortlessly from the pool to lunch and even dinner. Many of our tops, dresses, and other styles are made with travel-friendly fabrics that pack easily and come out of a suitcase wrinkle-free, making them perfect for effortless travel wear.

“As far as other trends, fashion is generally cyclical, but in the resort business, we can’t follow trends to the letter because some of the trends that are in fashion are not good swim resort colors,” she continues, “so we have to play by our own rule book for the most part. We always bring in new prints that have more fashion-forward coloring to coordinate, but somewhere in that print will be our solid. … I also like to say that we’re a little bit more classically designed, so the young, trendy prints or neons don’t translate to our brand.”

A recent, unannounced discovery by Grinna, after researching her ancestry, proves that fabrics are actually sewn into her family’s lineage.

She was recently invested with the Cross of Justice, a heritage lineage legacy award by the Noble Chapter of Ferdinand VI, after submitting her genealogical findings. The organization confirmed her direct relationship to the 1500s French family who commissioned The Lady and the Unicorn. Today, this historic work is celebrated as the world’s most significant piece of textile art, housed in the Musée de Cluny in Paris.

“It was an incredible honor! I was completely surprised,” says Grinna. “I’m excited to reconnect with my heritage by reintroducing our most beloved fragrance, WANT, through new packaging and branding as part of a special relaunch celebration planned for the next two to three months.”

On top of expanding her business, Grinna is also busy creating a foundation that will benefit local charities with a concentration on supporting animal rescues, women, and children.

“Giving back is really important,” she says. “Especially, I feel sometimes in our little beach communities that don’t necessarily get the attention they deserve from more state-run charities.”

With that said, Grinna doesn’t have any plans of slowing down at this point in her life.

“No, not anytime soon,” she says with a laugh. “I still do all the design and pattern making, so as long as that’s still the case, I am not going anywhere.”

For more information and updates, visit Taragrinna.com and follow them on social media @taragrinna.