TOP 100 MAGAZINE

Jennifer Berk Weisman

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Whenever Jennifer Weisman took her twin boys shopping for swimwear, she was endlessly frustrated at how poorly many shorts fit. She recalls, "I didn’t understand why they only sold volley shorts or fixed-waist boardshorts for kids." While most might shrug it off, Jennifer, who majored in textile design at the Fashion Institute of Technology, knew she could design better swim trunks. After all, this is the woman who designed her own prom dress. "Realizing the need for adjustable waist swimwear was my eureka moment, so I created it myself," she says. That’s how Just Bones Boardwear was born.

 

Jennifer invented a design for an adjustable waist boardshort, and by 2011, she had samples. The novelty of the boardshorts and the void in the market sparked immediate interest among retailers, giving Just Bones Boardwear a fighting edge against well-established brands. Even getting hit by a car in 2012 couldn’t stop Jennifer, who used the shocking event as inspiration to move forward with her new business. She met with patent examiners while recovering, earning her first patent in May 2013, and her second in 2014. 

 

Today, Just Bones Boardwear is thriving, with Jennifer leading the way as designer and CEO. They’ve expanded into swimwear for men, women, girls, and toddlers, all in fabrics Jennifer designs herself, and with her patented waistband that keeps them in place even in the roughest seas. Her design won TasteTV’s Best Swimwear of 2016 Award for special functionality, out of thousands of entrants, and Just Bones Boardwear was worn throughout SyFy original movie, Ghost Shark. Jennifer also penned a memoir, Sink or Swimwear, about her experiences running her company while recovering from her accident, and has appeared on multiple podcasts discussing her inspiration, her book, and breaking into a male-dominated industry. 

 

Creativity drives Jennifer, whether it’s keeping shorts up or building an entire business. While enjoying success, she also embraces the adversity that has allowed her to grow. "Nothing great has ever been achieved by staying in the same place." 

 

Jennifer Berk Weisman

Designer & CEO — Just Bones Boardwear™

Website: www.justbonesboardwear.com

LinkedIn: Jennifer Berk Weisman

Business Mentor: gura.io/profile/Jennifer-berk-weisman

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justbonesboardwear  

Instagram: @justbonesbw