Island Company was a wholesale and retail resort clothing brand founded in 2002 by Spencer Antle. As of 2019, the company shut down its retail stores due to extensive damage from

Hurricane Irma Hurricane Irma was an extremely powerful Cape Verde hurricane that caused widespread destruction across its path in September 2017. Irma was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Leeward Islands on record, followed by Maria two ...

. The firm had expanded from a small collection of women’s swimwear to products ranging from men’s and women’s travel apparel, a skin care line, sunglasses, and beach and home accessories.

History

When Island Company was started, Antle and his girlfriend drove from store to store selling the line of 13 bikinis from their car. When they separated, Antle kept Island Company and added a men’s line and other new products. The line was soon picked up by destination resort shops in the

Ritz Carlton The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC is an American multinational company that operates the luxury hotel chain known as The Ritz-Carlton. The company has 108 luxury hotels and resorts in 30 countries and territories with 29,158 rooms, in addit ...

and

Four Seasons Hotels Four Seasons Hotels Limited, trading as Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, is an international luxury hotel and resort company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Four Seasons currently operates more than 100 hotels and resorts worldwide.D ...

, starting a transition for Island Company to become a full lifestyle resort brand, beyond just a

bikini A bikini is a two-piece swimsuit primarily worn by women that features two triangles of fabric on top that cover the breasts, and two triangles of fabric on the bottom: the front covering the pelvis but exposing the navel, and the back coveri ...

line. In the economic downturn of 2008, the firm opened 5 retail stores in 18 months, at a time when most other retailers were closing their doors. However, some of those retail locations have since closed. Since then, the firm was listed in '' Inc.'' magazine's Top 5000 fastest growing companies in the U.S.A, nominated from 2010 to 2015.

Lawsuits

Kendall and Kylie Jenner, Pac-Sun

In October 2014, Island Company filed a lawsuit against Kendall Jenner and

Kylie Jenner Kylie Kristen Jenner (born August 10, 1997) is an American media personality, socialite, and businesswoman. She starred in the E! reality television series ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' from 2007 to 2021 and is the founder and owner of ...

for trademark infringement against Island Company’s slogan "Quit your job. Buy a ticket. Get a tan. Fall in love. Never return." The Jenners had created a tee shirt, through their deal with teen surf retailer

PacSun Pacific Sunwear of California, LLC is an American retail clothing brand. The company sells lifestyle apparel, along with swim, footwear and accessories designed for teens and young adults. As of 2022, the company operates 325 stores in all 50 stat ...

, using the phrase "Run away. Fall in love. Never return.” The firm said, the Jenners’ version, “is likely to cause confusion, mistake, and deception among consumers.” In January 2015, the parties settled with Island Company receiving an undisclosed sum and Pac Sun removing all remaining product from stores.

Abercrombie

In July 2013, Island Company filed a lawsuit against

Abercrombie & Fitch Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) is an American lifestyle retailer that focuses on casual wear. Its headquarters are in New Albany, Ohio. The company operates three other offshoot brands: Abercrombie Kids, Hollister Co., and Gilly Hicks. As of Februar ...

for

trademark infringement Trademark infringement is a violation of the exclusive rights attached to a trademark without the authorization of the trademark owner or any licensees (provided that such authorization was within the scope of the licence). Infringement may o ...

. It alleged that the retailer used Island Company's trademarked "Quit your job. Buy a ticket. Get a tan. Fall in Love. Never return." mantra.

Cotton On

In mid-December 2015, Island Company filed suit against

Cotton On Cotton On Group is Australia's largest global retailer, known for its fashion clothing and stationery brands. As of 2020, it has over 1,500 stores in 18 countries employing 22,000 people across seven brands: Cotton On, Cotton On Kids, Cotton O ...

, for their tee shirt “Quit You’r (sic) Job, Buy a Ticket, Travel the World, Fall in Love, Repeat.” Island Company called Cotton On’s grammatically challenged slogan “confusingly similar” to its catchphrase. Island Company asked a federal judge to order Cotton On to destroy the offending garments.

Free People

A suit was filed on August 31, 2017, in U.S. District Court by Island Company against

Free People Free People is an American bohemian apparel and lifestyle retail company that sells women’s clothing, accessories, shoes, intimates, and swimwear. It also has a beauty and wellness category, which includes products such as cosmetics, skin, a ...

. The suit alleged that Island Company’s trademark was infringed on by a similar logo “Buy A Ticket, Tune In, Rock Out, Never Return,” used on some merchandise sold by Free People.

Locations

Island Company had 12 freestanding, branded retail stores;

Naples, Florida Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the historical city (i.e. in the immediate vicinity of downtown Naples) was 19,115. Naples is a principal city of the Naples-Marco Island, Flori ...

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from several nearby cities including West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intracoas ...

Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territory—the largest by population in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located to the ...

Ritz-Carlton The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC is an American multinational company that operates the luxury hotel chain known as The Ritz-Carlton. The company has 108 luxury hotels and resorts in 30 countries and territories with 29,158 rooms, in addit ...

Ft. Lauderdale,

Nantucket Nantucket () is an island about south from Cape Cod. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and County of Nantucket, a combined county/town government that is part of the U.S. state of Massachuse ...

Martha’s Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the Northeastern United States, located south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, known for being a popular, affluent summer colony. Martha's Vineyard includes the s ...

, East Hampton NY, two in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

at the (Venetian Las Vegas), the Fashion Show Mall, and two in Harbour Island in the

Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...

. In June 2015, it was announced that Island Company would be opening a 4,000 square foot store at the

in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The firm sold to over 1000 wholesale accounts worldwide. Its products were distributed in the

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

, and

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. In July 2019, all stores were forced to close.

Closure

* Island Company closed in July 2019 due to destruction from Hurricane Irma.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Island Company (Clothing Company) 2000s fashion 2010s fashion Clothing brands of the United States Clothing companies established in 2002 Retail companies established in 2002 Clothing retailers of the United States Swimwear manufacturers Eyewear companies of the United States Eyewear brands of the United States Companies based in Palm Beach County, Florida 2002 establishments in Florida