Voyage Swimwear creating travel inspired bathing suits and trunks

The summer solstice has officially happened, and people are busy planning their vacations to Montauk, Turks and Cacos and St. Tropez. Summer also means that it is time for swimsuits and trunks. For those of us who might not be jet setting this summer, the idea of a swimsuit or trunks that depict the world might still intrigue your fashionable tastes.

Brittany Harris, a savvy businesswoman and lover of swimwear, is bringing something new to the market: using maps as designs.

Growing up, Harris had always been interested in travel and the world. She used to go traveling with her grandparents when she was a young girl. She also attended business school in Italy.

Before she dipped her toes into the fashion pool, she lived in China for several years where she worked a data marketing company in Shanghai. The idea for her band, Voyage Swimwear, came about in 2010, but at first she just saw it as a hobby.

Harris originally went to business school with the intentions of starting her own company. Eventually, she began talking to local editors in China about her line, and started doing runway shows, but there was a phone call that changed her life: one from the Four Seasons.

The Four Seasons Shanghai called her an offered her the opportunity to sell her collection at the boutique in their hotel. Harris respectfully jumped at the offer, which has turned out to be a brilliant business move for her. From there, she decided to source her line locally and began working with manufacturers and warehouses in China to produce her collection. It gave her the opportunity to be really hands on, which she liked, and also made it possible for her to do her own quality control.

The line, which Harris describes as "travel focused, and travel inspired" is unique for its use of maps as patterns. To create the maps, she starts with a vision board, and then works with a graphic designer to make customized prints for each location.

Since Harris launched her line, she has always made it a point to try and source everything locally. She currently works with one factory here in the United States, and another in China. While the two factories she is currently using are great for small quantity production, Harris is hoping to eventually find a manufacturer for large scale production as she continues to expand.

Her line is currently carried at the Four Seasons hotels in India, China, Mumbai, Malaysia, and the United States. She also has a partnership with Equinox.

Price points for her line range from 110 dollars to 250 dollars.

As for the secret to her success, Harris feels that her experiences living and traveling all over the world really give her an edge.

"Living in different countries gives you an understanding of different cultures," Harris says. "It teaches you how to do business with different kinds of people, and that's important for growing a global business."