Island Company
Corporate brand
UnclaimedIsland Company was an American resort-lifestyle clothing and accessories brand founded in 2002 and closed after Hurricane Irma damaged its retail operations.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Island Company was a United States resort-clothing and lifestyle brand founded in 2002 by Spencer Antle. The business began with a very small assortment of women's swimwear: Antle and his then-girlfriend reportedly traveled from store to store selling 13 bikini designs from their car. This direct, highly mobile start reflected the brand's initial focus on vacation destinations and resort retail rather than conventional mass-market apparel distribution. After Antle retained the business following the end of the relationship, Island Company broadened its range. It added men's apparel and expanded beyond swimwear into travel clothing, skincare, sunglasses, beach accessories, and home-related products. The company's growth was closely connected to destination retail. Its products were taken up by resort shops associated with properties such as Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons, helping Island Company reposition itself from a niche bikini label into a broader resort-lifestyle brand. The company also developed a wholesale network and a collection of freestanding stores. At its peak, it was reported to have 12 branded retail locations, including stores in Florida, New York, Nevada, the Cayman Islands, and the Bahamas, as well as resort-based locations. Its wholesale business served more than 1,000 accounts worldwide, with distribution described across North America, South America, the Caribbean, and Europe. The retail footprint included locations in Naples and Palm Beach, Florida; Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and East Hampton; Las Vegas; Harbour Island; and the Ritz-Carlton in Fort Lauderdale. A 4,000-square-foot Fort Lauderdale store was announced in 2015. Island Company's positioning centered on an aspirational escape from ordinary work and routine. Its best-known slogan, “Quit your job. Buy a ticket. Get a tan. Fall in love. Never return,” expressed the brand's travel-oriented identity and became one of its most commercially and legally significant assets. The slogan was used in connection with apparel and served as a concise statement of the company's resort-lifestyle proposition. Several later disputes arose when other apparel retailers or collaborators used wording that Island Company considered confusingly similar. The company expanded its retail presence during the economic downturn of 2008, opening five stores within an 18-month period, although some locations subsequently closed. Island Company was listed in Inc. magazine's ranking of fast-growing U.S. companies from 2010 through 2015, according to the referenced account. This growth period was followed by increasing pressure on the physical retail business. Hurricane Irma caused extensive damage, and by July 2019 the company's retail stores had been forced to close. The brand is therefore treated as defunct in this dossier. The available reference material does not establish whether any intellectual property, wholesale activity, or online operations continued after the retail shutdown.
History
Island Company was established in 2002 by Spencer Antle as a small swimwear venture. Its earliest reported product range consisted of 13 women's bikini designs, which Antle and his girlfriend sold directly to shops while traveling by car. This origin gave the business a strong connection to vacation destinations and independent resort retail. Following the couple's separation, Antle continued operating Island Company. He expanded the business with men's products and moved the brand beyond its original women's swimwear focus. Resort shops at Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons properties began carrying the collection, providing access to travelers and helping establish Island Company as a lifestyle brand rather than solely a bikini label. The assortment later included men's and women's travel apparel, skincare, sunglasses, beach accessories, and home accessories. The company pursued both wholesale and direct retail distribution. It ultimately supplied more than 1,000 wholesale accounts worldwide, with reported distribution in North America, South America, the Caribbean, and Europe. It also operated freestanding branded stores and resort-based shops. Reported locations included Naples and Palm Beach in Florida, the Cayman Islands, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, East Hampton, Las Vegas, and Harbour Island in the Bahamas. A planned 4,000-square-foot store at the Ritz-Carlton in Fort Lauderdale was announced in 2015. Island Company increased its store count during the economic downturn of 2008, opening five stores over an 18-month period. Some of those stores later closed. The company was also identified by Inc. magazine as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States, with listings reported from 2010 through 2015. A central part of the brand's identity was its escape-oriented slogan, “Quit your job. Buy a ticket. Get a tan. Fall in love. Never return.” The phrase appeared on merchandise and became the basis of several trademark disputes. In 2013, Island Company sued Abercrombie & Fitch. In 2014, it sued Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner in connection with merchandise produced through their PacSun relationship; that dispute settled in January 2015, with an undisclosed payment and removal of remaining products from PacSun stores. Island Company also sued Cotton On in 2015 and Free People in 2017 over allegedly similar phrases. The business's retail network was severely affected by Hurricane Irma. The available reference states that the damage was extensive and that all stores were forced to close in July 2019. No reliable information in the supplied material confirms a successor company, continuing ownership, or a subsequent relaunch, so Island Company is recorded here as defunct.
- 2019
Retail operations close after Hurricane Irma
[1]Damage attributed to Hurricane Irma resulted in the closure of Island Company's retail stores by July 2019.
- 2017
Free People trademark lawsuit
[1]Island Company filed suit against Free People over similar wording used on merchandise.
- 2015
Jenner-PacSun dispute settles
[1]The parties reached a settlement, and PacSun removed remaining products connected with the dispute.
- 2015
Fort Lauderdale resort store announced
[1]Island Company announced a 4,000-square-foot store at the Ritz-Carlton in Fort Lauderdale.
- 2015
Cotton On trademark lawsuit
[1]The company sued Cotton On over a slogan it considered confusingly similar to its trademarked phrase.
- 2014
Jenner and PacSun trademark lawsuit
[1]Island Company filed a lawsuit concerning slogan wording used on a PacSun-associated T-shirt involving Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner.
- 2013
Abercrombie trademark lawsuit
[1]Island Company sued Abercrombie & Fitch over alleged use of a confusingly similar slogan.
- 2010
Begins reported Inc. 5000 recognition period
[1]Island Company was reported as being included in Inc. magazine's ranking of fast-growing U.S. companies from 2010 through 2015.
- 2008
Retail expansion during the downturn
[1]The company opened five retail stores within an 18-month period during the economic downturn.
- 2002
Island Company is founded
[1]Spencer Antle founded Island Company as a small women's swimwear business.
Products and positioning
An aspirational resort-lifestyle brand built around swimwear, travel apparel, destination retail, and the promise of escaping ordinary work and routine.
Swimwear · 2002
Women's swimwear
Island Company began with a small women's swimwear collection, reportedly consisting of 13 bikini designs. Swimwear remained the foundation of the brand's early identity even as the company expanded into a broader resort-lifestyle assortment.
Apparel
Men's and women's resort apparel
After its initial swimwear launch, Island Company added men's products and developed clothing for both men and women. The apparel was positioned for resort travel and leisure, including merchandise carrying the brand's recognizable escape-themed slogan.
Travel clothing
Travel apparel
Travel apparel extended the brand beyond beachwear and supported its broader promise of vacation, mobility, and destination living. The supplied sources do not provide a detailed item-by-item product catalog.
Personal care
Skincare
Island Company developed a skincare line as part of its resort-lifestyle expansion. The available reference confirms the category but does not identify specific formulas, products, or launch dates.
Accessories
Sunglasses
Sunglasses were among the accessories added as Island Company broadened its offer from swimwear into a more complete vacation lifestyle assortment.
Lifestyle accessories
Beach and home accessories
Beach and home accessories complemented the apparel and personal-care ranges, allowing the brand to present a wider resort-living proposition. Specific products are not identified in the supplied reference.
Brand decisions
2019
Closure of retail stores after Hurricane IrmaOtherBackground
Hurricane Irma caused extensive damage to Island Company's retail operations.
Action taken
The company closed all of its stores by July 2019.
Aftermath
The retail shutdown marks the end of the company's documented operating history; the supplied sources do not establish whether any business continued afterward.
2015
Expansion through resort-property retailStrategyBackground
Island Company's distribution model relied heavily on destination shops and hotel resorts.
Action taken
The company announced a 4,000-square-foot store at the Ritz-Carlton in Fort Lauderdale.
Aftermath
The announcement reinforced the brand's strategy of associating its retail presence with high-end resort destinations.
2008
Accelerated freestanding-store expansionStrategyBackground
During the economic downturn, Island Company expanded its physical retail presence despite the difficult economic environment.
Action taken
The company opened five stores within an 18-month period.
Aftermath
Some of the locations later closed, while the company continued to operate a smaller network of branded and resort-based stores.
Sources1 sources
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