Paul’s Plan: Where the Former LVMH Exec Intends to Take SeafollyPaul Kotrba has been chief executive officer for just a few months, but during this time, the company has opened its first European store and is eyeing a larger footprint in Asia.

[Collection]Superbullish, not just bullish. That’s how recently installed Seafolly chief executive officer Paul Kotrba feels about the business and the swimwear category. Kotrba, who most recently served as global retail executive for Donna Karan and DKNY, joined the swimwear firm — which includes the namesake brand, swim and resort line Miléa, swim chain Sunburn and swim and active brand Maaji — in January. The company has now entered retail in the European market with the first Seafolly store and inked a deal with Australian model Elyse Knowles as a brand ambassador in a campaign set to launch Monday. Meanwhile, he’s surveying how the company can grow in Asia, Europe and the U.S. while keeping its hold at home in Australia. “I think there’s tremendous opportunity in this space across the swim category,” Kotrba said. “There’s a lot of segmentation in terms of entrants and historical players. I think for somebody like Seafolly with the brand strength we have, we can grow.” The Seafolly business is diverse with 33 stores — 22 in Australia, seven in the U.S. and four in Singapore. A door at 133 Rue D’Antibes in Cannes has opened, the first in Europe for a market that accounts for 20 percent of the

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