Meet the Founders Soph & Dani - The Heart of CORD & ROY

As an independent, women-owned brand, we wanted to take a moment to introduce you to CORD & ROY.

What inspired us to start CORD & ROY?

CORD & ROY was born out of a very personal experience for both of us. After moving to Australia, we faced the harsh reality of sun exposure, which led to both of us having skin cancers removed around the same time. As people who love spending time in the sun and water, this was a wake-up call that sparked our passion for promoting sun safety.

At the same time, we couldn’t find a surf hat that we actually wanted to wear—something that was functional enough for the surf, offered reliable sun protection, and still looked good. Recognising a clear gap in the market, we decided to create one ourselves ensuring our hats ticked all the boxes of what we want to use daily.

How did your backgrounds influence the design and functionality of your surf hats?

The brand was inspired by our personal experiences with sun safety. Sophie, after years of surfing and traveling, wished someone had told her at 20 to wear a surf hat to avoid the sun damage she has experienced. Dani, who discovered surfing as an adult and fell in love with it, felt the same after having a melanoma removed. 

And having both come from cold climates, Australia introduced us to an entirely new environment with intense sun exposure, hence we felt the need to create hats that provide shade and protection allowing you to enjoy the sun without sacrificing style of comfort! 

We both also value sustainability and caring for our planet and consequently we wanted to incorporate this into all facets of our business, Using eco-conscious materials like 100% recycled Nylon and ensuring that we minimise our business footprint. As we grow, we aim to achieve B-Corp certification, further reinforcing our commitment to people and the planet.

What does a typical day look like for you as founders of a surf-inspired brand.

As founders of a surf-inspired brand, our typical day is a blend of creativity, strategy, and operations. Dani oversees all social media and photography, connecting with our community through emails and social media messages. This is followed by crafting content and visuals for our channels to help the growth of the business. Her focus is on telling our story, engaging with customers, and showcasing our brand's personality.

Sophie, on the other hand, leads operations, business growth, and strategy. Her day includes organising ops, reviewing financials, and refining our overall approach to ensure we're reaching the right audience. She also manages orders, liaises with stockists, and works on growing the business.

And, most importantly, at the heart of everything we do is our shared love for the ocean and this often means a surf and coffee is at the very start of our day, keeping our priorities exactly as they should be! 🙂

 What are the most rewarding moments since launching CORD & ROY?

The most rewarding moment since launching CORD & ROY has been watching our community grow and seeing people embrace our mission of sun safety and functional design. Reaching our one-year anniversary and seeing sales pick up felt like a huge milestone, but in all honesty, nothing compares to the surreal feeling of heading to the surf and spotting people wearing our hats—and loving them! LOL. It’s such a crazy and also amazing feeling to think, “Wow, they’re wearing our hat!” - so big love and a huge thanks to our community!!!

Another highlight was connecting with Kassia Meador, one of our favorite iconic female surfers, in California. Her support for our brand was a huge moment that reinforced why we do what we do. 

What future plans do you have for CORD & ROY?

Our future plans  include a focus on expanding our mission globally (yeeew) while staying true to our core values of sun protection, sustainability, and community. We hope to partner with like-minded brands, grow our presence in both retail and online markets, and continue innovating our product line to meet the needs of our customers. 

We’re excited to see where our hats take us around the world, sharing more community experiences and embracing this incredible journey along the way which is growing us as individuals too. 

And most importantly, we’re committed to having the BEST time as we build a brand that we hope inspires and connects with people who share our love for the ocean, great outdoors and sun-smart living.

Thanks for tuning in and if you are still here, we would love you to check out a little founder video we put together. Hopefully it inspires you to go out and get in the ocean today… as it always makes life that lil bit better :)

Big love
Soph + Dani
CORD & ROY