Meet the face (and derriere) of a global bikini business empire - and it all started when she got fired from a surf shop and borrowed $800 from her dad

  • Karina Irby, 27, owns designer swimwear empire named 'Moana Bikini' 
  • But the Gold Coast entrepeneur was fired from her job just six years ago
  • She borrowed $800 from her father and took designs to Indonesia
  • Using self-taught coding skills she set up a website and found a wholesaler
  • Now she rakes in millions and has over 400,000 Instagram followers 

By Daniel Peters For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 07:41 EST, 13 November 2016 | Updated: 14:08 EST, 13 November 2016

At 27 years of age, Karina Irby owns a global bikini business empire that rakes in millions of dollars and is just days away from a 50,000-piece summer launch.

But just six years ago the introverted Gold Coast entrepreneur was fired from a casual retail job at a local surf shop and borrowed $800 from her single father.

Using her self-taught skills in coding, the driven blonde took a leap of faith and created a website for her brand new business: Moana Bikini.

Now, with over 400,000 Instagram followers and loyal customers from every corner of the globe - Ms Irby is the face (and derriere) of a designer swimwear company that has become a household name for women across Australia.

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Gold Coast entrepreneur Karina Irby, 27,  owns global swimwear empire 'Moana Bikini'

But just six years ago she was fired from a casual retail job at her local surf shop

Asking her quadriplegic father for an $800 loan, she created her own website and then launched a designer swimwear brand offering customers cheeky-cut bikini styles

Ms Irby said being fired from a retail job for sending customers to competitor brands was the kickstart that she needed to chase her dreams

Ms Irby said being fired from a retail job for sending customers to competitor brands was the kickstart she needed to chase her dream of starting her own brand.

'Everyone had always said to me I should do my own bikini line, so that's what I did,' she told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

 Everyone had always said to me I should do my own bikini line, so that's what I did

Drawing creative inspiration from a previous trip to Hawaii, she borrowed money from her quadriplegic father Patrick and headed off to Indonesia with her designs.

Eventually an Australian in Indonesia agreed to help her manufacture her bikinis which, once launched, unexpectedly sold out very quickly. 

'This was when the plan came about — it was, let's just order some more, double it, and we'll see if it's as popular or if it was a one-off thing,' she told the Bulletin.

'We're hoping to drop 50,000 pieces for our launch this month. Dad has only just let me pay him back three months ago.'

Now the global bikini business empire rakes in millions of dollars and is just days away from a 50,000-piece summer launch

Moana Bikini has 413,000 followers on Instagram and thousands of women upload photographs online under the hashtag #moanabikini (pictured)

Ms Irby said her father only let her pay back the $800 loan three months ago

In an interview with Daily Mail Australia earlier this year, Ms Irby said her cheeky-cut bikini style struck a chord with women sick of being told how to dress.

'I always liked the cheekier styles that were sold in beautiful places like Hawaii but couldn’t be found in Port Macquarie,’ she explained.

Moana Bikini's social media accounts are filled with photographs of stunning models dusted with white sand while posing on beautiful beaches. 

The social media-savvy 'surfer girl' says she owes a lot of her success to advertising online. 

She said: 'I love my customers I like to take the time to talk to people. That's why I take it to heart when I disappoint them.'

'People have contacted me on Instagram angry or disappointed that the designs have been sold out. So we're hoping to be able to expand this year,' she said. 

With 78,000 Facebook fans, 200,000 Snapchat followers and 413,000 Instagram followers (including an additional 379,000 on Ms Irby's personal account) - it's fair to say Moana Bikini has a firm grip on the market.

A quick look on the company's website shows all but one of 32 products totally sold out. 

The new 'Island Time' range will launch on November 16 and a link to the 27-year-old's online shop can be found on her Instagram profile MOANA BIKINI. 

The social media-savvy 'surfer girl' says she owes a lot of her success to advertising online

Moana Bikini's social media accounts are filled with women flaunting the stylish swimwear

'I love my customers I like to take the time to talk to people,' said Ms Irby

The new 'Island Time' range will launch on November 16 

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