Claire fell in love with the reef systems at age 19 while living on a sailboat as a snorkel instructor in the Florida Keys.  

Over the past 10 years, she witnessed firsthand as all of the sites that had once been teeming with life and abundant color became bleached and drained, and their inhabitants forced to die off or find other reefs

For reef systems that had been growing for hundreds of thousands of years, ten years is an alarmingly short amount of time to see such a dramatic impact on reef systems. It shocked and horrified her.

Her mission to save the reefs led her to the creation of Coralee. ...but getting through manufacturing in a fashion industry fraught with waste and more consumerism proved difficult and more expensive than expected. She dedicated significant time to carefully select and partner with companies and source materials that would protect the environment, rather than doing more harm, as well as provide labor that would empower others with skills and ethical employment.  Coralee swimwear is her hope to not only fight the marine plastic problem but actively contribute to the solution.