Growing up on Long Island, Madison Governale '26 and her sister Paige Governale '27 spent summers on the east end of Long Island, enjoying beach days and sunsets. When the pandemic led to canceled summer jobs, they delved into their old hobbies of drawing, tie-dyeing, and jewelry making. Their creations received praise globally on social media, inspiring them to launch Wave Creations in May 2020.

As a lifestyle clothing brand, each creation shares a different story personal to the sisters. Every collection is inspired by places the two have visited or plan to travel to one day, or is authentic to the beach lifestyle brand. 

“For instance, our Sunrise Highway line, named after the highway we take every summer to go to the beach, reflects our own summer experience. You don’t have to be from Long Island to understand the story, though each narrative told [in our products] is what ultimately makes our brand stand out,” said Madison.

Since first launching Wave Creations, the sisters have shared beach and lifestyle content on their expanding social media pages, where they have amassed more than 11,000 followers (@shopwavecreations on Instagram). They attribute the success of their social media efforts to their passion for following trends, learning algorithms, and seeking out creative designs.

Heading into the April 25 Start-Up Showcase, Wave Creations has many goals for the future including a large project to be rolled out for Summer 2025. They seek to scale their company into more retail and surf shops, as well as create more brand awareness.

“Wave Creations is approaching its fourth year in business and with every year we see significant growth with our brand and our experiences,” said Paige.

Be sure to attend the Start-Up Showcase to hear out the Governale sisters' inspiring journey and innovative plans for Wave Creations.

To learn more about the Fairfield StartUp Showcase, visit Fairfield.edu/startup.