Houston woman gets help from 'Shark Tank' to launch unique bikini

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- With a snap, a slide and a twist, your old bikini becomes new again.

That's the idea behind Kelsey Duffy's 'Versakini.'

"It's literally like build-a-bear for bikinis," Duffy said.

Duffy's partner launched Mix Bikini last year on ABC's Shark Tank. One shark invested thousands of dollars in the business.

"We had a great night, went home and looked at our sales and realized that the website crashed," Duffy said, "And not only did it crash, but it crashed for days after, three or four days, and we lost probably a couple hundred thousand dollars."

Since then, Duffy moved from New York to Florida and then here to Houston to try and salvage sales. She says she made the product even more versatile than before, hence the new name: Versakini.

"With Versakini, it doesn't matter if you're wearing the same suit as the girl in the next towel," Duffy said, "You could be wearing it a completely different way."

A special clasp in the center of the top allows customers to wear it four different ways. The bottoms are reversible, too. The new Versakinis will go on sale Friday after Duffy appears on ABC's Beyond the Tank. Her biggest lesson from this experience: don't give up.

"If you sit there and think, 'What if I can't, what if I can't,' you won't," Duffy said, "You have to take a risk."

Customers can buy Versakinis online at www.versakini.com starting Friday.