Meet Blaauw by Monica, the Aussie bikini brand creating sustainable and ethical bikinis ready for summer.
Australia, the country known for its beautiful beaches, clear waters and much more and with summer approaching in the UK, we all begin to consider what pieces our summer wardrobe will consist of.
Independent brands are absolutely killing it at the moment with new Summer 21 releases. With many of us hoping for a summer holiday this year who else than an Australian bikini brand to showcase some beautiful bikinis ready for summer.
Meet Blaauw ( rhymes with WOW) , was founded in Melbourne , Australia by Founder and Owner Monica who creates each bespoke piece from her apartment. All the pieces created by Monica are handcrafted using recycled lycras and designer dead stock fabrics. Monica ensures the whole creative process is as sustainable and ethical as possible. This year has shown a popularity in custom bikinis and the release of a new limited edition print every three weeks.
Where did the idea come from to start Blaauw?
I decided to study fashion design after high school, at the time I thought the title just sounded really cool… I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and after I finished my studies… well I still didn’t know! The course is a sort of foundation to enter the industry to then branch out into specialties. A few months later I moved from Perth to Melbourne to pursue fashion design opportunities and what do you know, a year on and I still didn’t know what I wanted to do! So I guess the best answer here is that I fell into it, I started doing markets for fun, to meet people and keep my skills up to date, one day I picked up some cool retro style printed Lycra and gave a bikini a red hot crack and it just went bananas at market I was doing at the time so I kept on going!
The prints you use are so beautiful and rare to find, where do you get your inspirations for new designs from?
I’ve always been inspired by nature, I find beauty in the smallest and seemingly insignificant things, this might sound odd but I find dying plants really fascinating! I always enjoyed dying natural fabrics with natural resources like onion skins and tea bags! I’ve been incorporating brighter colours into my label although I’ve always been more into earthy tones!
Bikini making looks so fun, is it full time for you?
I had really hoped it would turn into my full time gig but juggling the costs of business and renting in Melbourne (which is very expensive!!) hasn’t quite happened yet however I am very determined to reach that goal! For now I’m enjoying it as being my little side gig and I hope to be taking the brand on a tour of Australia traveling and doing markets along the way, once the country is a little more stable!
What tips would you give someone thinking of designing their own bikinis?
Trial and error! There are so many more recourses available to teach yourself the skills then when you started, a little google search can take you a long way!
What is your favourite design from your brand?
The black fabric with the snake print is my favourite, it was my first ever design using recycled Lycra, the fabric is made from recycled plastic bottles and fishing nets and it has this kind of cotton-like feel to it… it reminds me of a swimsuit I had as a child which I loved so much hehe!
And as for the style, although I have been focusing more on bikinis this year than full pieces, I just love love love the full piece with high hips and a cut out on the front, I like a little bit of support on the bust but not too much, I don’t like to feel restricted or too tight so that little cut out just offers that bit of support I like!
you are one of the few brands to show a lot of diversity in your models on Instagram, why is showing real bodies important to you?
(good on you!)
So many brands show just one body type, and it sends a message of what is beautiful because actions do speak louder than words.
I see and have experienced myself the feelings of not being worthy and not feeling as beautiful as the models representing the brands, it’s up to us to feel what we feel or how we react to our feelings but at the end of the day it’s simple, looking at the clothes on a model is a huge factor as to how we pick out clothes and picture them on ourselves and a size 18 will not be able to imagine what the garment will look like by looking at the garment on a size 8 model!
You can shop Monica’s beautiful bikinis here
Keep in touch
Instagram/@galeriedeaims
