Former pro surfer, designer, and celebrity fan favorite? There’s little that MYRASWIM founder, CEO, and Creative Director Bianca Elouise can’t do.
And don’t let the brand name fool you: MYRASWIM doesn’t just stop at the beach. The clothing line includes stunning ready-to-wear garments and menswear, in addition to high-quality and high-fashion swimsuits.
Back in 2013, Australian designer and former pro surfer Elouise founded the premium swimwear line, now beloved by celebs like Kim Kardashian, Emily Ratajkowski, and Jennifer Lopez. The body-positive branding accentuates curves in a stylish way, with a minimalist aesthetic and signature high-cut bottoms. MYRASWIM is sold internationally by Net-a-Porter, SSENSE, and Olive LA.
Below, Elouise discusses her design inspiration, celebrity secrets, and favorite pieces from the latest collection. Before jetting off to your own tropical holiday vacay, hear Elouise’s exclusive go-to picks!
The Knockturnal: What inspired you to shift from surfer to designer in 2013 and start MYRASWIM?
Bianca Elouise: I grew up being a creative. Mum always said I was born with it. Being a child always wanting to do art, I started to sew and sketch in my teens. After my sponsorship contracts with Billabong ended, I had to start buying my swimwear. What I wanted I couldn’t find. So the ideas and work started from there…
The Knockturnal: MYRASWIM has already garnered a huge A-lister fan base. Which celebs have you worked with personally?
Bianca Elouise: We have worked so hard to gain and maintain relationships with some of my fav celebs. Going from PR pitches and stylist pulls to dealing directly with the clients themselves is fantastic. The respect and loyalty they show to my work is mind-blowing. It’s an honor. I work directly with Karreuche, Eva Longoria, Lori Harvey, Tracey Ellis Ross, Ryan Destiny, J.Lo, Lara Worthington, Eniko Hart, and Emily Ratajkowski. They’re all such lovely people!
The Knockturnal: What about the brand is distinctly universal, and also distinctly Australian?
Bianca Elouise: Being swimwear, it’s 100% Australian. We invented the bikini! The bikini was first designed and worn on the Gold Coast, my home city, many decades ago. I take pride in continuing that.
I’ve worked very hard to distinguish my brand identity globally. You would think it would be impossible to recognize a plain black bikini. Back when I started, that was hard to find! But with my designs, fabrics and cuts, I’ve for sure established a brand recognized by just those things. Many people say, ‘I can tell when it’s Myra, ’ which is a HUGE compliment as a designer.
The Knockturnal: Where do you draw design inspiration from?
Bianca Elouise: History, 80’s/90’s swim fashion is 100% me. I wish I could have lived through that period.
In saying that, I design for myself. I never lose touch with where I started. I started making what I could not find to fit my shape and size, and I continued to do that.
The Knockturnal: How do you describe the MYRASWIM customer?
Bianca Elouise: Confident and stylish. I’ve received a lot of feedback over the years from women that say they’ve never wanted to wear a swimsuit, but as soon as they get into one of mine, they feel so confident and beautiful, and that brings so much joy to my life. My customers love or learn to love their bodies; feeling comfortable wearing minimal garments is sometimes hard, but I’ve designed to develop that ‘I love my body’ feel when wearing MYRASWIM.
The Knockturnal: What are some of your favorite pieces from this latest collection?
Bianca Elouise: I love the Borne one piece. Having a super high cut and waistband, I feel like this piece looked terrific on many different bodies. It was for sure a customer favorite. But in saying that, I love the tonal colors I chose. The oyster shade was such a beautiful color, and I’ve decided to follow it through to SS22.
The Knockturnal: How do you think the fashion industry, especially swimwear, is addressing body positivity?
Bianca Elouise: Using a diverse range of models is helping just that. I see a lot of brands using from XXS to XXXXL models, and it’s incredible. Every brand has a different demographic and market, and not all swim brands have the same customers. But just seeing a wide variety is helping women feel more comfortable wearing swim.
The Knockturnal: What led to the decision to expand into kids and menswear?
Bianca Elouise: I see a lot of family fashion on social media. I’ve had feedback from mothers who own Myra garments saying they would love a plain swimsuit for their kids; everything is so patterned and colorful that we want simple, stylish things for children too. It took a couple of years to process, but I finally took the step. We’ve had a great reaction to the collections, especially matching designs for adults, and mums love to match their minis. And expanding to mens & boys recently was along the same lines. My dad helped me with the men’s designs; we nailed it!
The Knockturnal: Lastly, what are some of your holiday traditions? Will you be at the beach in MYRASWIM?
Bianca Elouise: I was fortunate enough this year to be able to buy a beachfront home. So this year for Christmas we will be spending it here. We usually spend the day at the beach as it’s summertime here. Lots of summer foods & refreshing drinks. I have a small family, so it’s normally just a chilled summer day all in our MYRASWIM, of course!
The Knockturnal: On the website, I was impressed by the diversity of the women showing the swimsuits but also the different body shapes. In today’s society many women want to physically look a certain way, what advice would you give men and women about body image and self-confidence?
