With 20 years of experience in the fashion industry, Melissa Odabash started out as a model. The idea to design swimwear came to her after modeling for years. When she realized that many swimwear brands weren't getting it right in terms of fit, she decided to start designing herself. "Since I didn't like any of the swimsuits I wore, I decided to launch my own brand," she explains.
Her big breakthrough came three years after launching her first collection when a friend of hers took her collection to New York and did a photo shoot with Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford, and it all took off from there. Today, its collections are available in 62 countries and over 500 department stores, boutiques, and resorts.
Her creations are designed in London and produced in Italy, standing out from other swimwear brands thanks to their fit. Having worked as a model for years, Melissa is aware of the importance of how garments fit, and that customers always come back to the same brand when they know it fits well.
About Melissa Odabash
She also defends quality as an inescapable characteristic of her designs, saying that her designs last for up to 20 years. She considers her designs to be timeless and confesses to being inspired by James Bond movies and the sixties when designing.
Odabash stands out for using 100% sustainable fabric in all her garments and designs in a vast repertoire of sizes. In fact, the brand’s unique large-breasted models are the most successful and she uses them to renew the launch campaigns season after season.
Popular among A-listers such as Elle Macpherson, Rihanna, Kendall Jenner, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sienna Miller, Heidi Klum, and Beyoncé to name a few, the brand is renowned for its luxurious and holiday lifestyle vibe. Melissa has even worked with the likes of Julian MacDonald and her creations have been called the "Ferraris of bikinis". In 2018, she showed her creations in Spain for the first time during the Mercedes Benz Fashion week in Ibiza.
Sustainable Luxury Swimwear
Melissa Odabash works with an intimate London-based team where the designs are conceived in-house in her own factory. Using a precise design method, Melissa is conscious of employing the use of environmentally friendly fabrics made via sustainable processes.
For example, the swimwear fabrics are designed using fabrics that are fast-drying, UPF protective and OEKO-TEX® certified. The brand launched its Sports Luxe collection made from ECONYL, which is made from 100% regenerated nylon yarn derived from pre and post-industrial waste such as discarded fishing nets.
In addition, there’s the Après Beach collection which is made from Ecovero, which consists of pulp derived from renewable resource wood, manufactured by Lenzing™. Ecovero generates 50% lower emissions and water impact compared to generic viscose.
Melissa has established long-term relationships with her partners in India, choosing only highly-skilled craftswomen, enabling these communities to flourish. The brand’s factories in Italy are family-run and have been working in the industry for over 30 years. Melissa believes that by building strong relationships and working closely with these suppliers, the brand is able to produce exceptional swimwear that lasts for years to come.