Aiyana started with a frustration I had experienced for years: finding swimwear that actually felt right.

As a woman with a fuller bust, I became used to the compromise. I could find swimwear that gave me the support I needed, but it often felt quite functional. Then I would find something beautiful, something that caught my eye immediately, only to discover that it wasn’t designed to give me the fit and support I needed.

I began to wonder why the choice had to be so difficult.

Why did supportive swimwear so often feel like a compromise on style? Why did beautiful designs seem to assume a particular body shape? And why, when there are so many different ways that women’s bodies are shaped, did swimwear still feel as though it was designed around such a narrow idea of what a woman should fit into?

These weren’t questions I had set out to build a business around. They were simply frustrations I had experienced for myself, particularly when I was shopping for holidays.

I love travelling. Being somewhere new, discovering a different culture, spending time by the sea. For me, those experiences have always been a form of escape.

But swimwear could sometimes take away from that feeling of freedom.

Instead of simply putting on a bikini and heading to the beach, there was always a little more to think about. Did it feel secure? Was it giving me enough support? Could I actually move comfortably? Did I feel good in it?

I didn't want to keep accepting that as normal.

From frustration to an idea

The more I thought about it, the more I realised I wasn't looking for something particularly complicated.

I wanted swimwear that was properly considered for a fuller bust, but still felt beautiful, feminine and modern.

I wanted the kind of pieces I would genuinely be excited to wear on holiday.

That became the starting point for Aiyana.

Creating the brand has been a very personal journey. It hasn't come from a large fashion house or a team of designers with an established formula. It has grown from a very real problem that I experienced myself and a desire to create something I felt was missing.

From the beginning, the focus has been on finding that balance between fit and design. Looking at the details that make a difference to a fuller bust, while never losing sight of the fact that swimwear should also feel beautiful.

Because I don't believe women should have to choose between support and style.

Why Aiyana exists

Aiyana is ultimately about giving women more choice.

More choice in how their swimwear fits. More choice in how it looks. More choice in how they want to feel when they wear it.

I want Aiyana to be the kind of swimwear you reach for when you're going somewhere special. The pieces you pack for the holiday you've been looking forward to, knowing that you don't need to spend the day thinking about your bikini.

You can swim. Explore. Relax. Get dressed up. Stay out late. Take the photographs.

And simply enjoy being there.

That was the feeling I wanted to create when I started Aiyana.

Not swimwear that asks women to change their bodies to fit the clothes, but swimwear that is thoughtfully designed to fit them.

And that is still at the heart of everything we do.

Welcome to Aiyana.

Alisha x