Exclusive: Natasha Oakley and Devin Brugman’s Monday Swimwear Resort Collection Is Here!

Nobody gives us #vacationenvy quite like this best friend and business partner duo, Natasha Oakley and Devin Brugman, who from Australia and Maui respectively, grew up wearing bikinis as a second skin. Their passion for swimwear started their bicoastal friendship and became the groundwork for their blog, A Bikini A Day. Since launching ABAD back in 2012, they’ve shared photos in thousands of different bikinis every single day of the year—in destinations all over the world, no less. After amassing a huge following, (ahem, right now they have 3M Instagram followers between them) they took their passion for swimwear one step further and designed their own personal brand, Monday Swimwear. The duo is launching their Resort ’17 collection on Monday, November 7th, and we’ve got a first look. Below, they share their insight on having a female-run business, being advocates for body positivity, and of course, more photos.

Natasha on becoming business partners:

Funnily enough, we met on Facebook! We had mutual friends (so to speak) and inevitably became close ourselves after I moved to Maui—where Devin is from. The business was never the goal, we were just two friends, spending time at the beach and taking photos in our bikinis. It wasn’t until we noticed the engagement we were getting, and requests for collaborations from swimwear brands, that we realized the business potential. Suddenly we wen’t from BFFs, to BFFs/Business Partners. It was just a natural progression, we guess.

Natasha and Devin on having a female-run business:

It’s empowering, to say the least. Knowing that we started quite young, and have built so much, it’s hugely motivating as women to call ourselves entrepreneurs. We get a lot of positive feedback from like-minded women aspiring to run their own businesses, and it’s a pretty surreal feeling to hear someone say “you’re an inspiration”. But, we didn’t start a business to be female entrepreneurs, we started a business because we wanted to feel confident in our choices and know that if we’re going to be working hard, we’re working hard for ourselves—not someone else. It’s definitely challenging, but not because we’re women, because we make the decisions that will ultimately determine our future and the future of our business. We don’t have a boss, but we have each other, and business has been pretty successful despite what many people predicted.

On the inspiration behind the Resort ’17 collection:

Our main inspirations come for our personal experiences and taste. The color ways are inspired by Bora Bora; where we shot the campaign, but ultimately each and every collection is designed with the female form in mind. The silhouettes and colors are made specifically to be flattering on any skin tone. We believe simplicity and comfort are key to finding a great bikini that you will feel confident wearing, so rather than creating over the top designs we stick to what works.

On designing bikinis:

We design our suits for every woman, really. We believe strongly in having self confidence and a positive mentality. Our designs reflect what we know about the female physique, and the female mindset. We know that every figure is different, and each woman views her own body in a different light than what someone else would. So, we design suits that compliment every shape—from straight up and down, to curvy, to fuller figures. We appreciate that measurements don’t determine ‘size.’ We have XL tops worn by women who are a size 4… I suppose we design for women who know their body and how to support it without sacrificing their style.

On being advocates for body positivity:

When we made the decision to start a swimwear brand, we never imagined it would be part of a body positivity movement. We just wanted to create quality suits that were comfortable, supportive, and flattering on the female form. We drew from our own experiences of self-consciousness and self-doubt, because we know that sometimes you just feel down about yourself. But, at the end of the day – it’s all due to comparison. You feel down because you don’t look like that person, or this person, when you should be loving what you have. So far, we’ve seen women in Monday Swimwear embracing their bodies, of all shapes and sizes, and it’s been the most rewarding part of having a swimwear brand. To see someone wearing one of our designs is one thing, to see them looking and feeling amazing is really something else…

On what swimwear trends to expect to see in 2017:

Dark tones, mesh, and fishnet paneling and one-pieces.

The collection will be available on Monday, November 7th on MondaySwimwear.com! (Oh, and they have a kick-ass Monday Activewear line, too.). Read more about them on A Bikini A Day.