Frankies Bikinis

The Malibu swimwear label that turned one teenager’s custom bikinis into a global brand.

Frankies Bikinis designs on-trend swim and resortwear built around a mission to help women feel confident in their skin.

FOUNDED 2012

ORIGIN Malibu, California

CATEGORY Fashion

From Custom Bikinis to Global Brand

Frankies Bikinis began on the beaches of Malibu, where a teenage Francesca Aiello started designing and hand-making her own bikinis after struggling to find styles that matched her own sense of confidence. What started as pieces made for friends became a fully fledged swimwear label, built on the same principle that sparked it: swimwear should make the person wearing it feel more themselves, not less. Today the brand designs across swim, resortwear and ready-to-wear, known for its on-trend silhouettes and innovative fabrications.

Confidence in the Design Ethos

Every Frankies Bikinis collection is designed around body confidence first and trend second, resulting in swimwear that flatters a wide range of bodies without relying on heavy structure or coverage as a crutch. The brand’s rise — from a single Instagram account to a Forbes 30 Under 30 recognition and the youngest designer ever to show at Miami Swim Week — has been built on staying close to that original mission, even as the label has grown into an internationally recognised name in swimwear.

Frankies Bikinis was founded by mother-daughter duo Francesca and Mimi Aiello, launched from their Malibu home when Francesca was just seventeen. Raised in a close-knit surf community, Francesca spent her summers as a junior lifeguard and her afternoons in the water, drawing early inspiration from the confident women she saw on the beach. With her mother Mimi’s encouragement, she began making her own bikini designs, and word of mouth quickly turned a personal project into a business. Francesca has since been named a Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree and become one of swimwear’s most recognised young designers.