Nancy Swimwear designer Maria Luisa Mendiola debuted a new brand this week to cater to defective women. Maria’s label MIGA Swimwear appears to be the first product to be made for a woman who has a cleft lip, cleft palate, burn scar, sputum, Bell’s palsy and other forms of disfigurement of the face and body.
According to Glamour, Maria first came up with the idea of MIGA swimming suits for ladies and also pursued a master’s degree at the prestigious British Fashion University Central Saint Martins College. The designer himself claims that he has been trying to accept his own disfigurement throughout his life. This is a foot disease called brachymetatarsia, in which one toe looks shorter than the other toes. Feeling like disfigured women’s voices and desires are not resolved, she works with organizations that advocate women’s disfigurements and discovers how her swimwear collection best solves their problems, according to Mic, which may include feeling frustrated and Lack of desire to go out in public or appear in photos.
The first series from MIGA Swimwear was shared on Maria’s Kickstarter page, and she is accepting reservations and raising funds for the brand’s upcoming products. According to Kickstarter, the first series is dedicated to burn survivors, and each sale of the swimsuit will be accompanied by a newspaper about the story of the burn survivor. The six style series was developed in collaboration with three burn survivors to meet their specific needs. Each survivor has helped design two styles, one that specifically meets their needs, covering their body’s burns, and a more transparent one-piece or bikini style that anyone with a disfigured or undisfigured can Choose to wear.
The range of styles is extremely diverse. This colorful pink and orange colorblock two-piece swimsuit features a detachable skirt that covers possible leg defects, and an orange and brown single piece with asymmetric sleeves to hide possible arm defects. The collection also features sustainable Italian fabrics and is supplied with UV, SPF50, protection. Isabel Heine, one of Mendiola’s collaborators, told Glamlam that she was mainly attracted to the project and inspired her to create her suit because the project focused on women: “Women, society and ourselves have a lot of value in body appearance. One night The relationship has changed completely, which has shocked your sense of identity.”
Isabel is one of the millions of burn survivors living in disfigurement. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one million burns a year require medical attention, and 20,000 of them burn at least 25% of their body. The number of people living with other types of disfigurement, including more than a dozen physical conditions, is even greater. MIGA Swimwear is committed to providing swimwear for women living under these conditions as part of an effort to help them feel comfortable and accepted in society without feeling negative about their defects.
