Australian swimwear brand White Sands is celebrating its tenth year.
Founder Leah Madden said the brand was spurred by a lack of trend-driven collections.
“Swimwear in Australia was heavily focused on surf culture ten years’ ago,” she said.
“It was about function and we were starved of fashion-focused or designer swimwear.
“At the time I was inspired by what I saw overseas, with immaculately dressed women by the pool in beautiful swimwear and cover-ups.
“I figured Australia needed to do swimwear better.”
Madden went on to show the label at Australian Fashion Week and Mercedes Benz Swim Fashion Week Miami.
She was also stocked at David Jones, Anthropologie and high-end boutiques worldwide, in the brand’s first year.
Madden said she intuitively embraced influencer marketing before it was considered a business essential.
Kendall Jenner was the face of White Sands' 2011 campaign, along with Victoria’s Secret model Georgia Fowler and Australian influencer Jesinta Franklin.
Madden said she doesn’t create for a predetermined age group or target market, but more so a mindset.
“Whatever the opposite of fast fashion is, that is where I want to keep the brand.
“I am not interested in cutting costs or producing mass quantities to get the price of the garment down because each design is made with the White Sands girl in mind, and they want quality above all else.”
The anniversary celebrations for White Sands will be unveiled later in the year with exclusive, limited edition re-runs of the brand’s most famous prints set to be released.