MIGA DISFIGUREMENT INSPIRED SWIMWEAR
Interview with Maria Luisa Mendiola [Founder]

Swimwear designer Maria Luisa Mendiola’s label MIGA Swimwear is the first of it’s kind to cater exclusively to disfigured women living with cleft lips, palates, burn scarring, paralysis, Bell's palsy, and other forms of facial and body disfigurement. We really admire her brand’s mission and wanted to get to know her and her brand a bit better.

SWC: How did you get started as a designer and why swimwear? 

MLM: MIGA Swimwear starts from my personal experience with disfigurement: I have a genetic condition that caused me to have brachymetatarsia, which means that I have shortened 4th toes on both of my feet. A couple of years back, a friend asked me, “what’s wrong with your toes?” I got very uncomfortable and quickly changed the subject. I remember thinking: How is it possible that I am 25 years old and I still react like this when someone asks me about my feet? It dawned on me that this question was always going to come up, no matter how old I got. So I decided to focus my master’s at Central Saint Martins, UK, on figuring out ways to lower stigma in the disfigurement, disability and chronic illnesses community. To my surprise, I found that swimwear design coupled with storytelling could help women feel more comfortable with their bodies.

My love for swimwear started from a young age in my hometown of San José, Costa Rica. In the early nineties, there weren’t many cute and affordable swimsuits in Costa Rica since most of the suits were imported. Few of these swimsuits could withstand the frequent use they got in a country that is surrounded by beautiful beaches. So my mom taught me from a very young age to take care of swimwear, above any other piece of clothing. In my mind they became precious. This care and attention to swimsuits turned into an obsession. Even after I left Costa Rica and couldn’t go to the beach as often, I made it my thing to always keep my finger on the pulse researching top quality suits and the latest innovative brands. That is why when I found out in 2016 that burn survivors were having a hard time finding bathing suits that made them feel comfortable and sexy at the beach or pool, I knew I had found my calling. I would merge my passion for swimwear with my vocation to help others. 

SWC: Tell us a little about your collection and what inspired you to create it? 

MLM: Our Resort 2020 collection features five styles ranging from long-sleeved one-pieces to bikinis with adaptable belts to accommodate more than 25 different diagnoses, including rare diseases like sacrococcygeal tumors, spinal cord injuries, skin conditions and ostomies. For example, the Lydia swimsuit was made with the input of multiple women living with stoma bags, and thus has a belt that can be moved around, depending on where you have your stoma bag (they sit in different places depending on whether you have an ileostomy or a colostomy). All of our swimsuits are made with Italian sun-protective fabrics made from sustainable, regenerated polyamide yarn. 

SWC: What has been the response?

MLM: Overwhelming. It is so encouraging to get emails from strangers thanking us for raising awareness about their or the health conditions of their loved ones. Take for example our Colette swimsuit inspired by sacrococcygeal teratoma tumor, a health condition that affects 1/40,000 babies a year. Because of our swimsuit we have been able to put many women in touch, who prior to this swimsuit had never met anyone else with their diagnosis. 

I would say, however, that one of the challenges we face is getting people to care. So many people think that our brand is only for people who have disfigurements, disabilities or chronic illnesses. We do not seek inclusion at the expense of excluding other groups. We believe non-disfigured and able-bodied people can reframe how they look at their own bodies and ultimately, learn how to accept and love themselves through the lessons of our community. 

SWC: You company is also giving back to the community - can you tell us about those efforts?

MLM: Absolutely, through my work with this community, I have learned that providing a concise story that explains the reason behind the diagnosis is crucial in overcoming stigma. We work with our design muses to create their narrative so that they can feel empowered to disclose, if they want to, this lowering stigma. Once the narrative is created, the story is printed on a canvas bag. Thus, each swimsuit comes with a matching bag that tells the body story of our collaborators, which also raises awareness and understanding among our shoppers that don’t have these conditions. One of our design muses was able to return to the pool after her burn injury because of our collaboration. All of our design muses get a free bathing suit and we are working closely with health organizations to help more people own their body story through our collections and raise awareness about the experience of living with a health diagnosis.

SWC: Yours seems like quite a specific niche in the swimwear industry. Has the pandemic affected your business?

MLM: Since COVID19, our factory has been working with reduced hours delaying our time-to-market. However, because of these trying times, promoting our newest collection hasn’t been our top priority. Instead we have decided to show up for our community in ways that at the beginning weren’t so clear, but we were energized to test. That is how our weekly Instagram Lives came to be. I figured people were curious, as I was, of how different people were reacting to the lockdown and decided to start interviewing people. We believe that showcasing the stories of the members of our community is uniquely useful during this pandemic, as this group has a lot of experience with prolonged times of isolation and health uncertainty.So far we have interviewed disability stylist Stephanie Thomas, style influencer Alyssa Coscarelli and disability advocate Emily Ladau and Kendall Ciesemier. Additionally, due to COVID19 we have decided to adjust our prices to reflect the changing times and the needs of our community by lowering our prices 30%, in some cases 40%.  

SWC: Do you think the swimwear industry will change moving forward and if so, then in what ways? 

MLM: With so much unemployment, I think people are going to be more mindful of the brands that they support. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a dip in sales in the upcoming months but I am optimistic that summer won’t be cancelled and that we will be able to enjoy the beach or pool, responsibly. Unfortunately, many brands that perhaps were not doing as well before COVID19 might not be around post-COVID19. I think that is unfortunate because it is with increased competition that we are encouraged to innovate.

For more information about MIGA Swimwear visit their site at www.migaswimwear.com and follow them on IG @migaswimwear