Meet the designer and creative force behind the revolutionary swimwear brand: BIONDA, Melina Bernardini.
Innovative, timeless fashion:
Growing up by the Mallorca Seaside, Melina grounded her aesthetic sensibility within environmental landscapes. Having started to design clothes from a young age, she innovates unique swimwear with sustainable fabrics that can relate to every woman, as different as the ocean waves.
“My great-aunt is Micheline Bernardini, the model who wore the first bikini in 1946, so swimwear and aesthetics is in our heritage.”
The natural architecture of the founder’s life informs both the creative process and fabrics she prefers to work with. Think about pure cotton and breathable linen that is reminiscent of the easy going and balmy beaches of the Mediterranean. The earthy tones of wise, resilient trees and the bold green-blue-white waves surrounding the islands. Her philosophy is that the best things happen slowly. Beauty is patience, and fast fashion is the antithesis of her values. “I stopped buying fast fashion a long time ago.” Sure, the Earth only took 4.5 billion years to be the breathtaking vision we know it to be now. Melina is all about the minute details that make each of her pieces the distinctive clothes BIONDA showcases.
Making a difference:
But she has a bigger vision: she wants to make a sustainable change in the fashion industry. This draws her to ateliers, not factories. Family run businesses, not faceless corporations. Hand-made, not machine built. She wanted her personalised textured imprint on this journey, so handpicks all of her fabrics if possible, from deadstock. Melina has made it her mission to create an intimate brand as any, so is always present during the choosing and buying process.
Hence BIONDA’S debut collection traced the contours of her inner voice: from the outline of her silhouette to the very hands that were going to bind it. The world is hyper-connected. From the root of the trees to the seaweed that floats its way to the beach: nothing is completely separate.
The future of BIONDA:
“The goal is to bring all the production sites to the local home, and to use natural dyes as well as banning natural fabrics.” Melina’s essence of keeping in touch with our roots fused with BIONDA’S creation. This includes environmental and cultural roots, for without either we would not have fashion, design, aesthetic, or life. Mass production kills craftsmanship and the cultural traditions that are vital to self-expression. Only nurturing consumer culture destroys the environment, so working alongside conscious businesses has contributed greatly to BIONDA’S empathy and appreciation. To understand the power of one’s choice, paves the way for a more sustainable life.
