The History of the Burkini & Aheda Zanetti
Aheda Zanetti invented the burkini in 2004 and produced the first samples in June. The Lebanese-born Australian designer created the garment so Muslimahs could swim and play sport without changing how they dressed for modesty, and named it by combining "burqa" and "bikini." A standard burkini covers the torso, arms, and legs in swim-ready fabric, leaving only the face, hands, and feet exposed. Let's see the history of the burkini swimwear.
Who Invented the Burkini
Aheda Zanetti invented the burkini. She is a Lebanese-born Australian fashion designer and the founder of the swimwear brand Ahiida, which holds the trademarks for "burkini" and "burqini." Zanetti also designed the Hijood, a sport hijab built for the same active, water-ready use case, and Ahiida has produced both garments since the mid-2000s. Her work grew out of a gap she saw in swimwear generally: no mainstream brand made anything for women who needed both coverage and genuine athletic function.
Why Was the Burkini Created
Zanetti began developing the burkini in 2003 after watching her niece play netball in a hijab layered over a standard uniform. She wanted a single garment that let muslimat swim, surf, and play sport without compromising modesty or performance. The design brief was practical: fabric that dries fast, moves with the body, and holds up to chlorine and saltwater, built into a silhouette that meets Islamic modesty requirements.
What Does the Word "Burkini" Mean
"Burkini" is a portmanteau of "burqa" and "bikini." The name describes the garment's function: coverage comparable to a burqa, built with the fitted, water-ready construction of a bikini. Zanetti and Ahiida trademarked both "burkini" and "burqini" as spelling variants of the same product. Read What Is a Burkini? for a full breakdown of the design, fabric, and coverage standard.
When Was the Burkini First Made
Aheda produced the first burkini samples in June 2004, roughly a year after she started designing it. Ahiida has manufactured and sold the garment continuously since that first production run. The design's core structure, a hooded or hijab-integrated top, long-sleeve tunic, and full-length leggings, has stayed largely consistent even as fabric technology has improved. That original 2004 construction is still the industry-standard template other modest swimwear brands build on today.
How Did the Burkini First Become Publicly Visible in Australia
Following the December 2005 Cronulla riots, a clash between young men of Lebanese descent and off-duty surf lifesavers in a Sydney beach suburb, the Australian government encouraged Surf Life Saving Australia to recruit more Muslim volunteers to help bridge the divide. The organization approached Zanetti, who adapted the burkini for lifesaving duty. Mecca Laalaa wore the adapted design when she became the first Muslim Australian surf lifeguard in 2006, a decade before the France controversy gave the garment global attention.
Was the Burkini Banned in France
Roughly 30 French coastal towns banned the burkini in August 2016, citing secularism and public-order concerns. The Human Rights League of France (LDH) legally challenged the ban in the town of Villeneuve-Loubet, and France's highest administrative court, the Conseil d'État, suspended the ban on August 26, 2016.
How Did the Burkini Become Mainstream Modest Swimwear
The 2016 ban controversy put the burkini in front of a global audience well outside its original Muslim market. Demand has since broadened to swimmers who want more coverage for reasons unrelated to religious observance. you can find why non-Muslim women wear burkinis.
As global awareness grew, the burkini became increasingly popular in the UAE during the late 2010s, as the country's year-round beach weather, resort tourism, and multicultural population drove demand for modest swimwear.
Today, the UAE is one of the region's largest markets for burkinis, with women choosing them for modesty, UV protection, comfort, family-friendly swimming, water sports, and full-coverage beachwear. This shift has established the burkini as a mainstream swimwear option rather than a niche religious garment.
