Text by Koura-Rosy Kane
The fashion industry is well-known to be quite exclusive and to be very selective when it comes to body types and shapes. Although some attempts coming from mainstream brands have been put in place these past few years, the problem of body representation remains quite vivid today.
Facing such a lack of inclusivity, Sana Hanassi-Savari created in 2021 a swimwear label named Amber London. Born in Iran and raised in the UK, the designer struggled to find products that fit her. “I was fed up with the lack of choice when it comes to stylish and high quality swimwear that catered for my body shape and size“ Sana explains. She continues “I am petite with a small back and a fuller bust and really struggled to find swimwear pieces that I felt good in and that really made me feel supported.“ Truly in love with bath wear and being a sun-seeker, she despised shopping for these kinds of pieces – with a selection that was very restrictive. Seeking such pieces made her feel like an outlier.
Quite simply, I was fed up with the lack of choice when it comes to stylish and high quality swimwear that catered for my body shape and size. I am petite with a small back and a fuller bust and really struggled to find swimwear pieces that I felt good in and that really made me feel supported.
As a result, she worked very hard and launched her own label – Amber London – that is going against the traditional size scaling. “We design all of our pieces following a cup-size framework instead of following the conventional XS-XL sizing,” explains Sana. Contrary to other swimwear brands on the market, Amber London distinguishes itself from the mainstream by its attention to detail. Based on research, the brand is able to create pieces offering the best support without doing any compromise on style and sophistication. “We start our samples with larger cup sizes rather than opting for the standardised practice of starting with a model sample size and scaling up without considering the nuanced needs of a larger bust”, says the founder. In addition to the care given to fit diverse types of bodies, Sana is also making time for real life testing her products on women. This approach certainly contributes to setting her even further apart from the crowd.”We thoroughly test each style on real women with different bust and back sizes to ensure every aspect of the fit is perfected before we approve for production”, she states. This way, she is able to fulfil one of her core ethos which is empowering women: “We pride ourselves on being a female owned brand with a mission to empower women and make them feel confident and glamorous in our pieces.”
Amber London is a brand made to adapt to women’s bodies and specificity, but not only. The label has a real ethic when it comes to quality, craftsmanship and sustainability. The fabrics used for each piece are carefully sourced in Italy by “a renowned supplier who is highly committed to sustainability and are internationally certified for their achievements.”
Thanks to high-quality fabrics, the goal is to assure long lasting products that can be worn for many years. “We are devoted to making high quality pieces with the ultimate fit, that will last season after season”, confides Sana. By testing on real women, the founder aims as well to evaluate the comfort of her fabrics and the impacts they have on the skins.
Besides her products aiming for sustainability, Sana “opted for a recyclable, eco-friendly and reusable packaging solution.” Amber London is a label promoting the idea of producing items with multi-use and encouraging conscious buying.
More than ever, brands such as Amber London are needed in the fashion industry. In a context where consumers are less and less willing to compromise and be ashamed of their specificities, fashion labels need to adapt to their needs and demands. It is not about changing to fit the norms anymore. Today it is the norms that have to change to fit the emerging social aspirations and visions. Sana clearly is part of the actors initiating this shift. Based on her personal experience, she did not try to change or adapt to the existing offer. She created her own products knowing that other women have felt the same while looking for swimwear. Amber London is unifying women that are not necessarily represented in the mainstream and that is what makes it unique and indispensable.
