Our story

A message from the founder:

How it started
As long as I can remember, I have been searching for swimwear that has four features: availability in my cup size, a beautiful design, sustainable materials and ethical production. Now, almost ten years later, I still haven’t found one bikini that meets these four wishes. So, in 2020, I decided to start to create the swimwear I was looking for.

The struggle of finding the right size
As a women with a larger bust I’ve always experienced difficulty in finding swimwear for larger cup sizes. The options were almost nonexistent for me, whereas friends bought their swimwear in retail stores with sizes ranging from small-medium-large and cup sizes covering A – D. When I did find swimwear in my size in a specialized lingerie store, the swimwear looked outdated, mature or covered a lot of skin. Not a bikini for a young woman.

So, in the end I always ended up with a non-sustainable, non-ethical simple black bikini in my size. But I wasn’t looking for a bikini like this, I wanted to wear beautiful and fun bikini’s too, that cared for our planet and our people.

Ethics and sustainability.
Because swimwear in cup sizes from E and up are not offered by many brands, finding swimwear in these sizes that are also sustainable and ethically produced, has been an impossible job.

I strongly believe that taking care of our planet and its people should be the norm, and not the exception. Therefore we work solely with responsible and trusted partners, who take of the environment and work in social responsible ways.

Fittings
Another issue is that tops and bottoms in swimwear are often offered in very limited fitting styles. In fact, most of the time a bikini comes in just one. For example, a swimwear top will come only in a balconette fit. But some women need a plunge or a heart shape fitting style. After all, breasts come in all shapes and sizes. Many times I got disappointed whenever I had to put back a beautiful bikini top or bottom because the fitting style didn’t suit my figure.

Therefore, we offer every design in 3 fitting styles, a balconette, a plunge, and a triangle. And for the bottoms, a high-waist, a V-shape, a classic cut and a tanga. So that every woman can choose the fitting style that suits her best.

Authenticity
Looking at the fashion industry, especially dresses or tops, the sky is the limit regarding creativity. Different silhouettes, fabrics, textures, prints, decoration, the possibilities are endless. But when you look at the swimwear industry, most of the swimwear you’ll find is a type of bra or triangle made with a synthetic fiber and a print. While there’s so much more possible. I think there’s a lot to be gained in this field, and it’s both my goal and my pleasure to bring women authentic and creative designs.

The journey of starting the business.
Seeing the possibilities for improvements and inclusivity in swimwear, I decided to start a swimwear brand to fill the market gap in sustainable and ethical swimwear for the bigger bust.

Designing fashion has always been a part of my life since I was a young girl. As a preparation for Via di Gioia I attended the Amsterdam Fashion Institute to educate myself as a fashion designer. Aside from my education I have gained knowledge about starting a company, getting to know quality lingerie and swimwear and learning how to make these through courses, work experience and joining a startup. The combination of the gained knowledge and developed skills are what created the foundation of Via di Gioia Swimwear.

Two years I’ve spent on building the brand and developing the first collection. And now, in August 2022, Via di Gioia is born. A quality brand that is size-inclusive, offers designs in different fitting styles, uses only sustainable materials, produces ethically and offers you the very best in authentic and creative designs. I hope you will love wearing them as much as I loved making them.

Charlotte van Oorschot, Founder & designer