After years of struggling to find swimwear that offered coverage without sacrificing style, Ayesha Mahomed and Katleya Nielsen decided to create it themselves. Since launching the London-based brand in 2018, the duo have built Lanuuk into a globally recognised label known for luxury swimwear designed for women who want options beyond the standard swimwear.
Before fashion, both founders spent over a decade in high-pressure corporate careers spanning tax advisory, finance and risk management. Today, they bring that same strategic thinking into a brand focused on inclusive design and sustainability.
We spoke to Ayesha and Katleya about leaving corporate life behind, redefining full-coverage swimwear, and building a brand that resonates with women across cultures, age groups and lifestyles.
You both spent a decade in the intense worlds of tax advisory and foreign exchange derivatives before founding Lanuuk. What was the specific lightbulb moment that convinced you to leave the corporate world to solve the problem of full-coverage swimwear?
We didn’t leave corporate life with a grand plan to enter fashion. It happened much more organically than that. Both of us had successful careers in highly analytical, fast-paced environments, but we also felt there was a creative side of us that had never really been explored.
Around that same time, we were both entering new phases of our personal lives, particularly motherhood and rethinking what success and ambition could look like outside traditional corporate paths. We weren’t looking to step away from being challenged professionally, but rather to build something with more purpose and autonomy.
The real lightbulb moment came from personal frustration. We were both searching for swimwear that offered more coverage, but everything available at the time felt like an afterthought. It was either overly sporty, overly conservative, poor quality, or simply not designed with women like us in mind.
What struck us most was that the emotional experience of shopping for swimwear wasn’t being acknowledged. So many women, across cultures, ages and body types, wanted options that made them feel comfortable, confident and elegant, without compromising on style.
We realised there was a genuine gap in the market, but more importantly, a conversation that wasn’t happening. That was the beginning of Lanuuk.
Ayesha, your background is in managing wealth for high-net-worth individuals. How has that influenced the way you’ve scaled Lanuuk into a global brand?
My background taught me to think strategically and long term. When you work with individual clients, you get to know their needs and quickly understand the importance of trust, consistency and sustainable growth. I think I’ve carried those principles into Lanuuk.
From the beginning, we never wanted to build a trend-driven brand. We wanted to create something with longevity. Timeless products, a loyal customer base, and a strong brand identity that could resonate globally.
It also shaped the way we approached scaling. We’ve always been intentional rather than aggressive, focusing on product quality, customer experience and operational foundations before rapid expansion. That discipline has allowed us to grow organically into an international brand with customers across very different markets and demographics.
At its core, luxury today is about thoughtfulness and emotional connection, not excess. I think that understanding has been incredibly valuable in building Lanuuk.
Katleya, as the creative lead, how do you navigate the challenge of maintaining timeless elegance and femininity while prioritising high-level functionality like UPF50+ protection?
For us, functionality should never feel clinical or restrictive. The challenge is always how to engineer performance into a garment while still preserving softness, femininity and elegance.
We spend a huge amount of time refining silhouettes so they move beautifully on the body while still offering the practicality women need, whether that’s UPF50+ protection, secure coverage, chlorine resistance or comfort in and out of the water.
A lot of our design inspiration comes from draping, layering, movement of the fabrics and working with real women’s bodies. Even our fuller coverage pieces are designed to feel light, fluid and flattering rather than heavy or utilitarian.
We also intentionally design across multiple levels of coverage because modesty and comfort are deeply personal. One woman may feel empowered in a full coverage swim dress, while another may prefer a more minimal silhouette. We want every woman to feel she has a choice that still feels elevated and luxurious.
Ayesha, you’ve mentioned being inspired by architecture and Islamic history. How do these structural and historical influences manifest in the silhouettes or aesthetic identity of your collections?
I’ve always been drawn to the balance between structure and softness that you see in Islamic architecture and historical design, the symmetry, fluidity, repetition and intricate detailing.
That influence often appears subtly within our collections rather than literally. It might be in the clean lines of a silhouette, the layering of fabrics, scalloped or petal-inspired detailing, or the way we think about movement and proportion.
I also grew up appreciating the diversity of how women express themselves culturally and this has shaped the emotional identity of Lanuuk. Modesty has never felt limiting to me. I’ve always seen it as something beautiful, nuanced, and deeply personal. Across different cultures and histories, women have interpreted coverage and femininity in beautifully varied ways, and that perspective continues to inspire how we design.
We try to bring that same sense of refinement into Lanuuk, creating pieces that feel elegant and considered, without being overdesigned.
Many brands treat modest swimwear as a niche category, but you’ve positioned Lanuuk as a luxury, inclusive brand for women of all ages. Why was it important to you to move the conversation away from just modesty and toward empowerment and body positivity?
Because the reality is that women seek coverage for so many different reasons, and we never wanted to reduce that experience to a single narrative.
Some women wear our designs for religious reasons, others for sun protection, confidence, motherhood, skin sensitivities, ageing, or simply personal style preference. What connects them isn’t necessarily modesty, it’s the desire to feel comfortable and confident in their own body.
We felt strongly that fuller coverage swimwear deserved the same level of design consideration, luxury and fashion credibility as any other category.
For us, empowerment is about choice. It’s about allowing women to participate fully in moments of joy, travel, swimming, holidays, family life, without feeling excluded by what’s available to them. That shift in perspective has been very important to our brand identity.
As mothers and entrepreneurs, you’ve spoken about resilience. What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced along the way?
One of the biggest challenges has been building an independent global brand while balancing motherhood, other commitments and the unpredictability of entrepreneurship at the same time.
We launched Lanuuk without outside investment, so every stage of growth required resourcefulness, patience and resilience. We have navigated several global challenges (Brexit, the pandemic, supply chain instability and rising production costs) while still trying to maintain the quality and integrity of the brand.
There’s also the emotional side of building something so personal. As founders, you carry every decision, every setback and every risk very closely. But motherhood has also taught us adaptability, perspective and endurance. In many ways, those experiences have made us stronger founders and we’re always learning.
What’s the next big move for Lanuuk?
Right now, we’re focused on evolving Lanuuk into a complete lifestyle brand rooted in elevated resortwear and modern modest dressing.
We’ve already begun expanding beyond traditional swimwear into more versatile categories, resortwear, daywear, athleisure and we’re continuing to explore how women want to move seamlessly between swim, travel and everyday dressing.
At the same time, international growth remains a major focus. Seeing Lanuuk resonate across such diverse cultures and age groups has been really exciting, and we’re continuing to build meaningful partnerships and retail opportunities.
Ultimately, the goal is to continue redefining what coverage-focused fashion can look and feel like, sophisticated, fashion-led, inclusive and emotionally empowering.
