Melissa Odabash

Melissa Odabash
Born June 1964 (age 52)
United States
Residence London, England
Nationality American
Occupation Fashion designer
Spouse(s) married
Children 2 daughters
Labels Melissa Odabash

Melissa Odabash (born June 1964) is an American fashion designer and former model based in London. She is known for her swimwear designs and has been noted by Vogue as creating the "Ferraris of swimwear." Odabash has a celebrity following and her designs have been worn by Beyoncé, Kate Moss, Sienna Miller, Rihanna, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.

Career

Born in the US in June 1964,[1] Odabash began her career living and working in Italy as a catwalk and swimwear model.[2] Odabash decided to start creating her own swimwear by hand, selling them to independent boutiques in Milan and gaining global recognition when her designs featured on the front cover of American fashion magazines.

Odabash has collaborated with others in the industry including Speedos, creating a collection of one-off swimwear pieces to celebrate their 75th anniversary in 2004. She opened a store in Notting Hill, London in 2007, followed by one in Chelsea.

Odabash's brand, which includes swim, beach & ready-to-wear collections is distributed in over 48 countries and retailed in over 250 department stores. She has an ongoing collaboration with designer Julien Macdonald[3] with a range of couture swim and beachwear collections and has also collaborated with celebrities such as Alexandra Burke,[4] Gwyneth Paltrow[5] & Naomi Watts for her starring roles in The Impossible (2012 film) & Diana (film);[6] In 2012, Odabash developed a line of unisex hats to raise money and awareness for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.[7]

In 2014, Odabash won Salon International de la lingerie's Designer of the Year award[8] and was awarded as one of the 50 Most Influential People of London at The London Lifestyle Awards;[9] as well as winning Retailer of the Year in 2015. She is a guest speaker at business schools in the UK and US including Condé Nast's College of Fashion & Design and Harvard Business School.[10]

In February 2015, Odabash launched her debut Mastectomy Swimwear line in collaboration with breast cancer charity Future Dreams. Sky News presenter, former Olympic gymnast & ambassador for the charity Jacquie Beltrao fronts the collection after discussing her experience with breast cancer and decision to undergo a mastectomy.[11] This partnership has continued to develop , leading to Odabash taking on the role of an Ambassador of the Future Dreams Charity. She also has similar commitments with CLIC Sargent, a cancer charity that help support both young cancer sufferers and their families. Odabash is on the event's committee for the Gynaecological Cancer Fund, which involves offering her support in a multitude of ways; including the worldwide social media #ladygardencampaign among other activities.

Personal life

Her husband is half-Italian, half-Spanish and they have two teenage daughters.[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Melissa ODABASH - Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)". Beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
  2. ↑ "Q&A with Melissa Odabash - Swimwear & fashion designer". Ldnfashion.com. 2012-09-02. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
  3. ↑ Sheridan, Emily. "Mollie King shows her modelling credentials as she sashays down the catwalk at Odabash/Macdonald show | Daily Mail Online". Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
  4. ↑ "Alexandra Burke goes all out for All Night Long tour... but ends up looking a bit OTT | Daily Mail Online". Dailymail.co.uk. 2011-01-20. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
  5. ↑ "GOOP After 5 Years: Does Gwyneth Help Brands Grow?". FLARE. 2013-09-13. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
  6. ↑ Magrath, Andrea. "Naomi Watts recreates the iconic image of Princess Diana on holiday a week before her death | Daily Mail Online". Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
  7. ↑ "Fashion Monitor". Fashion Monitor. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
  8. ↑ "Mode City to honour Melissa Odabash at July show". Lingerieinsight.com. 2014-01-28. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
  9. ↑ "The Fifty by London Lifestyle Awards". Issuu.com. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
  10. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  11. ↑ Calman, Barney. "Sky's Jacquie Beltrao launches a new swimwear range | Daily Mail Online". Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
  12. ↑ Lisa Armstrong (2015-08-12). "How Melissa Odabash became swimwear's cult cutter". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-05-06.


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