Designer Profile: Caitlyn Burdash

Meet Caitlyn Burdash, a 21 year old university student who started her own women’s swimwear brand during this year’s quarantine. Read on to learn more about what inspired her to start her own business and the behind the scenes of creating a bikini!

Storey: What got you into fashion designing and how did you decide you wanted to study it? 

Caitlyn: I have always loved using fashion as a way to express myself! I feel like it’s a really important component to creativity, individualism, and confidence. My dad actually has been one of my biggest “fashion” supporters. He was always the one to take me to the mall and have shopping dates together, and he even picked out my senior year prom dress! He is the one who introduced the art of sewing into my life and helped steer me into the right direction. Starting at FSU, I initially wanted to study communications, but after learning about the retail merchandising school, I just knew that was something I was going to love.  I always said to my friends “I want to create a brand” and “I want to be a designer”, and I was able to turn my dreams into a reality. During the beginning of quarantine in March, I bought a sewing machine, spent hours studying the manual, watching YouTube videos, and out came Burdash Bikinis!

“I’m realizing that yes I do love bikinis... but I also love empowering women to feel confident and beautiful, and making swimwear for these women is allowing me to feel deeply passionate and overwhelmed with joy.” 

S: What inspired you to start your clothing brand (Burdash Bikinis) and where do you draw inspiration from? 

C: I was inspired to start Burdash Bikinis mainly due to growing up in South Florida. I spent every weekend at the beach, it was my favorite place. I also loved beach fashion. Lots of girls spent their money on jeans, jewelry, shoes.. but I spent mine on bikinis! My collection was incredible and is basically what started my love for swimwear. I always wanted to create a swimwear brand because I loved bikinis so much. Now that I actually have done that, I’m realizing that yes I do love bikinis... but I also love empowering women to feel confident and beautiful, and making swimwear for these women is allowing me to feel deeply passionate and overwhelmed with joy. I’m just so grateful I am able to make a difference, even a small one with my bikinis. I draw inspiration from my own personal style. I started Burdash Bikinis with Summertime Madness, a collection based off my summer mood. I love using color to express feelings, so I chose to use bright tie dye prints with this collection.

S: What is your plan for the future of Burdash Bikinis? 

C: The future of Burdash Bikinis is looking very bright. Every day I wake up excited to create something new. I have so many ideas and can’t wait to share them with everyone. My next collection is something I have never seen within the swimwear industry, and I know it will be beautiful. Because I am a full time student, it can be difficult to handle both school and the business. I look forward to introducing new team members eventually and making Burdash Bikinis a staple item in every woman’s closet.

“Let me just say making bikinis is literally full of blood sweat and tears!” 

S: What’s the process of creating a bikini? 

C: Creating a bikini is a very tedious task. I begin by choosing the best fabric I can find. I use a spandex/nylon blend fabric because of the 4-way stretch and fiber qualities. I began by purchasing patterns off Etsy, but the styles weren’t really for me, so I started modifying everything until the bikinis came out the way I liked it. I use a rotary cutter to trim my fabric, and let me just say making bikinis is literally full of blood sweat and tears!! I remember calling my dad after I sliced my finger open once, and his response was “put a band-aid on it and get back to work” so that’s what I did! My bikinis are lined with quality fabric, sometimes even being reversible. Typically one bikini will take me 2 1/2 hours to make, which can be a nuisance, but once I hold up the end result, it’s all worth it. It’s this crazy feeling of being proud, overjoyed, and knowing this bikini is going to someone who will love it!

You can shop Burdash Bikinis on their website.