BTB: What is the story behind the name ‘Maarteeni’?

TANIA: When I was launching the brand, I wanted it to reflect me and the things that I like. When brainstorming the name with my husband, we started off by listing all the things associated with swimwear - beach, martini, etc and felt that martini sounds just perfect! I incorporated my husband’s initials AA in the name and Tee - a nickname my friends have given me. So Maarteeni became a perfect amalgamation of all the things close to my heart.

BTB: What inspired you to start a swimwear brand?

TANIA: A few years back I was heading to Maldives for my first anniversary and was looking for a good swimsuit to wear during the holiday. I ended up purchasing a moderately expensive one and was dismayed to see that just after one wash the fabric of the swimsuit developed these lint bubbles. That led me on a two-year long journey to research good quality fabrics for swimwear that are also rooted in sustainability, and we finally launched Maarteeni in September 2022.

BTB: How did your background as a fashion photographer help you in building the brand?

TANIA: I had been shooting for almost five years till I launched the brand and every time I was on a shoot, more than the photos I loved interacting with the costumes and speaking to the stylists and designers. I always thought that photography would satisfy the creative bug inside me, but every time I was on the set I was intrigued by the styling and design aspects of the clothes. I would listen to the designer’s stories and was quite curious on what went into curating a collection. So I think my experience as a photographer helped in really understanding the nitty gritty that goes into building a brand.

BTB: Tell us about your products and what, according to you, sets your brand apart from competitors.

TANIA: The first thing is our fabric. When I was researching for the brand, I came across a fabric that is made with 95% recycled plastic waste and 5% stretch. For me, it was unreal to feel the fabric and see a great piece can be made using recycled plastic, so that is something that definitely sets us apart.

The other thing is that we are size inclusive from day one and that’s not something we did because it was trendy to do so. I strongly believe that each woman’s body is unique, and I knew that from the beginning I wanted Maarteeni to reflect that. Even as a woman with an average Indian body and an average weight, I would always feel conscious about wearing a swimsuit and I wanted to change that. So we put a lot of thought into why we wanted to be a size-inclusive brand in our product as well as in our imagery.

BTB: How do you maintain a balance between the trends in the market and your own artistic vision for Maarteeni?

TANIA: The inspiration behind the brand and its ethos have been my personal experiences and that is something I have kept in mind throughout. I believe that our bodies are so beautifully unique and I want Maarteeni pieces to do justice to that. I want to create silhouettes that are dramatic but flatter each and every one, no matter what their body shape and size is. As far as trends go, we do experiment, but always balance it with our ethos. The one thing I am quite sure of is I want Maarteeni to be flattering for all body types.

BTB: You mention that you are constantly working towards sustainability. Can you highlight some steps you are taking towards it?

TANIA: My main goal is to find that one swimsuit fabric which is the least polluting to the environment and generally to the sea, ocean, etc. and I am constantly researching the same. Apart from that, as a very young brand we work with small batches of inventory and do not restock anything. Even when designing, I try to be mindful of the fabrics I am choosing for our products. For example, for our resort wear line we work with fabrics like cotton or eco modal or cotton poplin.