Aussie Burkini Inventor Says Sales Have Skyrocketed By 200% Since French Ban

The Sydney woman who holds the trademark on the names ‘burkini’ and ‘burqini’ has said online sales of the swimsuits are up by 200 per cent.

Unfortunately, the boost in sales comes in the wake of increasing controversy in France, where the item has been banned from beaches.

Aheda Zanetti, a self-proclaimed “Aussie chick”, told the BBC she created the garment so Muslim women would have the opportunity to enjoy Bondi and the like.

"I wanted my girls to grow up to have that freedom of choice," she said.

"I don't care if they want to have a bikini. It's their choice. No man in this entire world can tell us what to wear or what not to wear."

Earlier this month, authorities in several French cities and towns began fining anyone wearing the full-body burkini, with the mayor of Cannes saying “access to beaches and for swimming is banned to any person wearing improper clothes that are not respectful of good morals and secularism”.

Images emerged yesterday of the burkini ban in practice, with police in Nice forcing a woman in a burkini to strip before issuing her a fine.

Following the publication of the photos, a Nice official has begun threatening social media users who share such images and videos of police enforcing the ban.

Zanetti also spoke to the New York Times about the controversy, noting that the burkini is not meant to be a political statement.

“They’ve misunderstood the burkini swimsuit. Because the burkini swimsuit is freedom and happiness and lifestyle changes — you can’t take that away from a Muslim, or any other woman, that chooses to wear it.”

Photo: iStock.