Butt. Behind. Booty. Dat ass. Derriere. Whatever you call it, and whether you’re a guy, a gal, straight, gay, sapiosexual or a self-proclaimed #boobguy, we can all agree that butts hold a special place in our hearts. For an 11-year-old Francesca Aiello, it was the sight of a perfectly perky set of buns peeking out of an itty-bitty bikini bottom that inspired an entire career.
Stranger things have happened, but that one badonkadonk on the beach that day led—roughly six years later—to a booming bikini business. At 17, the surfing Malibu beach babe was fed up with the bikini choices on the market. Heeding her mom’s advice, she had custom swimwear made in Hawaii that combined functionality with the feminine, flirty aesthetic she loved. Aloha, cheeky briefs!
Francesca Aiello. Images courtesy of @francescaaiello
Francesca (R) and friends
Every time Francesca designed a new bikini for herself, she’d make a few extras, which her friends would claim faster than you can say "gluteus maximus." Rather fortuitously, Instagram was just heating up and Francesca set up an account to showcase her designs. The rest is social media history.
Two years later, Francesca was the youngest designer ever to show at Miami Swim Week where celebs took notice of her free-spirited designs with their unique crochet accents. Kylie Jenner posted an image of herself in a Frankies Bikini at Coachella, Victoria’s Secret supermodel Candice Swanepoel took a stab at breaking the internet when she posted herself in some miniature Frankies bottoms and even Rihanna has jumped on the Frankies bandwagon.
Supermodel Candice Swanepoel. Image courtesy of @francescaaiello
Kylie Jenner. Image courtesy of @kyliejenner
Now at 21, the young entrepreneur has just returned from her third Miami Swim Week where she unveiled her 2017 resort collection: Summer of Love.
Images courtesy of @francescaaiello
Francesca at Miami Swim Week 2016
"I love basic triangle tops for myself but with a really unique element to make it stand out. Like crochet or having a stand-out print. My eye is always looking for really great prints. Recently I found a print on a leaf that I loved so we ended up using that for a new fabric,” says Francesca.
Images courtesy of @frankiesbikinis
And what does a perfect day in Malibu look like for the savvy swimsuit designer? Well ... we hope you're in a smoothie mood!
Francesca's Ideal Day in Malibu:
8 a.m.
Workout
I start my day at Pilates Plus Malibu. I love being able to face the ocean as I’m working out and Pilates Plus is right there on the Pacific Coast Hwy.
9 a.m.
Breakfast
I then head to SunLife Organics, a really cute little smoothie place for a protein smoothie or the Brazilian Bowl (with banana, acai, strawberries, blueberries, granola, coconut and hemp seeds) is also really good here.
Pilates Plus Malibu. Image courtesy of @pilatesplusmalibu
SunLife Organics. Image courtesy of @sunlifeorganics
10 a.m.
Surf and swim
Next I’d head to my absolute favorite beach, Little Dume. I grew up on this beach and it’s my ideal place to hang out. It’s so beautiful. My favorite thing to do in summer is to have long beach days here with my friends. Little Dume has the perfect surf break and the water and the weather cannot be matched. I usually head here with my smoothie to either surf or lie in the sun. You do need to be a resident with a key to access the entry gate as the upper part is a private beach but you can walk down from the main beach (Big Dume) to the public portion.
Francesca soaking up the sun at Little Dume. Image courtesy of @francescaaiello
1 p.m.
Lunch
For lunch, I head to John's Garden at Malibu Country Mart. They truly have the best sandwiches. I absolutely love the tuna salad sandwich. While I’m here, I often grab another smoothie from SunLife which is perfect after a morning spent out in the sun. I also love Malibu Farm Pier Cafe which is right on the Malibu Pier. They have really healthy, gourmet food and amazing drinks and you’re right there on the water. It’s one of my favorite places to take people. While I’m in the area, I also like to hit my favorite Malibu shops like Planet Blue, Intermix, and Curve.
Get the summery look at Planet Blue. Image courtesy of @planetbluewestcoast
John's Garden. Image courtesy of @johnsgardenmalibu
Malibu Farm Pier Cafe. Image courtesy of @thehollyday_
3 p.m.
Yoga or a Hike
After lunch I might hang out with some friends or head to a yoga class. I love going to CorePower Yoga, which is about 25-minutes away but it’s worth it. My favorite is the C2 class (a 98F sweat class). There are also some stunning places to hike around Malibu. I love the Busch Hiking Trail (Zuma Ridge Trailhead off Busch Dr). It’s a really hard hike and you need to be rather athletic to do it. But if you power through the hike, the view at the top is so beautiful.
CorePower Yoga. Image courtesy of @corepoweryoga
Zuma Ridge Trail. Image courtesy of @teddymcdonald
7 p.m.
Dinner
My perfect day finishes at Nobu Malibu, looking out over the ocean—also a favorite spot of mine. The food is amazing. I love to order the spicy tuna on crispy rice.
No wonder Nobu Malibu is still tops everyone's lists. Image courtesy of @nobumalibu
Plunge into your own summer of love by following Frankies Bikinis on Instagram @frankiesbikinis or grab one of those lilliputian bikinis at www.frankiesbikinis.com
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Belinda Gosbee is an Aussie writer, actress and coffee snob based in Los Angeles. Follow her jaunts on twitter @belindagosbee or instagram @gos22
Header image courtesy of Frankies Bikinis
