“It’s rolling landscapes, palm trees, absolutely breathtaking desert, wild mountainous landscapes, turquoise sea waters and gorgeous ancient architecture …”
Melina Giolva, fashion designer and founder of swimwear label Boogaloo, waxes lyrical about Oman. Inspired by the beauty of what she calls the Middle East’s “hidden gem that’s still so unexplored”, Giolva recently launched a line of swimwear featuring prints from the travel photography captured during her three-week trip to the country in 2019.
Boogaloo’s latest collection fuses Giolva’s photography of the natural landscapes she came across in Oman with the colour combinations that embody the country’s character. On one swimsuit, there’s a man riding a bicycle, on another, Omani architecture, while a third features two fuschia camels surveying each other.
Royal blue, pinks that sing, turquoise, sunny yellow, vivid mint and searing reds inject colour into abstract geometrical shapes; patterns are swatched from the places Giolva visited across Oman.
“I’ve always been into travel photography and what happens during my travels is I think of ways of combining my passions,” she says of the birth of the Boogaloo brand.
“Fashion and travel photography are the passions that drive me and I was also questioning: ‘What does my swimwear say about me?’
“My main mission is to design swimwear that encourages self-expression in the same way that our clothes do. The way we dress says so much about our personalities, but swimwear is such a small piece of fabric, I was always wondering, what can that really say about a person?”
Her decision to base Boogaloo’s most recent collection on Oman is linked to her desire to explore places that are still “off the beaten track” to the mainstream tourist. “My trip to Oman took place before the world turned upside down and during a crossroads moment in my life,” she says.
“It was a trip that gave me so much courage to boldly forge my own path, reconnect with myself and celebrate my own journey out of the ordinary. It was during this trip that I felt deeply inspired to design vibrant, magnetic prints that can reflect the world, passions and the unconventional nature of phenomenal women out there,” says Giolva, whose goal is to design for women who are as bright and exuberant as the Boogaloo aesthetic.
“Vibrance and boldness are at the core of everything I create for Boogaloo,” she says, identifying Oman as the perfect place to draw on these defining elements of the brand. “Oman’s diverse nature has been truly inspirational for me photography-wise.
"Every single print from the latest collection is a fusion of the natural landscapes I captured during my three weeks there, with the bright colours that reflect the warmth of Omani culture but also the environment. It was important to me that the character of the country and variety of the landscapes are expressed, transforming natural textures into eye-catching prints.”
More than simply swimwear, this particular line from Boogaloo is a collection of wearable art pieces. For the first time, the brand is offering a high-waisted swimsuit and three more feminine one-pieces, featuring ruched straps for extra support, a low scooped back and even a high neck.
Each swimsuit is a carefully crafted expression of place and culture, for women who love statement pieces.
There’s a charity element too. Boogaloo is aligned with the non-profit Humanity Unified and its Healing Garden Project. Mirroring the brand’s values, Humanity Unified empowers women and helps them rise out of poverty by enabling them to create organic gardens in which they grow and sell produce, while also feeding themselves.
“I wanted to lead change and create a fashion brand I’d be proud of: a swimwear brand that’s ethically made by family-owned businesses and with a significant contribution towards groups in need."
Does Giolva have any other enduring memories of Oman, besides the landscapes and landmarks that have so inspired this collection? “The biggest gift my journey to Oman gave me was that I rediscovered myself and held space for the grief I was feeling at the time. My favourite anecdote from my road trip there, however, was a goat jumping into our car through the open window," she recalls, with a laugh. "I’m great at making new friends.”
