Min. Swimwear is the product of a dream shared by two friends who first met in high school. Founded by Begüm Tabak Sınav and Sabina Hamzayeva, the brand reflects not only their long-standing friendship but also their complementary skills and shared ambition.
Sınav, who holds a degree in fashion design, brings a creative vision to the brand’s collections, infusing each piece with her distinctive perspective. Hamzayeva, on the other hand, leverages her background in business and marketing to steer the strategic direction of the company.
The two met in Istanbul’s Nişantaşı, where they shared their inspiring journey from friends to business partners. Sabina explains: “We founded the brand in 2023, so we’ve been in the industry for two years and completed two seasons. Begüm and I go way back – we graduated from Fine Arts High School, from the painting department. After that, life took us down very different paths. Begüm continued with fashion design education, while I started out in banking, insurance and business. Over time, I shifted toward marketing. Begüm always dreamed of starting her own brand, and eventually, we decided to make that dream a reality together. We asked ourselves, ‘Why don’t we combine our strengths?’ It was during a period when we were both taking a brief break from our careers, contemplating what to do next. That’s when we decided to launch Min. Swimwear during a casual conversation.”
Challenges in production
Designing swimwear, especially bikinis and one-pieces and finding the right audience is notoriously difficult. When asked why they chose such a challenging niche, Sınav responds: “That has always been my dream as a designer. For years, I kept telling myself that if I ever created something, it would be swimwear. I shared this dream with Sabina. Of course, as anyone familiar with the industry would guess, we struggled with production. Drawing and imagining designs is one thing, but finding the right fabric and workshop was tough. As a young brand, we began with small production runs. Established manufacturers didn’t want to work with such low quantities. Some who agreed couldn’t handle our designs. It was challenging. But in the end, we found a workshop where we could produce pieces that we were truly happy with.”
Despite being a young label, Min. Swimwear has already established a distinct identity and appeals to a specific audience. Their designs are sold through social media, their own website and platforms like Hipicon.
When asked about the common fear among young designers – that many never reach their second season – Begüm, the brand’s creative director, shares: “Our brand has found its audience. We were lucky, I think. We selected very distinctive cuts and models that have become our signature. We attracted attention, and people who wanted to wear bold, statement pieces bought from us. Next year, we plan to expand both our size range and product categories. We’ll be adding beautiful tunics to the collection, along with more styles. After surviving these first two challenging years, our goal now is to grow and expand further.”
International ambitions
When asked whether starting a brand from scratch was financially taxing, Sınav says: “Production was, of course, the biggest expense. Beyond that, we relied mostly on people we know. We didn’t spend a huge budget to launch the brand. We managed everything internally and received assistance from people around us for the brand’s photo shoots and catering. Our main goal was to reduce costs wherever possible.”
The brand name, Min., also draws attention. Sınav explains, “Min comes from the word ‘minimalist.’ Our designs are as simple as possible, with a strong emphasis on quality and detail. Currently, the collection comprises 12 pieces – four models, each available in three colors. It’s a memorable and straightforward brand.”
Looking to the future, they say: “We plan to increase our platform partnerships and start selling internationally. We would love to have our own showroom someday.”