Fashion People — "The Swimsuit That Launched a Thousand Knockoffs"
Podcast: Fashion People
Host: Lauren Sherman
Guest: Georgiana Huddart, Owner & Creative Director, Hunza G
Date: August 22, 2025
Episode Overview
In this episode, host Lauren Sherman sits down with Georgiana Huddart, the owner and creative director of the cult swimwear brand Hunza G. They talk about how a rediscovered crinkle fabric from the '80s revolutionized modern swim fashion, the wild ride of relaunching and scaling an iconic label, and the creative and business challenges of surviving an onslaught of knockoffs. Key topics include the magic of the "one size" concept, the power of color, defining a new swimwear category, and why great brands keep moving ahead even when copycats are snapping at their heels.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Georgiana’s Path to Fashion & Hunza G
(05:55-10:34)
- Background: Georgiana studied history of art, worked with menswear designers, interned for famed stylist Camilla Nickerson in NYC, then returned to the UK.
- Origin Story: The crinkle fabric was a deep part of her family history (her mom wore Hunza while pregnant in the '80s). “It was a really kind of seminal part of my childhood. The crinkle fabric.” (06:41, C)
- Revival Moment: Discovered a rail of vintage crinkle pieces in Berlin, which prompted her pursuit to recreate the lost fabric and product.
- Connecting with the Founder: After multiple failed attempts to source the fabric, she got introduced to Peter Meadows, Hunza’s founder. “Somebody had seen me at a party wearing Krinkle and said that they knew Peter and that they can introduce me. So it just felt like all these moments had aligned.” (09:15, C)
- The Relaunch: Peter gave his blessing, workspace, and resources; Georgiana began rebuilding, drawing inspiration from the original brand but modernizing for contemporary women.
Ownership and the Business Structure
(11:44-13:11)
- Transition from Partnership to Ownership: Huddart fully bought the business from Peter Meadows as of October. “I did a management buyout and bought his equity off him. And then we got five minority investors to buy the rest.” (13:04, C)
Building a Category-Defining Brand
(13:47-16:45)
- Brand Philosophy: Launched as an Instagram-first brand, minimal PR budget, direct-to-consumer. “Crinkle just didn’t exist then. It really broke through the noise and as a category, it didn’t exist.” (14:16, C)
- Celebrity Adoption: The product caught the eye of celebrities and top stylists organically — Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Adwoa Aboah, and more.
- One Size Revolution: Focused on making the fit “democratic” — the signature stretchy crinkle fits a range of bodies, including maternity and postpartum. “The one size was such a unique proposition for people shopping on a website… it would kind of like suck in everything that they didn't want to feel vulnerable about.” (15:45, C)
The Power of Color
(17:23-21:17)
- Instinct Over Trends: Georgiana approaches color selection by instinct and inclusivity, not trend forecasting. “I really wanted to think about, like, what colors would look good on a variety of people. And then I just thought Hunza was lacking these kind of neutrals.” (19:09, C)
- Generational Clash: Early tension with Peter over color palettes, e.g., neutrals vs. ‘80s brights, proved Georgiana’s vision. “He said that he thought that the colors that I’d picked were, like, quite gross... And it sold really, really well.” (19:49, C)
- Meticulous Process: “To get our moss green, I probably did 20 lab dips or something.” (20:44, C)
Swimwear as Fashion, Not Just Function
(22:45-28:33)
- Breaking Industry Norms: The brand approached swim not just as a product, but as a fashion experience—developed full editorial worlds with unique, themed shoots and soundtracks.
- Direct Competition: Entered a market dominated by high street or luxury, but deliberately positioned themselves as both aspirational and democratic.
- Instagram’s Role: The rise of holiday “performance” on social media created the perfect environment for visually impactful, feel-good swimwear.
Navigating Knockoffs and Copycats
(29:35-34:21)
- Industry-Wide Issue: Knockoffs are inevitable for category-defining brands. “You learn to get better at it... if you're doing something right, people are going to copy you.” (31:04, C)
- Staying Ahead: Hunza G’s advantage is continuous innovation and authenticity. “We are the original... there isn't [another]. That gives us a huge step ahead.” (31:45, C)
- Quality Edge: The fabric has been continually refined for superior performance: “We really do take our proposition seriously as being, like, the best crinkle out there.” (32:08, C)
- Moving Beyond Swim: Recent launches, like a UV-protective and gingham collection, diversified the brand and kept copycats behind.
The Brand’s Future and Expansion
(34:21-38:30)
- Complacency Is Death: Copycats push the brand to keep innovating. “It really keeps my own momentum going… which constantly makes me try and think of new ways to make us move forward.” (33:46, C)
- Ready-to-Wear and Collabs: Hunza G will remain swimwear-first but is exploring technical ready-to-wear and creative collaborations to inject novelty.
- Vision: “I see us as more of a kind of on running a sort of skims, a sort of Birkenstock, a Ray Ban. But I think that we’ll always be quite a product focused brand.” (37:47, C)
Most Iconic Styles and Personal Reflections
(38:30-41:02)
- All-time Bestseller: The classic square neck swimsuit, especially in black and bubblegum. “It's the classic square neck is like our best selling style and color wise it's like black or bubble gum.” (38:41, C)
- Maternal Appeal: The product’s popularity with pregnant and postpartum women is meaningful to both Huddart and Sherman. “At my worst, I feel my best in a Hunza, you know, if I had to wear a swimming costume, as you say.” (40:03, C)
- Family ‘Matching’ Moments: Huddart candidly shares the story of the failed launch of “skimpy” baby boy hot pants and how parenthood lets her embrace the “matching family” look.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Copying and Resilience:
“It is a natural thing, that if you're doing something right, people are going to copy you. It becomes dangerous if it begins to cannibalize your own business... For us, what we've tried to do is always keep moving, and we are the original. There isn't [another].”
— Georgiana Huddart (31:03-31:48, C) -
On Swimwear as Fashion:
“We entered and we did these shoots that did have themes... everything fits together like a world. And I don't think people were creating kind of editorial worlds for swim.”
— Georgiana Huddart (25:15, C) -
On Color Philosophy:
“Color was a huge thing for me because I felt like that was part of the missing piece… It really was just a desire to find also color that worked on multiple skin tones.”
— Georgiana Huddart (18:38, C) -
On Maternity and One-Size-Fits-All:
“The one size was just such a unique proposition for people shopping on a website… when you could be feeling vulnerable makes you feel really great. At my worst, I feel my best in a Hunza.”
— Georgiana Huddart (15:45, C & 40:03, C) -
On Entrepreneurship:
“I was able to just very organically find my way with it. I don’t have any experience as a designer, but I’m still the designer of Hunza. I do all the design.”
— Georgiana Huddart (15:09, C) -
On the Original Founder:
“He [Peter Meadows] gave me his blessing, said that he was happy for me to kind of give it a go.”
— Georgiana Huddart (10:17, C) -
On Swim’s COVID Boom:
“On day kind of 9 of lockdown, we'd never had more sales and people were buying Hunza because it made them feel good, it was colorful and they didn't know how long they were going to be in lockdown.”
— Georgiana Huddart (27:26, C)
Timeline of Key Segments
- 03:57-05:55 — Georgiana’s introduction and early influences
- 05:55-10:34 — The Huddart family, the crinkle fabric’s legacy, and the rediscovery journey
- 10:34-13:11 — Meeting Peter Meadows, relaunch structure, and eventual ownership
- 13:47-16:45 — Hunza G’s organic growth, celebrity fans, one-size magic
- 17:23-21:17 — The art and impact of color in swimwear
- 22:45-28:33 — Positioning Hunza G as a fashion-first swimwear brand, social media’s effect
- 29:35-34:21 — Copycats, legal threats, and innovation as defense
- 34:21-38:30 — Future ambitions: R&D, collabs, niche expansions, and staying true to swim
- 38:30-41:02 — Iconic styles, maternity, and family moments
- 41:02-End — Fun stories, mutual appreciations, reflections
Conclusion
This episode offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at how a forgotten fabric became a global swimwear phenomenon. Georgiana Huddart’s passion, risk-taking, and product insight are evident throughout, as she recounts how she honored the heritage of Hunza while recasting it for modern women. Despite rampant copying, Hunza G’s mix of superior fabric, inclusive design, and relentless momentum keeps them ahead — making it a textbook example for young fashion entrepreneurs everywhere.