Pregnant Women Rave About This One-Size-Fits-All Swimsuit, Which Has Become An A-List Favourite

Swimwear is not known as the most democratic of clothing. At risk of stating the obvious, different styles suit different body shapes and sizes and, it has to be said, the market is still somewhat limited when it comes to finding stylish swimsuits and bikinis that look good on a diverse range of bodies. Hunza G, however, has managed to transcend this restrictive reputation and instead establish itself as the swimwear label for every body between UK sizes 6-18. More specifically, the brand's signature crinkle swimsuits have become a smash hit among pregnant women, who have eschewed traditional maternity designs in favour of something altogether more stylish.

Originally born 40 years ago in 1984, Hunza G (known then simply as 'Hunza') was established by Peter Meadows, responsible for creating the crinkle-stretch fabric and high-leg cut. Smash cut to 2015 – via the '90s, when Hunza hit Hollywood thanks to Julia Roberts in that blue and white dress in Pretty Woman – and the G arrived in the form of Georgiana Huddart, who relaunched the brand and became creative director after years of admiring her mother's swimsuits. While Hunza G now counts everyone from Rosie Huntington-Whiteley to Hailey Bieber among its fans, just how did it inadvertently become the maternity swimsuit of choice for some of the world's best-dressed women?

'I had always seen it as a maternity gap product in the market,' says Huddart. 'The reason I had ever first seen Hunza or thought about it was because my mum was pregnant in the '80’s wearing a pink swimming costume. I am one of six kids and saw her wear this costume over and over again, pregnant, not pregnant and cyclically like that for about 12 years - so I had always thought it was an incredible maternity product. Maternity wear tends to be kind of rubbish, it's getting better but I always thought how cool it would be to have a product that aesthetically and technically worked across all the stages of life.'

Of course, it would be easy to be skeptical about a swimsuit which promises to fit everyone, which seems like it would require a Herculean feat of engineering. The secret, however, is in the way the fabric is formed. As Huddart explains, 'it’s a tubular fabric that's knitted, so it allows a huge amount of stretch due to high use of thread in the textured signature ‘crinkle’ pattern'. It basically bounces back to its original shape, which is why many women find themselves wearing it pre, during and post-pregnancy.

Veronika Heilbrunner, a fashion editor with two children, says: 'I simply loved how my Hunza G pieces grew with me to the very end of my pregnancy and really gave me a great feeling about myself because the fabric is lovely to wear, comfy and thick enough to feel good in at the same time, it's super stretchy and hugging. But the best is I still wear them many years later.' Similarly, Phoebe Lovatt, writer and host of the Deep Read podcast, says: 'I was really determined not to amass any maternity wear that I couldn’t use after I’d given birth so Hunza G was perfect for my growing (and then shrinking!) body. I wore the dresses right up until my final days of pregnancy and also swam in the swimwear throughout - and felt chic and comfortable in it, even at full term.'

There are many more testimonies like this from Hunza G's fans, like model Coral Kwayie, who says 'I really loved how I could wear Hunza before, during and after pregnancy. My body and wardrobe was changing a lot, so it was nice to keep some pieces the same.' I'm curious, however, about the way in which the fit of these pieces works for pregnant women – as Jess Barrett, my currently pregnant colleague and Grazia's assistant editor, asked: 'My main question would be about support for boobs – I’m pregnant for the second time and I’ve found so far that that’s really important for me. Also, does the fabric stay the same the more it stretches or does it ever go a bit see-through?’

Huddart tells me that questions such as those is the reason she and her team created a maternity fit guide. 'If you want support on boobs then straps are key, because the fabric is tubular and supportive it works for larger busts. The fabric doesn’t go see-through as there is so much thread in each garment, but if you are worried about this then go for colours that are slightly darker. It all depends on height as well, which is why we create the fit guide. Coverage offers even more fabric in each garment for people who want more support/ fabric to play around with. Visually, the fabric stays the same even with huge stretch.'

There's no doubt that Huddart has tapped into something about which women feel particularly strongly: being able to find pieces which make them feel great during pregnancy but which they can wear afterwards, too. Helena Star, DJ and radio presenter, says: 'I’m sure I am one of many when I say that finding maternity clothes that suit your style (and new body) can be an absolute nightmare. I was SO grateful that I could continue wearing my Hunza G pieces during each stage of my pregnancy. Plus, the woven material compliments your body's shape without making you feel frumpy, which has been a godsend postpartum, when you can feel a bit more self conscious.'

Laura Jackson, broadcaster and founder of Glassette, agrees: 'I love my Hunza G swimsuit and bikini, they are items that I've worn both during and after my pregnancy - which goes to show how great their life span is.'

While Huddart has enjoyed seeing everyone from Megan Thee Stallion to Julia Roberts (again) wearing Hunza G, she says that the best form of feedback comes via Instagram and the brand's customer service department. '[We get feedback] every day, mostly from women who are worried about the vulnerability of being on a beach in swimwear and that Hunza G alleviates that for them,' Huddart says.

For those mothers who really can't get enough of the brand? Hunza G has handily added a children's line to its offering, to which Huddart says the response has been amazing. 'Firstly, [it's amazing] because of the lack of sizing and not having to re-buy products every six months as your child grows, but also the matching mini-me is so cute. It's comfortable and fun without being too aesthetically kid focused – I am not a huge fan of things with dinosaurs all over them, for example, so I like that it translates from women’s whilst also working for kids, just with some slightly cuter tweaks like bows and frills. Recently, our kids and adults versions of the Denise frill swimsuit in peach sold out in a week!'

Shop: The Best Hunza G Pieces

Hannah Banks-Walker is Grazia's head of fashion commerce. She has previously written for the likes of Harper's Bazaar, The Financial Times, Glamour, Stylist, The Telegraph, Red, i-D and The Pool on everything from fashion to curly hair (hi!) to the patriarchy. Not necessarily in that order. Find her on Instagram and Twitter. But please don't look for her MySpace profile, which until now was the last time she wrote about herself in the third person.