Alexandra Classen, Founder & Artistic Director of Girls Must Have

“I was looking for a swimsuit in which I would feel protected. I am my first client. Girls Must Have was born from the desire to create couture swimwear for all women: those who love fashion, style and beautiful fabrics, and those whose bodies have changed after surgery or a life event.”

I am my first client

Before Girls Must Have, Alexandra started designing to respond to an intimate need: her own.


After a health episode that deeply shook her relationship to her body and femininity, she discovered how limited the swimwear offer was when you want both style and support, and sometimes discreet technical solutions (prosthesis, asymmetry, a changed silhouette).

That is when she decided to create pieces that speak first of fashion, line and attitude - while discreetly integrating what some women need.

A journey between catwalks and studios

From New York, where she was born, to Geneva, via Mexico and Paris, Alexandra first travelled the world as a model.
Show after show, shoot after shoot, and through encounters with major maisons, she developed a sharp eye for:
- a cut that falls just right,
- the drape and weight of a fabric,
- the way a garment accompanies the body in motion,
- what happens behind the scenes.

Later, she would put this eye at the service of her own creations, designing swimsuits as pieces you want to keep, wear and re-wear, on the beach as well as in the city, sometimes as swimwear, sometimes as a bodysuit under a jacket or jeans.

When fashion meets technique

Around her, many women are affected by breast cancer or other operations that change the body.
In their conversations, a recurring frustration appears: very few swimsuits combine real style, good support and solutions adapted to their new silhouette.

Alexandra observes that the choice is often between highly medicalised pieces, which do not reflect their taste, and very fashionable swimsuits that do not offer what they need in terms of construction.

Girls Must Have was born at this crossroads: creating swimsuits that look like fashion pieces first, while integrating, discreetly and intelligently, technical solutions such as the “Discretion” pocket.

A committed designer

Beyond clothing, Alexandra sees Girls Must Have as a way to support women.

Her commitments include:
- creating swimsuits that speak first of style and attitude, then of technique when needed,
- designing cuts that flatter different silhouettes, without ever reducing women to a size or a label,
- integrating solutions such as the “Discretion” pocket in an invisible, non-stigmatising way,
- maintaining an ongoing dialogue with the women who wear her swimsuits.

For all women

Even though the brand was born from a very personal experience, Alexandra refuses to confine Girls Must Have to a “medical” positioning.

She designs her swimsuits for:
- women who love fashion,
- those who are drawn to beautiful fabrics and worked cuts,
- those who want more coverage, or on the contrary more freedom,
- those whose bust is small, generous, asymmetric or reconstructed,
- all those who want to feel at ease, whether on a beach, by a pool or in the city.

Her intention is not to “correct” bodies, but to give them back power: that each woman can choose, for herself alone, the silhouette in which she feels good.

A few milestones

  • 2022: Launch of Girls Must Have, born from Alexandra’s own story and her years in fashion.
  • First collections: a couture-inspired swimwear line, designed in Switzerland and produced in Europe.
  • Creation of the “Discretion” pocket: an invisible interior construction that can accommodate a cup or breast prosthesis.
  • Today: a brand that brings together fashion, comfort and technical innovation, to respect every body and every story.

Alexandra’s word

“I am my first client. Girls Must Have was born from the desire to create couture swimwear, designed for all women: those who love fashion, style and beautiful materials, and those whose bodies have changed after surgery or a life event.

I wanted premium swimwear that makes sense: elegant, technical when it needs to be, and able to accommodate a prosthesis without ever giving up on style or femininity.”

Discover the collection

Alexandra Classen: a designer committed to all women

Former model and founder of Girls Must Have, Alexandra Classen created her swimwear line to offer premium, fashion-forward pieces that also respond to specific needs such as asymmetry or post-surgery changes.

Her work focuses on line, cut and materials: couture-inspired swimwear that can be worn as ready-to-wear, combined with discreet technical solutions like the “Discretion” pocket on selected models.

On this page, you can discover her journey, inspirations and her vision of femininity, as well as links to the About and Commitments pages to better understand the world of Girls Must Have.

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Former model and founder of Girls Must Have, Alexandra Classen created her swimwear line to offer premium, fashion-forward pieces that also respond to specific needs such as asymmetry or post-surgery changes.

Her work focuses on line, cut and materials: couture-inspired swimwear that can be worn as ready-to-wear, combined with discreet technical solutions like the “Discretion” pocket on selected models.

On this page, you can discover her journey, inspirations and her vision of femininity, as well as links to the About and Commitments pages to better understand the world of Girls Must Have.

Lire moins

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