Meet Gianine McKenna (@gianineofficial), the swimwear savant whose entrepreneurial story is a testament to the combined savoir of Brazilian taste and the grit of American Hustle.
225 Valley Road provided the perfect backdrop.
As swimsuit season shimmies its way back into the spotlight, all eyes turn to Gianine McKenna, the Brazilian bombshell turned business mogul bringing a slice of her South American roots to Atlanta with her eponymous swimwear brand.
“It started with visits to my family in Porto Alegre, Brazil, back in 2013,” says McKenna, who now resides in Tuxedo Park with her husband, Mark, and their two daughters, Milana, 7, and Ariana, 5. “I would pick up swimsuits for myself and started bringing some back for friends, too. They loved them so much that they would always sell out.”
What began as a passion project gradually transformed into a full-fledged e-commerce business, with McKenna shifting creative gears in 2018 to put pencil to paper and design her own luxury swimwear line.
“Over the years, I really began to understand what my clients wanted, and they were even telling me what they were looking for—certain colors and certain styles,” she explains, “so I decided to dive in and begin my first collection in 2018.”
Today, her buzzy brand, Gianine (@gianineofficial), has grown into more than McKenna ever imagined when she started it over a decade ago. From strictly selling Brazilian-cut bikinis to now offering a range of mix-and-match tops and bottoms, one-pieces, beachwear and more—all of which are expertly made in Brazil—Gianine has become a staple for Atlanta’s jet-set crowd and beyond.
“My collections will always have that Brazilian vibrancy to them—something every woman can feel comfortable in.” -GIANINE MCKENNA
“What sets us apart the most is the quality. The quality of swimwear in Brazil is far above anything you find here in the U.S.,” she says. “The second is the fit. We have a little something for everyone, but, to be honest, many women come in still wanting the classic Brazilian cut because it fits them so well and makes them feel confident!”
Giannine McKenna, our cover star, killing it in the Parket parrot bikini holding a Prada clutch, le-archive.com
This year is shaping up to be one of her favorites yet as an entrepreneur; Gianine’s retail footprint went from URL to IRL with its first brick-and-mortar storefront in Buckhead, designed in collaboration with Joey Lyn Butler of Joey B Collection & Design. After the opening in January, McKenna says she feels the brand is entering a new era that she’s been anticipating for years.
“Opening a physical store was always in the back of my mind,” she shares. “As a mom, I wanted to be home while my kids were taking their first steps, and it was always a balancing act. But now that my youngest is almost five and in school, it’s the perfect time to focus on growing Gianine.”
Find out more about how McKenna does it all in our fashion feature; and yes, she does look this good while doing it. 3275 Roswell Road NE
Photography by: Sara Hanna
