Melissa Odabash

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Melissa Odabash
Melissa Odabash at The 20th Anniversary Party for 'How to Spend It' at Corinthia Hotel, London, UK - 25 November 2014.jpg
NationalityAmerican
Label(s)
Melissa Odabash
Spouse(s)Nicolas De Santis
Children2 daughters

Melissa Ann Odabash is an American fashion designer and former model based in London. She is known for her swimwear designs and has been noted by Vogue as creating the "Ferraris of swimwear." Odabash has a celebrity following and her designs have been worn by Beyoncé, Kate Moss, Sienna Miller, Rihanna, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.

Early life[]

Melissa Ann Odabash grew up in New Jersey.[1] She is the daughter of Arthur R. (d. 1998) and Lois Odabash of Demarest, New Jersey, and has four siblings, Robin, Jamie Lynn, Scott and Megan.[2][1][3] Arthur R. Odabash was a real-estate developer, and a co-founder and the vice-chairman of the in Montvale, New Jersey, and the chairman of the Bergen County Department of Planning and Economic Review.[3][4] Her paternal grandfather was of Turkish origin who came to the United States at a young age.[5][6]

Career[]

She began her career living and working in Italy as a catwalk and swimwear model.[7] Odabash decided to start creating her own swimwear by hand, selling them to independent boutiques in Milan and gaining global recognition when her designs featured on the front cover of American fashion magazines.

Odabash has collaborated with others in the industry including Speedos, creating a collection of one-off swimwear pieces to celebrate their 75th anniversary in 2004. She opened a store in Notting Hill, London in 2007, followed by one in Chelsea.

Odabash's brand, which includes swim, beach & ready-to-wear collections is distributed in over 48 countries and retailed in over 250 department stores. She has an ongoing collaboration with designer Julien Macdonald[citation needed] with a range of couture swim and beachwear collections and has also collaborated with celebrities such as Alexandra Burke,[citation needed] Gwyneth Paltrow[8] & Naomi Watts for her starring roles in The Impossible (2012 film) & Diana (film);[citation needed] In 2012, Odabash developed a line of unisex hats to raise money and awareness for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.[9]

In 2014, Odabash won Salon International de la lingerie's Designer of the Year award[10] and was awarded as one of the 50 Most Influential People of London at The London Lifestyle Awards;[11] as well as winning Retailer of the Year in 2015. She is a guest speaker at business schools in the UK and US including Condé Nast's College of Fashion & Design and Harvard Business School.[12]

In June 2021, she was appointed as Honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), for services to international swimwear fashion.[13]

Personal life[]

Her husband is Nicolas De Santis, who is a half-Italian, half-Spanish internet entrepreneur, and they have two teenage daughters.[14][1]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Brayford, Claire (26 March 2017). "The tale of Melissa Odabash & Alaia & Avalon de Santis". thegracetales.co.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  2. ^ NOV. 16, 1998 (1998-11-16). "Paid Notice: Deaths ODABASH, ARTHUR – The New York Times". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2017-04-06.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Jamie L. Odabash Becomes a Bride". NYTimes.com. 1989-06-18. Retrieved 2017-04-06.
  4. ^ "Oliver Cundiff Brown Weds Robin Odabash". NYTimes.com. 1987-09-13. Retrieved 2017-04-06.
  5. ^ Aras, Yaprak (2010), Ünlülerin mayoları bir Türkün elinden çıkıyor, Sabah, retrieved 16 November 2020, Tam olarak bilemiyorum ama babamın babası Türkmüş. Genç yaşta Amerika'ya yerleşmiş.
  6. ^ Çiçek, Beste, Turkish DNA in World Fashion: Melissa Odabash, Istandist, retrieved 16 November 2020, I love Istanbul, it’s become one of the coolest cities in the world and my origins are Turkish – so I definitely feel at home when I visit the city.
  7. ^ "Q&A with Melissa Odabash – Swimwear & fashion designer". Ldnfashion.com. 2012-09-02. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
  8. ^ "GOOP After 5 Years: Does Gwyneth Help Brands Grow?". FLARE. 2013-09-13. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
  9. ^ "Fashion Monitor". Fashion Monitor. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
  10. ^ "Mode City to honour Melissa Odabash at July show". Lingerieinsight.com. 2014-01-28. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
  11. ^ "The Fifty by London Lifestyle Awards". Issuu.com. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
  12. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. ^ "Honorary Awards to Foreign Nationals in 2021". Gov.UK. 2021.
  14. ^ Lisa Armstrong (2015-08-12). "How Melissa Odabash became swimwear's cult cutter". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-05-06.

External links[]


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