Paula Stafford

Australian bikini inventor Paula Stafford has died at the age of 102, nearly 80 years after her iconic swimsuit made history on a Queensland beach.

As with mini-skirts, the idea of ​​a bikini came to different people’s minds almost at the same time. The invention of the flashy swimsuit is often attributed to the Frenchman Louis Réard in 1946. In Australia, however, Stafford was a pioneer in making two-piece swimwear for himself since the 1930s.

She dared to appear on the beach in Queensland in such a swimsuit in 1943, and it immediately shocked the conservative local community. But many people became interested in the swimsuit, so Stafford considered starting a production. The designer has created bright, colorful bikinis with printed fabrics that are often popular.

Paula Stafford (right) with a model in her boutique

Soon her work was shown in London and New York and Stafford made a name for herself in the fashion world. In 1952, police investigators asked model Ann Ferguson to leave Surfers Paradise Beach because Paula Stafford was wearing a bikini. Such designs were still considered inappropriately revealing, but the popularity of the bikini grew stronger in the postwar period due to fabric shortages, and Stafford made history as the forerunner of the Australian bikini.

In 1993, Paula Stafford was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in the General Division for her service to the fashion industry. His work is on display at the Gold Coast Historical Society Museum in Bundall, Queensland.