Seafolly is arguably Australia’s most celebrated and recognized swimwear brand.
The iconic bikini label is best known for its glamorous advertising campaigns featuring some of the world’s most beautiful women, including Miranda Kerr, Gigi Hadid, Shanina Shaik, Lara Worthington, Samantha Harris and Jesinta Franklin.
But Seafolly has now raised the eyebrows of its clients by hiring non-binary activist and stylist Deni Todorovič as its official ambassador and brand partner.
The 34-year-old, who was assigned male at birth but uses the pronouns she/she, also identifies as transgender.
Deni posed in lime green Seafolly bikini bottoms and a matching cover-up for a campaign shoot released just before International Women’s Day.
Non-binary activist Deni Todorovič (pictured) has been announced as the new ambassador for Australian swimwear brand Seafolly
The 34-year-old, who was assigned male at birth but uses the pronouns she/she, also identifies as transgender
They gushed about making “history” in a lengthy Instagram post over the weekend.
“This is the first time iconic Aussie swimming giants @seafollyaustralia have teamed up with a trans ambassador/brand partner,” said Deni.
As head of marketing [for Seafolly] said at our first meeting, “It’s the first of many more.” I couldn’t be more honored!’
They added: ‘We discussed authentic alliance and had some very exciting conversations about how the brand can work with the community. This is what alliance looks like.’
Deni’s role at Seafolly has been celebrated by a number of celebrities, including former brand ambassador Jesinta Franklin.
Many shoppers also left positive comments on Seafolly’s official Instagram account to celebrate the label’s commitment to diversity.
‘As someone who hasn’t shopped at Seafolly in years, I’m back now! I love seeing brands being inclusive and that’s where I want my money to go,” one woman wrote.
“So great to see this, Seafolly. I love to see brands pioneering the celebration of pride and inclusion,” added another.
Supermodel Gigi Hadid (pictured) is one of Seafolly’s most famous former faces
Australian models Jesinta Franklin and Lara Worthington have also represented the brand
Victoria’s Secret model Shanina Shaik (pictured) is another supermodel who has fronted Seafolly campaigns in the past
The glamorous Miranda Kerr (pictured) was one of Seafolly’s first celebrity models in 2007
However, some consumers were less than impressed with Deni’s role with the brand.
‘This is a joke. We support diversity and individual decisions, but we don’t want to see women’s clothing that we want to buy on a male body…” said one of them.
“There are other ways to support pride and individual choice, but not this way. Sincerely, One of your loyal customers.’
Another wrote: ‘As a woman I don’t want to look like that in a bikini.
“I’m not going to buy this product. People need to get back to reality. Stop turning our world into a circus.’
Because of the negative comments, Seafolly was forced to issue a statement condemning the “hate speech.”
We are here to celebrate the Australian beach lifestyle and inspire each other to be confident on the beach.
“In this community, we do not tolerate abusive, abusive, hate speech, trolling, intentional disruption of discussion, or spam. Please respect each other’s differences and remember to always be nice.’
Deni’s involvement in the Seafolly campaign has resulted in backlash from Seafolly’s customers
Deni is also one of the national ambassadors for Bonds underwear
Many women agreed with Seafolly’s point of view, with one writing, “I’m so embarrassed at the bigots in this comment section.” Imagine writing horrible things because a person wearing a bathing suit upsets you.”
Deni has become an increasingly formidable name in Australian fashion in recent years.
The gender-bending socialite is also a national ambassador for Bonds underwear.
In 2021, Deni was criticized for turning Melbourne Fashion Week into a ‘pride parade’ while working as a stylist and curator on the event.
While Deni was hired to work backstage at the event, they shocked spectators by storming the runway with a pride flag and a “she/it” T-shirt on the front, eclipsing the models in the fashion show.
Deni’s performance is said to have upset fashionistas at the time, with one guest saying their political message was “smacked down our throats.”
“The show was all about Deni. The collection, [and] the designers who worked so hard to put it together was an afterthought,” a participant told the Herald Sun.
In 2021, Deni was criticized for turning Melbourne Fashion Week into a ‘pride parade’ by storming the runway with an LGBT flag and a T-shirt with ‘she/them’ on the front.
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