MEET THE FAMILY BEHIND MIKOU
BEHIND THE BRAND
In June 2020, Stefania Dallari and her husband left London for Cascais, Portugal, with their daughter Mila, just two months old. It was the middle of a pandemic. They didn't know anyone. The days with a small baby were long, and at times, difficult.
IT ALL STARTED WITH A POOL IN CASCAIS
What they did have was a garden pool, and the endless Portuguese sun.
Spending time outdoors with Mila became a daily ritual, one that carried Stefania through a challenging period of post natal depression after Mila's birth. The warmth, the light, the water. It helped, in ways she hadn't expected.
But with that relief came a concern that never quite left: Mila's skin was extraordinarily delicate. At two months old, babies cannot yet wear sunscreen. So Stefania began searching for UV swimwear, something that would truly cover and protect her daughter.
What she found was disappointing. Unflattering designs. Low-quality fabrics. Legs left exposed. And not a single option that made changing a nappy practical once the swimsuit was wet.
The swimsuit that should have existed
When the family's second daughter, Anouk, arrived, the market had barely moved. Parents still needed proper sun protection that was also well-crafted, well-designed, and genuinely functional. It simply wasn't there.
It was Stefania's husband who encouraged her to take action: with nearly twenty years in the fashion industry, working with luxury houses like Max Mara and Liu Jo in Italy and France, and later helping build a fashion start-up in London, she had the experience to create exactly what was missing.
So they did.
A FAMILY BRAND IN EVERY SENSE
MIKOU takes its name from the family's affectionate nicknames for their two daughters: Mimi and Koukie. MI-KOU. The name existed long before the brand, and they kept it because it captures what this is: something personal, made with care, by two parents who wanted better for their children.
Today, we run MIKOU from our home in Lisbon. Our fabrics come from certified Italian mills. Every piece is crafted in a family-run Portuguese atelier, not far from where we live. We chose to keep everything close. Close to us, close to our values, close to the people who make our swimsuits.
MIKOU is not a large company. It is a family, a clear vision of what children's swimwear should be, and the quiet determination to make it right.