The resulting publicity caused a significant increase in sales, especially sales to non-Muslims and to survivors of skin cancer. The bans and their enforcement prompted criticism and ridicule abroad, particularly in English-speaking countries. The MyCozzie brand, based in Dubai but designed by Australian Jenny Nicholson, was not designed solely for Islamic women. This type of swimwear was designed with the intention of creating swimwear for Muslims who observe hijab in this way.

Notable non-Muslim wearers have included Nigella Lawson, who wore a burkini in Australia in 2011, not out of religious observance, but to protect her skin.Creation of the burkini [ edit ] A burkini displayed on a mannequin in a museum at the Chemical Heritage Foundation.

Cultural restrictions on physical activity have been shown to have serious health implications for Muslim women. The active fit style is more snug than the others and uses a polyester-spandex blend fabric which is coated with Teflon to decrease water resistance. Following this, dozens of women were issued fines, with some tickets citing not wearing "an outfit respecting good morals and secularism"; furthermore, some women were verbally attacked by bystanders when they were confronted by the police. Like other types of sun protective clothing, people who wear burkinis may reduce their risk of skin cancer.

In August 2016, the mayor of Cannes banned the swimsuits, claiming a possible link to Islamic extremism. Protests were held against the decision gathering some 70 individuals from Central Council of Muslims in Germany, Social Democratic Party of Germany and Alliance 90/The Greens. In December 2017, the Swiss city of Geneva passed a law requiring swimmers to wear swimsuits that do not go lower than the knee and keep the swimmer's arms bare, which would effectively ban not only burkinis but also the bodyskins used by elite swimmers, swim dresses, rash guards, wetsuits, and other styles of swimsuits.

In 2009, Zanetti criticized the MyCozzie suit, claiming that its use of lycra could make it heavier and that the optional hood could be unsafe, claims which Nicholson disputed. Liberal British Muslim activist Maajid Nawaz offered a critique of both the swimsuit and its ban: "Burkini is sad symbol of Islam today going backwards on gender issues. In August 2009, a woman in France was prevented from swimming in a public pool wearing a burkini, amidst ongoing controversy about Muslim dress. Enforcement of the ban also hit beachgoers wearing a wide range of modest attire besides the burkini, such as an ordinary long-sleeved shirt and leggings worn over a typical swimsuit.Discussions of feminism, immigration, and secularism bring forth widely differing views of the burqini and other modesty swimwear. The controversy over the burkini in France may also be seen as reflecting broadly held French attitudes against religious expression in public. This type of suit covers the whole body except the face, the hands and the feet, whilst being light enough to enable swimming. The media reported that in one case, armed police forced a woman to remove the burkini she was wearing over her clothes on a beach in Nice.

Others, including Franziska Giffey, the German minister of family affairs, support the school's decision saying, "the most important thing is the well-being of the children, and that means that all learn to swim. French law emphasizes the importance of creating a "religiously neutral arena" in which people are expected to appear similar, as well as being treated equally. The ban was supported by a number of French politicians, including the socialist prime minister Manuel Valls, who said: "The burkini is not a new range of swimwear, a fashion. Zanetti recognized that there was a lack of sportswear for Muslim girls and women that would meet the needs of both modesty and physical activity, so she designed some culturally appropriate activewear clothing. As noted by professor of Dress Studies and Fashion Design Heather Marie Akou, arguments about the burkini (and other forms of female dress) are not just about a garment, but also about the symbolism, assumptions, and political implications projected onto it.Suits such as the Nike "Swift Suit" may be more body-hugging, designed to maximize hydrodynamics, rather than address issues of modesty. In June 2018, a school in western Germany created controversy after it was found handing out burkinis to students who otherwise refused to attend swim classes. In 2016, a number of French municipalities banned the wearing of burkinis, which sparked international controversy and accusations of Islamophobia. Zanetti's Sydney-based company Ahiida owns the trademarks to the words burqini and burkini, but the words have become generic terms for similar forms of modesty swimwear. The burqini can be seen as a personal clothing choice, an indicator of women's subjugation, an enabler of women's increased physical freedom, or a militant and fundamentalist religious symbol that challenges a secularist state.