Twenty-year-old Mecca Laalaa would not have trained to become a surf lifesaver were it not for the burkini.
"My clothing and what I wear swimming stopped me from being involved in water activities," she said. "The burkini means there's really nothing stopping me now."
Australian-born Laalaa, who is of Lebanese descent, says wearing a veil and modest clothing had restricted her sporting activities.
"It didn't stop me from playing sport. I would wear long pants and a cotton shirt, it just drained me so much more. I became very easily flustered. It was more water activities — I stopped for quite a long time swimming."
With her burkini, she has been able to complete the training required to become a lifesaver.
"It is daunting but we are doing it for a good cause. Not only for our community but for ourselves also. I am doing it for everybody. It's pretty much just like, 'Look at me, I am just like everybody else, the only difference is what I wear.'"
The burkini is also supported by the country's highest-profile Islamic cleric, Sheik Taj Aldin al-Hilali, a controversial figure who last year sparked outrage when he used a sermon to compare what he viewed as immodestly-dressed women to "uncovered meat."
Zanetti proudly displays the certificate of approval for her products given to her by the sheik. But she says he does not speak for every Muslim.
"As a religious leader he is a very good leader. But as a spokesperson, on behalf of Australian Muslims, I don't think it's suitable for him to speak. That's not his job. But as a religious leader, he's excellent," she said.
She said no other Islamic religious figure in the country would give her formal approval for the burkini. "Mind you, their wives bought them," she says.
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