BENTONVILLE, AR – Tucked deep in the northwest section of Arkansas, Bentonville is quietly becoming one of the best places to live. Thanks to being the home and world headquarters of Fortune 500 companies such as Walmart, Tyson Foods as well as the world-famous Bentonville Film Festival, this quaint and charming Southern town is quickly emerging into the next Austin.

Much like their longtime rivals from Texas, the University of Arkansas is only thirty-plus minutes away, and with a growing hip and young Millennial demographic and corporate Walmart money coming into the area, Bentonville—along with neighboring Rogers, home of the first Walmart, which was recently voted by Time as one of the “Best Places To Live”

Thanks to her colorful and attention-getting bikini and swimwear designs, CEO and swimwear designer, Leanna Shadlow is hoping to add Demon Bikini to that growing list.

A West Coast transplant, Shadlow has brought some SoCal-style glitz and style to her Northwest Arkansas home thanks to her traffic-stopping beauty. A statuesque blonde bombshell at 5’8, Shadlow is 50%  Barbie, 50% alpha female and 100 percent badass.

It isn’t often that someone with cover model-worthy looks is so modest and refreshingly humble and inwardly shy as Shadlow is, and in today’s me-me-me world of Instagram and TikTok, it is a much-welcome personality trait.

A former auto body collision repair specialist, Shadlow can drive and detail a sports car with the best of them and look straight out of MAXIM while doing it. A proud supporter of making women feel sexy in their own skin and not being afraid to show it, Shadlow’s Demon Bikini line is all about positivity and empowering women to be beautiful.

Thanks to Demon Bikini being featured in lifestyle publications such as Maxim Mexico, as well as collaborating with this magazine, both Shadlow and Demon Bikini are well on their way in helping everyone realize that life is truly better in one of their handmade in the USA bikinis.

Below is my Q and A with Leanna as we talk Demon Bikini, shooting in Northwest Arkansas, future goals of DB and her love of working on her beloved GMC pickup truck. 

 

Who Is She?

 

Name: Leanna Shadlow

Birthplace: San Dimas, CA 

Social media: IG: @demon_bikini | @leeeeannnaaaa

Website: www.demonbikini.com

Notable Publications/Media: MAXIM Mexico

 

Greetings from Cleveland! It was a blast connecting and working together, what did you enjoy the most about your photoshoot with INSCMagazine?

Shooting with INSCMagazine was a blast! Everyone was professional, the models were well taken care of and everyone was put at ease leading up to and through all of the shoots. It was a great experience. 

 

With the explosion and growth of lifestyle and high-end resortwear, what do you feel makes Demon Bikini different and unique from other brands?

Demon Bikini started out of a vision to make every woman feel comfortable in their own skin. I love getting feedback from customers when they tell me how amazing they feel in one of our bikinis. All of our bikinis are handmade in the USA. We have unique styles that stand out from everyone else.

We pride ourselves on having a real, authentic experience for our customers. There is always a real person to talk to about ordering a custom bikini and which style fits what you are looking for best. 

For those not familiar with you, tell us a little about yourself, background, etc?

I have always loved to help women feel amazing in their own skin and I have always loved bikinis and having something unique that helps me stand out and not just fit in.

With everything that happened last year during Covid, and the lockdowns, I wanted to take the opportunity to create a company that would help women stand out and be comfortable in their own skin while being focused on high quality, customer service, and giving back to amazing women.

As a single mom, women empowerment is a big motivation for me.  

 

During our time together, you described yourself as a gearhead with a major affinity for sports cars. What is your favorite to drive, work on and detail?

It’s hard to pick just one favorite! I love to drive all kinds of exotic sports cars. I love to work on my 1953 GMC rat rod truck. 

What inspired you to create Demon Bikini? 

Demon Bikini was born out of a desire to follow a dream of mine and start a bikini line. I’ve always loved bikinis and loved finding unique bikinis that were different from everyone else. As a single mom, I dreamt of being able to provide a better lifestyle and future for my son and I.

I wanted to create a way that other women could feel beautiful and confident wearing bikinis also. After battling demons as a single mom and over the years, Demon Bikini was born amidst the pandemic.

 

In your own words, tell us who is the target consumer of your line? 

Demon Bikini’s target customer is any woman who is looking to feel beautiful and comfortable in a custom bikini that they can feel excited to show off.

What designs are you most proud of?

I love all of my designs! Some of my favorites are the signature line bikinis! I had such a blast designing these! I have a few new things in the works as well that I’m so excited about! We just launched two new collections this past summer, the Shimmer and Mermaid collections. It was so fun picking the fabric and designing these custom sets! 

 

You’re from Cali, but currently live in Northwest Arkansas, do you see yourself eventually expanding and setting up shop in a major market—such as L.A. or Miami?

I would love to expand into bigger cities if and when the opportunity arises! I would consider going into a bigger market. My main goal even with expansion is to keep the same high-quality bikinis that are made in the USA. 

You are simply stunning and gorgeous, have you considered expanding into modeling, in addition to designing?

Thank you for the compliment! I would love to get into modeling on a bigger scale if the opportunity was to arise with that!

 

Where do you see yourself, Demon Bikini in the next year, five years, etc?

In the next year, I plan to expand our line to include some new styles! I am also working on adding board shorts, men’s styles, and some kid’s styles in the next few years! I want to do it all! I have loved being a part of charity events and giving back to the community and I plan to continue doing that as well!

By the time we are at 5 years in business, I’d love to have a warehouse and have grown into a thriving business that is providing jobs and giving back to the community even more than I am now. 

Special thanks to Leanna Shadlow, all of the wonderful Demon Bikini models and ambassadors, and all else involved in during our wonderful photo shoot in Bentonville, Beaver Lake, Devil’s Den and Crystal Lake! All photos by INSC Media & Photography. All copyrights reserved by INSC Media Group LLC.