Fashion
Inspired by Fire Island and 70s style, Sean & Val is a swimwear brand built on friendship, body confidence, and LGBTQ+ community support.
Updated 08:49 am EST, January 28, 2026
Published 11:52 pm EST, January 27, 2026
Inspired by Fire Island and 70s style, Sean & Val is a swimwear brand built on friendship, body confidence, and LGBTQ+ community support.
Updated 08:49 am EST, January 28, 2026
Published 11:52 pm EST, January 27, 2026
I had the chance to interview Miguel Montanaro and Sean Hodes during an online conversation about Sean & Val, the swimwear brand founded by Sean Conners and his friend Val.
When asked to introduce themselves and the brand, Miguel explained, “Our business is about friendship, about community, about how we bring people together and create opportunities for others like us. When I saw what Sean and Val had created over the past five years, I told them immediately, I want to be part of that.”
Sean Hodes clarified, “I am not Sean Conners, the founder of the brand. I joined the team about a year ago as Chief Marketing Officer. Miguel is CEO. Sean Conners is still the creative director, and everything we do pushes his vision forward. Even though we are a small team, we all work together on design, photo shoots, and creative projects. It really is Sean Conners’ brand, but we help bring it to life.”
Sean Hodes continued, “The brand started because Sean and Val noticed there wasn’t a swimsuit on the market that reflected their tastes and the types of bodies and styles they wanted to see. They created Sean & Val as a side project, inspired by vintage cuts, Fire Island in the 70s, and Mediterranean styles. They wanted people to feel comfortable and confident in their own bodies.”
The brand thrives on real connections and chosen family. Sean shared, “We involve our friends, photographers, art directors, and models in our projects. When we launched the racer brief, we featured real friends and lovers, bringing our tagline, For Friends & Lovers, to life and celebrating authentic connections in every shoot.”
Miguel emphasized that it’s a community-driven brand. “We don’t just sell swimsuits. We tell stories of our community and creators through editorial-style content, interviews, and features. That is one of the things that makes us different.”
On their goals, Miguel explained, “Sean & Val started because Sean Conners and Val didn’t feel represented by existing swimwear. We aim to grow the brand, offer multiple styles, and expand beyond swimwear while maintaining inclusivity, quality, and affordability.”
Sean elaborated, “We are very New York-centered, but we sell globally. We want to expand to other cities and countries wherever our customers travel. It’s about following the community, listening to them, and bringing them what they want.”
The core identity of the brand is comfort, confidence, and belonging. Sean reflected, “We want everyone to feel like they belong, feel comfortable in their swimsuit, and confident in their own skin.”
Their aesthetic is inspired by the 70s, Fire Island, and the Mediterranean. “It’s not about being hot and sexy,” Sean explained. “It’s about a warm hug, comfort, and authenticity.” Miguel noted, “We focus on storytelling. Every product, every photo shoot, every campaign tells a story. We want people to feel empowered, connected, and included.”
On their creative process, Sean described, “We start with ideas, fabrics, and colors, but the community is central. We test styles, get feedback from friends and different body types, and run polls to see which colors are loved. Everything is informed by the people we create for.”
Challenges include production logistics and keeping products affordable without compromising quality. Miguel said, “Good-quality swimsuits were very expensive, and bad-quality ones were cheap and loud. We wanted to create something affordable and well-made while navigating market changes.”
Miguel explained their work with the Ali Forney Center, supporting LGBTQ+ homeless youth in New York City, and that Sean Conners wanted a brand with purpose. “We offer customers the option to donate at checkout, and we continue to find ways to support causes that matter and support our community.”
Sean revealed a sneak peek of what’s next: “We have a lot of exciting things coming this year. We started with one product, and now we’re expanding to five different products. It’s a year for growth and discovery, and we want to surprise people with what’s coming.”
From our conversation, Sean & Val feels full of heart, like a warm hug in swimwear form. With its focus on community, inclusion, and storytelling, it is a brand to watch. We cannot wait to see what they come up with next.
In the era of misinformation, Ava's single objective is to celebrate fashion, emerging talents, diversity, and inclusion. Also, she attempts to open an honest dialogue around the controversial and hypocritical matters that torment groups or nations, discussing facts rather than mere ideologies or idiocracies. Ava is also an avid ice cream connoisseur.
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