Imagine finding a way to work remotely and hotdesk from any country in the world, while making a constant stream of money to fund your next adventure.

There are countless Instagram-famous people who seem to have this elusive lifestyle all figured out, and they make it look so easy. Go to Portofino, take a few bikini pics, write a caption about wanderlust, make bank. Right?

But for Aussie influencer Natasha Oakley, who might appear to fit the above mould (she built her brand off posting gorgeous swimwear pics in sunny locations), it would do her a disservice to write her off as a mere bikini blogger. No matter what it looks like to her two million followers on the ‘gram, Oakley is quick to shut the notion down that her life is “one big holiday.”

 

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A post shared by Natasha Oakley (@tashoakley) on Aug 14, 2019 at 12:00am PDT

The 29-year-old leveraged her popularity on the platform to launch her global fashion companies Monday Swimwear and Monday Active, of which she is CEO, and co-created the online content platform A Bikini A Day with longtime business partner Devon Brugman in 2011.

Now based in LA, Tash says her success has come down to good old fashioned hard work – a mixture of passion and resolve that has seen her scale enormous career heights.

“We manage all our campaigns and projects, and we don’t have agents or managers – there’s no one higher than me in our personal company,” she tells Mamamia.

“I always knew that I wanted to have the freedom of doing whatever I wanted to do and being my own boss… It’s something that’s really fulfilling to me, but you have to know what’s involved – how much of you it’s going to take and the sacrifices you have to make.”

 

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Celebrating 100 amazing business women with @createcultivate ???????????? So proud to be nominated and in such good company @devinbrugman ????‍♀️

A post shared by Natasha Oakley (@tashoakley) on Jan 25, 2019 at 12:41pm PST

The success of A Bikini A Day has opened the entrepreneur up to collaborations with buzzy global brands, and that goes for her latest partnership with American e-tailer Nasty Gal.

For our Aussie summer, she’s teamed up with the label on a line of affordable beachwear inspired by one of her favourite films, Pretty Woman.

“I was thinking of the most iconic movies in terms of style,” says Oakley. 

“One of my favourite fashion moments is when she’s at the racetrack in that polka dot outfit… there’s something so charming and elegant about it.”

The collection offers bikinis and one-pieces that echo the print and feature wide belts like the one Roberts donned with her polka dot dress. In the campaign, shot in Byron Bay, Oakley even dons a large straw hat as a tribute to the scene.

“I always feel like I’m trying to channel Julia Roberts and I wasn’t really able to do it until now with this collection,” she laughs.

Designed to have something for every body, the range offers select styles in sizes 4 to 24. “For me that’s Nasty Gal’s specialty,” she says. “We created a lot of one-pieces and dresses and styles that are very versatile and can fit all different body shapes.”

When it comes to trends for the season ahead, the swimwear authority says it’s all about a high leg cut.

“It’s very 90s inspired, and it’s flattering on all body types. It really elongates your leg," she says. "That’s definitely my favourite trend for this summer.”

Check out some of our fave picks from the Nasty Gal x Natasha Oakley collection below. It would be a big mistake (huge) to miss out.