On a few beaches in France, wearing a certain type of swimsuit might get one in trouble, with the police keeping a strict eye. And this seems to be the reason why authorities in many French towns have banned burkini which covers the entire body except the hands, feet and face. Women caught wearing a burkini in Cannes must pay a fine of $42.

And what proves the point is that only last week, a woman wearing a burkini in Nice was forced by armed police officers to remove her burkini in front of other beach goers. But the creator of the garment says bans haven’t stopped women from buying it.

Aheda Zanetti, 49, has been credited as the inventor of the burkini (a ‘burqa,’ and a ‘bikini’). She designed the swimsuit back in 2004 to fill a gap in the marketplace. But the burkini has not been kindly received on France’s beaches. This is not the country’s first foray into banning Muslim garments. Way back in 2004, headscarves were outlawed in public schools while in 2010, wearing of full-face veils known as niqabs wasn’t allowed in all public places.

Zanetti believes the bans misunderstand the entire point of the burkini. It’s not meant to be a religious or political statement. Rather the burkini is all about a women’s freedom to choose her preferred beachwear, whether it’s a bikini, a burkini, or something in between.