It first surfaced as an alternative swimwear option for religious women looking for a more conservative choice, but is now spreading to a larger audience. According to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, it has now developed into a “competitive cottage industry.”

It comes in many different styles for many different kinds of women. From swim dresses to swim skirts, one-pieces to leggings, modest swimwear offers the choice of covering up as much — or as little — as you’d like.

Companies are beginning to pop up all across the web, devoting entire catalogues to modest swimwear, or even debuting their own lines. ModLi, an online shopping hub for all kinds of modest wear, says it has seen an increase in sales and demand for the modest swimwear it produces.

The demand increase suggests the popularity is spreading beyond just those who seek to cover up due to religious reasons. Nava Brief-Fried, creator of ModLi, describes the kind of woman who she sells to as “moms with children, women who want to stay protected from the sun, plus size women, and religious women.”

“The more the bikini becomes popular the more women will look for alternatives (modest swimwear) so that they too will feel confident and good about themselves at the beach,” she added.