x

WET Talks
x = the independent history of getting wet
 x
WET Talks
x = the independent history of getting wet

Ananya Banerjee
Astha Gupta
Ria Mittal
Siddhi Agarwal
Srushti Hirde
1
EVOLUTION OF
SWIMWEAR

2
OLYMPIC SWIMWEAR

3
COUTURE SWIMWEAR

4
WHICH SWIM SUITS
YOU

5
CUTS AND STYLES

6
STRUGGLES OF
SWIMWEAR

7
SWIMWEAR MARKET

ENTS
CONT-
Early

1800
 Forget bathing suits, these
things were bathing gowns.
The “seaside walking dress”
was the trendy gown to wear
on the beach or when walking
the boardwalk.

s During those times,

a woman’s purity and
chasteness were her
greatest assets. A single
woman wasn’t even allowed
to speak to a man unless
another married woman was
present in the room as a
chaperon.
1870s-
1890s
The long dresses were replaced by
two-piece suits- one a gown from
shoulder to the knees and a set of
trousers with leggings reaching the
ankle. It was in the late 1800s that
fearless women first began getting
into the sea – although they were
required to do so on a separate bit of
beach to men, who could frolic naked
in the waves. Novelist Fanny Burney
described waking at 6am and going
by moonlight to the water’s edge
“where we had bespoken the bathing-
woman to be ready for us, and into
the ocean we plunged”.
The bathing-woman would have been in
charge of a bathing machine – a glorified hut
on wheels – to take women to and from the
shore, all the while protecting their modesty.
After the horse would haul the cabana into
the ocean, the 19th century woman would
change from her layers of petticoats and
dress into another layer of swimwear. Later a
hood was added to the contraption to allow
the female in a soaking wet flannel dress to
emerge from the water unseen.” When the
role of a woman was to be a chaste miss or a
proud mother, the clothes reflected as much.
Come the beginning of the new century, we started to see a slow shift in
values. The Victorian era was ending, and with it stuffy ideals and prudishness

0
questioned. The billowy, heavy layers of the 19th century swimsuits were shaved
down by a couple of inches to a light dress instead.

1 9
0 0s
Even though the suits still resembled dresses right down to the collars and buttons
(and were even made from heavy flannel or wool fabrics so as not to outline the
female form too much), the smaller silhouette signaled that the culture was
changing.
 Annette Kellerman in a form hugging
swimsuit

Enter Annette Kellerman, the first woman to

swim across the English Channel. She was
arrested in Boston for wearing a form-hugging
one piece suit that had neither collars nor
buttons, but had all the perks of allowing her
to cut through water without getting tangled
up in skirts. She took one for the team, and
her bold move triggered a change in swimwear

119
9
Swimsuit styles stayed stubbornly frock-like a
decade later, but women were beginning to dabble
with the idea that they deserved more than just
to play house and take care of rosy-cheeked
babies. The Suffrage movement was in full swing,
more and more women began working outside
the home, and women began to believe that they
could do just as much as their male counterparts.
For example, we began to see an emergence of

110
0s
female athletes around this time, although they
weren’t able to swim as well with the men when
weighed down by wool pleated skirts.
The 1920s, an era of sexual liberation, saw a rise in the popularity of body-hugging swim
styles. Most swimsuits were cut at the upper thigh during this period, and some even
featured cut-out sides. The flappers were often reckless, daringly sexual, and pleasure-
seeking, so it’s no surprise that their bathing suits evolved to reflect just that. The
suits ditched the sleeves, raised the hemlines, and became tight around the bust and
middle. It was now obvious that there was a female body underneath all that, and it was
scandalous.
 In the 1930s, designs
became more creative
in the with the arrival of
stretchy ‘lastex’ fabric
and dyes that wouldn’t
fade in the sun. Brightly-
coloured halterneck and
racer back swimsuits that
exposed more skin were
in vogue as the fashion
for sunbathing took off.
romper suits became
popular and the last of
the knee-length bathing
dresses went out of vogue.
Instead, a flash of leg and a bare shoulder were very much the norm. Times
were a-changing: One-third of women worked outside of the home, attended
universities, and were finding job opportunities that could just as easily be
offered to men.
It was only in the 1930s that women were allowed to swim in public
swimming pools with men.
The ‘30s brought more form-fitting styles in stretchy synthetic fabrics, with
higher-cut legs and lower-cut necklines.
19
19
Hems were up and bathing suits were starting to get their signature spaghe
of the romper that’s so associated with the ‘20s to instead move forward to
the century. In the ‘40s, we saw the beginning of World War II, which meant
family while the men went off to fight. They worked to provide for their fami
for husbands, and learned to depend on themselves to make ends meet.
While that alone might not sew spaghetti straps onto bathing suits, that typ
bolder and more comfortable in their agency.
In the early 1940s, the United States government ordered manufacturers to
etti-strap tops. They were beginning to shift away from the image

40
owards the bikini type of styles we’re used to in the other half of
t women had to rise up to the role of caretakers and heads of the
ily, took up manual labor jobs and desk seats usually earmarked

pe of role changing and newfound strength arguably made women

o use less fabric for bathing suits, and the two-piece was born.
1
9
5
0
S wimsuit designers were beginning to up the ante in terms of what
was acceptable to show in public, and we crossed over to belly baring.
With icons like Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte Bardot, sexuality became less
shocking and more pop culture. Swimsuits were still often highwaisted
and sometimes resembled a skirt of sorts, while the top was usually a
halter/bra hybrid that kept you modest but still sizzling on the beach.
While two-piece suits were common in the years leading up to World War
II, they usually covered a woman’s navel and left only a bit of midriff visible.
French designer Louis Reard introduced the world to the first modern bikini,
featuring significantly less fabric than its predecessors. Its name has roots
in the war: Reard was inspired to name his two-piece after a newsworthy US
atomic test with the name Bikini Atoll. The new design was so risqué that
the designer had to hire Micheline Bernardini, a Parisian showgirl, to model it.
 1

0
Iconic women like
Marilyn Monroe were
completely changing
the game in terms
of culture, it became
perfectly normal for
a woman to wear
a two-piece on the
beach.
Second Wave Feminism told
women everywhere to screw the
patriarchy and wear whatever
the hell they wanted, when they
wanted. The hippie era and its
free-love advice suggested that
you embrace your body and share
it without shame. Birth control
hit the shelves and started to
help facilitate sexual agency
even further. A lot of things were
happening in the ‘60s that helped
edge the bikini into its iconic style.
It was itsy, bitsy, teeny, and
weeny, and it told the public “the
more skin, the better.”That was
proven with the invention of the
monokini — the first women’s
topless swimsuit — by designer
Rudi Gernreich in 1964. It doesn’t
get teenier than that.

The introduction of nylon and Lycra in the ‘60s made suits tighter than ever similar
to the costume Yvonne Craig wore in her role as Batgirl in the television series
Batman.
1
9
7 The way 1920s was about revealing the legs,
1930s about revealing the back and 1960s the
navel, The focus in the 1970s shifted to the thigh
and the buttocks.
 Christie Brinkley was a very famous swimsuit model
during this time.

At the 1972 Munich Olympic games,

swimmer Mark Spitz’s lean muscular body
was a perfect backdrop for his Speedos,
the briefest swimsuit style for the men
till date. The company had reduced the
size of the swimming trunks by the
1970s so as to minimize the drag, which
in turn made ‘Speedo the fastest and also
the sexiest.’

Fashion photographer, Deborah Turbevilles

shoot (Bath House Series) for US Vogue for
their May 1975 issue incited many readers to
anger.
Although the models were modestly attired
in sporty maillots, rather than tangas, it
was suggested that five models portrayed
a lesbian scene with the model in the
foreground purportedly masturbating.
 9
1
8
Glamazons

0
 Australian pop icon, Olivia Newton-John’s hit song ‘Physical’ from her 1981
album of the same name encapsulates the 1980s cult of fitness, aerobics,
jogging and bodybuilding for both men and women.

8
The men were objectified and shown as wearing only Calvin Klein underwears in the year
1982.Swimwear and sportswear were influenced by ‘Sports photography and fitness’
This decade marks the sexualization and eroticization of the male body through
advertising campaigns for brands such as Calvin Klein, particularly by photographers
Bruce weber and Herb Ritts. A new breed of fashion models emerged during this time
and were referred to as the ‘Glamazons’- women with steely inner strength expressed
through finely toned, muscular bodies.
Elle Macpherson was one such model whose swimsuits ranged from common one-
pieces and bikinis to daring and playful styles such as an asymmetric swimsuit that
exposed her right breast, something similar to the amazon warriors depicted in Roman
statues.
1990
Tankini and the concept of mix-and-
match swimwears were the two major
innovations in that genre in the late
1990s. Designer Anne Cole, the US
swimwear mogul, was the originator of
this style.

By the 1990s, body exposure battles

shifted focus to tanning and resultant
skin damage.
For e.g. the australian government
asked the citizens to avoid excessive
sun exposure and in 1991 the total
sale of sunscreens in australia totalled
$21million.

Thus, the rash top or Rashie gained

popularity during this time, which was
a long sleeved wetsuit intended for UV
protection. Though bikinis and monoki-
nis were still in vogue.
There was also an increased popularity
of physical fitness amongst the youth.
2000s
Through the first decade of the 21st century, the citizens started
having a personal choice in what they wear in the public spaces.
The Burkini, created by Sydney-based Aheda Zanetti in 2003
is a head-to-toe islamic swimsuit has been subject to various
opinions throughout the world. The french government banning
to wear it in public pools in August 2009 as it ‘constituted a
hygiene problem’
 Evol

1870s-90s
1800s

1900s
The “seaside walking People had surplus
dress” was the trendy money to invest in
gown to wear on the leisure activities. Due
beach or when walking to the importance of
the boardwalk. During showing social status,
those times, a woman’s the fashion industry was Come the beginning
purity and chasteness very much influenced by of the new century,
were her greatest society. It was in the we started to see a
assets. late 1800s that fearless slow shift in values.
women first began The Victorian era was
getting into the sea with ending, and with it stuffy
the help of the victorian ideals and prudishness
bathing machine made questioned.
popular by queen
victoria.
lution
1910s

1930s
The Suffrage movement
was in full swing, more
and more women began
working outside the
1920s Brightly-coloured
halter neck and racer
home because of WWI, back swimsuits that
and women began to The flappers were exposed more skin
believe that they could often reckless, daringly were in vogue as the
do just as much as their sexual, and pleasure- fashion for sunbathing
male counterparts. seeking, so it’s no took off. Time of great
surprise that their depression thus the
bathing suits evolved to amount of material used
reflect just that. was reduced to cut cost
however Popularised
after the invention
of lastex. It was a
combination of latex
thread.
 Evol

1960s
1940s

Consumerism was on
the rise in the decades
after WWII and everyone
was moving towards
very modern looks.
Disposable goods were
being manufactured
We saw the beginning more, and materials like
1950s
of World War II, which polyester and plastics
meant women had to began making their way
rise up to the role of into fashion.
caretakers and heads of
the family while the men
went off to fight. Hems
were up and bathing
suits were starting The 1950s was the age
to get their signature of girl glamour. sexuality
spaghetti-strap tops. became less shocking
and more pop culture.
lution

1980s

2010s
1970s

Women take the strides

made in the 1960’s
and 1970’s feminist
movements and enter
the workforce in larger
numbers. They gained
social power and body Unlike a century earlier,
confidence increased. comfort and sexiness
By the end of the can now coexist.Through
This decade marks
1960’s social activism, the first decade of
the sexualization and
equal rights, and the 21st century, the
eroticization of the male
environment protection citizens started having a
body through advertising
are on the forefront and personal choice in what
campaigns for brands
in the news. It was itsy, they wear in the public
such as Calvin Klein
bitsy, teeny, and weeny, spaces. Unique designs
and it told the public like the burkini were
“the more skin, the made popular to preach
better.”That was proven inclusivity.
with the invention of
the monokini.
1904 1904 1904 1904
1904 1904 1904 1904
1904 1904 1904 1904
1904 1904 1904 1904
1904 1904 1904 1904
1904 1904 1904 1904
1904 1904 1904 1904
Remember when your little
brother tried to dress up as
a superhero and all he knew
was that he had to wear his

1904 1904 1904 1904

underwear outside his pants?
Bless his heart, because he had
the makings of an early 20th-
century Olympian. Nothing like a
one-piece and Speedo combo.
M r. T. S. B a t t e r s b y l o o k s
less-than-pleased in this
photo, but his swimwear
wouldn't look out of place
even today. Modern male
swimmers have slightly
longer legs on their suits
and feature stronger and
t i g h t e r m a t e r i a l, b u t t h e
basics remained the same.

1908:
1912:
Women
were only allowed to
start swimming in 1912, and
their suits were made of silk. This
meant that once wet, the swimsuits
became uncomfortably see-through,
so female athletes had to wear bras
and underwear underneath their
swimwear for decency.
1
9
2
1924

4
Newly improved (and no longer see-
through), women's bathing suits
featured a skirt at the bottom to
make them look more like dresses
and less like undergarments.
1928 1928 1928 1928
The women's uniform has a
skirtless option ,but the bottom
of the suit still extends into the

1928 1928 1928 1928

upper thigh to seem ladylike.

1928 1928 1928 1928

1928 1928 1928 1928
1928 1928 1928 1928
1928 1928 1928 1928
1928 1928 1928 1928
1928 1928 1928 1928
1932:

The uniforms here look eerily similar on the men and

women, even though female swimmer Clare Dennis
was almost disqualified for showing her shoulders.
 In 1964, Speedo introduced
nylon into its suits, giving swim-
mers extra traction in the water.

1964 1964
4
196 1 96
4
4
96 1
1

96
4
4
1 96

196
4
1 9 64

1964
19 6 4

19 6 4
1964

1 96 4
4
196

1 96
4
964

19
1

64
64 19 6
1 9
4
1964 1964
1964
 1976 1976
976 19
76 1 76
19

19
76
6
197

197
6
1976

1976
1976

1976
1976

1976
6
197

197
6
976

97
1
1

6
6
197 197
6
1976 1976 1976

The 70s brought about another

material change in the form of
elastane, which led to a shattering
of records in 1972 and guaranteed
success in 1976.
1
9

8
Suddenly, the suits are allowed
to ride higher, and resemble
actual, modern swimwear.
 How high is too high? These
swimsuits show more upper
thigh and pelvis than even
gymnasts are used to showing,
and there was no apparent
speed advantage. And for men,
1992 became the year of the
stars and stripes Speedo.

1992
 2000
2000:

Michael
Phelps and
Natalie Coughlin
are wearing
elastane-nylon and
polyurethane suits
known as the LZR Razer.
They felt like skin and
almost eliminated all water
resistance but due to being very
expensive and thus not giving a
fair level playing field to others-
this swimsuit was banned from
2008 2008
2008
2008 2008
2008
2008 2008
2008 Michael Phelps and Natalie Coughlin are wearing
elastane-nylon and polyurethane suits known as the LZR
Razer. They felt like skin and almost eliminated all water

2008 2008
resistance but due to being very expensive and thus not
giving a fair level playing field to others- this swimsuit
was banned from the olympics.
The team
abandoned sharks
in favor of more
wearable human
fabric, resulting
in a sleek, bold
look because of
unfair competetive
advantage

12
2016

The Rio gear is smoother than ever, still

based in suave black but with patriotic
accents to distinguish Team USA in the
water. And after all this time, it's probably
fair to say...we're paying more attention to
the swimmers than their suits.
With the evolution of the bathing
suits and their increased populari-
ty and acceptance worldwide, the
variety in designs has grown.
A lot of different elements from
other cultures like the African prints
and bohemian designs are being
incorporated into the latest swim-
wear designs.
Along with different
cuts, necklines and fits
designers around the
world are experimenting
further with the designs.
The colour pallette has
widened and bikinis are
embellished to make it
luxuries.
Who says you need two?
Monokini 2.0 is an art project that takes
a stand on western commercial culture’s
narrow idea of women’s ideal appearance
and strives to expand the idea of what is
considered to be beautiful in the female body.
The project emphasizes that beauty lies in
ones confidence and community’s acceptance
rather than in “the perfect body”. Swimwear
collection is designed by a group of Finnish
fashion designers and modeled by women who
have gone through breast cancer. The creative
leaders of Monokini 2.0 are artists Katriina
Haikala and Vilma Metteri (art duo Tärähtäneet
ämmät / Shaken-not-blurred). The original idea
is by Elina Halttunen, the woman with one tit.
The looks are
sophisticatedly
accessrised using
bracelets and rings to
make the beachwear
look more interesting.
SHIVAN NAR
As the swimwear evovled, majorly through the
1900s.
it gained popularity among the masses.
Economic boost and travel made easier
resulted into people going to various
beaches for vacations.
It was majorly during this
time that Fashion
designers took up
designing swimwear
as a major part
of thier
business
activity.
Brands
like Calvin
Klien, Ralph
Lauren, Donna
Karan, Nautica
became popular
for their swimwear
collections.
Their are many upcoming
designers who are exploring the
swimwear market,
like the Shivannaresh
duo.
RESH
Shivan Bhatia and Narresh Kukreja are the first and so far the only beach wears
designers in India. Both are alumni of National Institute of Fashion Technology,
where they met and combined their creativities to form an invincible team for the
designing competitions. Their efforts earned them a scholarship in 2006 after
winning Mittelmoda International Beachwear award in Bali. During their studies
in Italy they were introduced to 2.0 bonding technique of Lycra, which holds
inner wears together, without strap support and
stitching. The duo immediately started using
this technique to create innovative designs in
beachwear and this led the foundation of first and
only swimwear brand of India ‘Shivan and Narresh’.

Trikini is a swimsuit comprising

three separate pieces of fabric,
typically bottoms and one for each
breast.
Shivan and Narresh creations are marked out
by the use of bright hues, striped maillots and
subtle drapes in beach wear designs. Their sig-
nature Bikini sarees are in vogue these days
and many actresses like Kareena Kapoor,
Maliaka Arora Khan and Bipasha Basu
have been seen dazzling in them
on the red carpets. Their global
clientele includes Nicki Minaj,
Dita Von Tesse, Fergie,
Padma Lakshmi and
Selita Banks.
Aside from some
artefactual evidence that
female athletes competed
in two-piece garb in
ancient Greece and Rome,
the history of women’s
bathing costumes is one
long coverup.

The summer of 1946 was a season

of freedom in Paris. Europe had just
emerged from World War II, the beaches
were clear and the liberated French
were ready to carry liberation a bit
further — an itsy bitsy, teeny weeny
bit further, in the form of a women’s
bathing costume that could just about
fit into a shot glass.

The bikini was born at a Paris poolside

photo shoot on July 5, 1946, a week
before Bastille Day and in the midst a
global textile shortage. The designer,
former engineer Louis Réard, hired the
only model willing to expose so much
model, a 19-year-old nude dancer from
the Casino de Paris named Micheline
Bernardini. She put on the four small
patches he had strung together and
showed the fashion world the female
belly button.
 u g g l e s
Str
SCANDALS OF
SWIMWEAR

Magazines claimed that no

decent girl would ever wear two-
piece suits and even the pope
condemned the fashion.
In 1907, Australian swimmer
and silent-film star Annette
Kellerman—a vocal advocate of
more hydrodynamic swimwear—
was charged with indecent
exposure for appearing on
Boston’s Revere Beach in a form-
fitting, sleeveless tank suit.

In public pools in Germany

until as late as the 1970s, the
bikini was explicitly was cited
as banned under the standard
swimwear code.
Last inch of
midriff was
fashion’s But it was slow to break
through the modesty barriers on

final “zone of
European beaches, much less in
the postwar United States. Many

contention.”
commentators condemned the
look, and plenty of communities
banned it.

Following its first appearance

on the beaches of Europe the
bikini was banned. In 1948, it
was formally prescribed in Italy
and Spain, and in 1949 a local
government official prohibited
its use on all the Atlantic
coastlines of France.
Hollywood yielded to the
outraged protestations of the
religious organizations and
feminists grous and, from 1965,
refused it to be seen on the
cinema screen.
And while you may think that the
bikini caused controversy when it
came on the scene, when Speedo
first introduced the racerback suit
in the late 1920s, it was banned on
many beaches because it showed
so much shoulder.
Many Christian
churches saw it as
‘the seed of corruption’.
The organisers of the Miss World competition in 1951
banned it from their beauty parade, and for the following
five years. But it was back in 1949 that the cries of fury
and abuse reached their peak in, of all things, an article
about it in the Vatican newspaper Osservatore Romano.
Feminists lambasted it as the ultimate in male
chauvinist piggery.
THE ULTIMATE
Swimsuit
GUIDE

WHICH Swin SUITS YOU ?

•
 Curv y
What
colours
to wear
You can use
color to create
shape. For
example, a
black swimsuit
with an
hourglass-
shaped leopard
pattern on
the front will
create the
illusion of an
hourglass
shape. Another
example is the
black swimsuit
below from
Curvissa, see
how the animal
print panels
help to create
a slimming
effect.

Tips and tricks:

• Asymmetrical suits draw the eye
toward the neckline, highlighting the
beautiful line from a woman's neck to
her collarbone.
• Color blocking can help highlight your
shape, as do retro suits (think high
waists and boxy halter tops).
Curvy: You're curvy throughout with a full bust, hips, thighs, and
butt, like Christina Hendricks, Ashley Graham, and Kim Kardashian.
What to look for: For curvy frames, the key is to highlight your
curves while providing enough support and coverage. If you're not
keen on exaggerating your curves, then steer clear of monokinis or
string bikinis with thicker ties, which can accentuate your widest
areas.
Pear TIPS
Pear Shape: You're curvy at the hips and thighs and smaller on
top

Shape: What to look for: The key to the perfect swimsuit is balancing
your proportions and getting the coverage you need for your
bottom half.
• For a traditional
Tips and tricks:
fix, look for a
clean-skirted
bottom that falls
just below the
largest part of the
upper leg.

• Avoid reaching
for a boy short
or thick-banded
bottom. The extra
fabric will only call
attention to the
area you're trying
to mask.

• Show your
shoulders and
collar bones.

• A plunging
neckline or
eye-catching
top draws the
eye upward,
minimizing the
bottom

P ear it up!
Laarge What to look for: If you're more
well-endowed on top, then

Bust:
support is key. Opt for suits
with underwire or molded cups
to give the girls the support
they need. Avoid ruffles or
embellishments up top if you're
hoping to minimize the focus on
your chest.

Tips and tricks:

• Bra-style
tops with
underwire
and
adjustable
straps
provide
extra bust
support.
The thicker
the strap,
the more
support.

• Molded cups
provide extra
support and
are available
in many
different
styles.

Athletic: You're more straight up and down and
have fewer curves, like Cameron Diaz, Jessica
Biel, and Jennifer Aniston.
What to look for: The name of the game is playing
up your curves with styles that flaunt your frame.
Suits with less coverage help to create the
illusion of a shapelier figure.
Athletic
Tips and tricks:
• Tops or bottoms with bold prints,
ruffles, and embellishments add
intrigue and feminine flair and can
create the appearance of more curve
at top and bottom.
• Monokinis create fabulous curves,
as do one-pieces with slashes or
strategically placed cutouts.
A bandeau is a strapless
top that is straight
across.
 A sweetheart swimsuit
has a distinctive heart-
shaped neckline that
accentuates décolletage
A one piece that appears
as a two piece, a fauxkini
will minimizeW your hips
and waist while slimming
your bottom.
 Instead of tying your bikini
behind your neck and at your
back, these ones tie in the
front for and easy on-and-off
situation!
A bikini with underwire is
one that kinda looks like a
bra and offers a bit more
lift and support than one
without.
A bikini top with triangles
covering your chest
High-neck suits fit closely
to the neck and don’t
plunge.
 Rash guards can come in
long-sleeve styles or short-
sleeve styles and are typically
used in sports, like surfing.
 Monokinis are a hybrid
of one- and two-pieces.
They generally have cool
cutouts and show lots of
skin.
 Basically, a suit that covers
your top and bottom in just
one piece versus two pieces.
This cut of suit has a crop top like
feel, hitting a little lower on the rib
cage than most other bikinis.
 The keyhole may be at the neckline,
exposing skin between the breasts, on
the stomach or in the back, revealing a
very sexy, bare back. Despite the name
implying that the cut out is small it can
actually be quite large.
This cut of suit has a crop top like
feel, hitting a little lower on the rib
cage than most other bikinis.
The more conservative swimwear
shows no ski ad was specially
developed for the hijabi women.
A bikini set with mesh sleeves
 This is something with a mock
turtleneck and boyshorts all in one
piece. Scuba divers, snorklers, and
water-skiers/wakeboarders wear
variations on this theme.
LIFE’S A BEACH FOR
THE SWIMWEAR
MARKET
How have a boom in fitness, soaring levels of international travel and
increased body positivity impacted the swimwear market?

We’re living in an age when the notion of

‘beach body’ is fading. In fact, companies
will get lambasted for suggesting that any
body is less than beach-ready.
That’s a great thing for a more inclusive
swimwear market – a market that has
been growing at a moderate pace since
2010
What’s changing the swimwear market?
Many factors have driven that growth,
for instance, Coachella. Have you seen
what they’re wearing to that these days?
More influential perhaps is the increased
participation in exercise and the growing
emerging markets like China and India and
a boom in air travel.
In the next 20 years the passenger count
globally will double, to 8 billion passengers.
APAC will be the biggest driver,
contributing half of those passengers. In
fact, by 2022 China will overtake the US as
the largest aviation market, according to
the International Air Transport Association
(IATA).
The chart below, showing data from IATA, shows how
aviation markets will change in the next 20 years.

Swimsuit growth is very noticeable in the chart below, with arrivals kicking into gear
earlier in the season over the last two years.
 What next for the category?
Assess your expectations, this market is not an enormous one – it’s about half
the size of the underwear market globally (which given how often the most of
us wear underwear versus swim, isn’t too bad!). Therefore retailers will need to
keep pushing new trends to encourage shoppers to purchase anew each holiday.
Those emerging markets are a big opportunity for modest swimwear –
swimwear garments with longer cuts or apparel that you can bathe in.
There’s also under-explored opportunity in cross-seasonal swim. Beachwear
focuses on cotton dresses and sarongs, but what about those swimmers and
surfers that are year-round hobbyists? What are their options post-dip?
There’s one segment retailers may be overlooking: new arrivals in women’s
performance swimwear were down by 22% in Q1 2018 compared to Q1 2016.
That runs counter to uptake stats in water sports.

Seasonality of swimwear
One major impact of
the rise in air travel is a
shift in the seasonality
of swim. Increasingly
consumers are
travelling further afield,
and to climates that
are out of sync with
their home territory. The
impact of that is seen
below, with emphasis
shifting out of April and
into Q1.
Luxury swim gets
deeper
In the first quarter of 2016, luxury accounted for
just 9% of the women’s swim market. This year
that has climbed to 16%, with Solid & Striped, Eres
and Melissa Obadash the most-stocked brands.
Farfetch has increased its women’s swim offering
by 349% and Matches by 288%. It’s the global
luxury e-commerce retailers who are able to expand
the swim category most. Their customers really
span the planet – including loyal Chinese markets
– and travel frequently.
The broadening of the luxury segment sees the
average price fall a little, with a swimsuit costing
on average $304.59, down 4.7% from Q1 2017.
Affordable luxury price points and trend will remain
absolutely key to this segment.