Mara Hoffman Reese print upcycled swimsuit, £275; Bondi Born Tatum stretch swimsuit, £260; Ganni logo embossed vegan leather platform flip flops, £175, all net-a-porter.com © Vivianne Sassen
Mara Hoffman Reese print upcycled swimsuit, £275; Bondi Born Tatum stretch swimsuit, £260; Ganni logo embossed vegan leather platform flip flops, £175, all net-a-porter.com © Vivianne Sassen“You said you hated the ocean, but now you’re surfing. . . This is how Camila Cabello sings to Ed Sheeran in her hit song “Bam Bam,” but she could just as easily have been saying the same thing to me. I never hated cold, open water, but I was afraid of it.
Not anymore. Over the past two years, I’ve donned wetsuits to dive into the lochs, the waters of the Lake District and the Irish Sea, surf at Watergate Bay in Cornwall, and paddle the lochs of Scotland. On a recent night, I bobbed around a swimming pond in London’s Hampstead, wearing a one-piece from sportswear brand Perfect Moment. It had long sleeves and was made from quick-drying recycled nylon, but was otherwise cut like a swimsuit: a city-appropriate swim piece.
Jane Gottschalk, creative director of Perfect Moment, believes the visibility of cold water sports and swimming online, as it grows in popularity, is encouraging others to dive in. . . . now it is in the psyche of the people as something that is clearly fashionable”. The couture version of the brand’s surfwear was timed by chance; stocks of its swimwear range (from £130) grew 200 per cent this season compared to SS21, as luxury fashion retailers such as Net-a-Porter and Selfridges flag demand.
Perfect Moment Imok wetsuit, £240, perfectmoment.com
Anella de Finisterre long-sleeved swimsuit, £110, finisterre.com
Perfect Moment is just one of several brands that are riding the wave for more luxurious gear. Dedicated surfwear brands like California-based Abysse and Spain’s Now_Then have seen increased sales of pieces that combine performance and craftsmanship with sleek design. Meanwhile, Roxy has collaborated with Liberty Fabrics, while Hurley unexpectedly teamed up with LoveShackFancy, the US floral outfitter that normally sells ruffled cotton dresses for weekends in the Hamptons.
The only thing that made a wetsuit ‘female’ back then was that it was pink.
And kit is no longer something to rent and return on vacation. Sally McGee, founder of Yonder Surf, a women-focused school based in North Tyneside, UK, says many of her customers are buying theirs, often in Patagonia (from £100) or Finisterre (from £125). . “The borrowed suits are notoriously leaky, stinky, wet and cold.”
They are also often unflattering and uncomfortable. “I remember with zero nostalgia when you could only get more masculine cut wetsuits that didn’t make you feel beautiful,” says Andrea Salinas, a dedicated ocean swimmer and founder of Now_Then. “The only thing that made a wetsuit ‘women’s’ back then was that it was pink.” Today, it offers paneled, zipper-front constructed suits and rashguards that have seamless finishes and flat, raw edges that don’t “bulk” and won’t leave marks on the skin.
Now_Then Eugenie bodysuit in ECONYL® regenerated nylon, €160, nowthenlabel.com © Monica Suárez de Tangil
The founders are revolutionizing the surf market with their attention to fit and feel as well as function. “These are wetsuits designed by women for women,” says Salinas. Abysse founder Hanalei Reponty-Gudauskas, a former professional surfer and model, says the Ella Linda de Ella wetsuit has a slim silhouette with a vest-style top and features padded knees for protection on the boards.
“Sportswear doesn’t have to be bulky and ugly,” says Perfect Moment’s Gottschalk, which uses Italian-made Carvico fabric that’s thinner, lighter and more sustainable than neoprene. “It has a two-way stretch that lifts and holds your shape without being restrictive.” Long-sleeved rashguards are also becoming more popular among those who just want protection from the sun. Salinas says his rashguards are “the most successful pieces in our line” and are selling well in Asia.
The popularity of wild swimming is influencing swimwear aesthetics more generally. Sunbathing fashion labels such as Hunza G, known for its colorful crinkled fabric, and Marysia, with its scalloped-edged silhouettes, combine their design signatures with surfer-style silhouettes. Even Alaïa, the famous French couture brand, has a handful of one-sleeve swimwear. “We made swimwear with sleeves one of our top five trends to watch in 2022,” says Rebecca Saygi, swimwear and sportswear strategist at trend forecasting agency WGSN.
It’s a trend that’s set to continue: At Miami Swim Week in July, Saygi says even more non-performance brands were offering sleeved shapes for SS23. “In the past, swim marks tended to stay in their lane; Premium brands have left sportier styles for surf and outdoor brands that distinguish themselves more in the performance arena.” But that is no longer the norm. “Women want more practical options for swimming, whether it’s surfing, wild swimming or a quick dip in the pool,” says Holly Tenser, womenswear buyer for Browns Fashion, which sells Abysse.
Hunza G Scarlett Cutout Seersucker swimsuit, £165, hunzag.com
Abysse Lotte neoprene swimsuit, £320, net-a-porter.com
And while a long swim in cold, open water requires suitable performance suits, more fashion-focused sporty designs are ideal for seated paddling or cooling off in, say, London’s new Canary Wharf open water swimming area. . Swimming as a category is evolving in the same way athleisure did, where non-high performance brands are blurring the lines.
“It is becoming more than just a seasonal sector, but it is becoming a lifestyle entity in its own right,” says Saygi. “We predict more and more of this crossover product, with swimsuits becoming more modular and versatile, so they have more longevity.” Lululemon’s newly launched hiking and swimming range has hybrid versatility: zip-front shorts and crop tops, which look like ordinary gym gear but are ideal for cooling off in a waterfall while hiking.
I’m all for ease of use. And the next time I hit Hampstead Ponds, the other swimmers might see me in Emilia Wickstead’s long-sleeved swimsuit, covered in bright blue roses. With its cinched waist and sleek design, it would be great after the pond, paired with pants for dinner, and its quick-drying fibers would save me from having to pack a change of clothes. Fashion and function, indeed.
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Source: www.ft.com