Women’s Swimwear SS17 Trend Report

Bikinis, bathing suits or “one-pieces”, as they are called nowadays, have been staples of women’s summer attire for several decades now and while you may think things stay pretty much the same year after year, you couldn’t be more wrong. As even though the concept itself stays the same, there’s a myriad of subtle little details and trends within in micro-trends, which Anna Langer has a had a look through.

Rip Curl

For something made for the beach, there’s little more fitting than using that landscape and vibe itself as inspiration, hence we will see a lot of that next season. Volcom use “simple coastal living vibes” and have the “coastal beach scene from the 60s and 70s,” as setting for their swim collection. Lost work with the “free spirited California girl” next to a “Neo Bohemian trend, derived from Coachella, with its mood and feel of festival wear in swim fabrics and silhouettes,” and Roxy pay homage to the “spirit of wanderlust, from free-spirited nostalgia and soft, sea-washed colours to intricate embroideries and crochets.” Urban Beach base their range ‘Aloha ‘Aina – Aloha Kai’ on “Tahiti + Hawaii island hopping adventures, vintage surfing and bohemian bold florals, hibiscus and oversized palm prints,” while Rip Curl play with Ibiza vibes, the location they went to design their swimwear collection for 2017.

Urban Beach dive in a little deeper, taking “inspiration from under the Sea Botanicals and plant life,” for a range of “printed Seashells and Corals washed ashore.” Nikita stayed close to home for their swimwear comeback in 2017, which is “inspired by an industrial harbour in Iceland, so the colours reflect both the sea industry and the elements,” explains Marketing Manager Vicki Vasil.

Nikita

Vintage stays on trend as well, with one pieces, high waist bottoms and high neck tops from Billabong, more one-pieces from O’Neill, a “fantastic fitting halter bikini which has a hint of vintage glamour to it,” from Urban Beach, Volcom’s “Hot Tropics One Piece with an oversized floral and cutout detail”, high waisted styles with crossed and smocked backs from Protest and a one shoulder one-piece and bikini set with one shoulder top from GlideSoul.

‘Mix & Match’ also continues to play important parts in the collections from Chiemsee, Hive, Protest, Rusty, Rip Curl, and Brunotti, who feature four different themes with each having six tops and bottoms to play around with. Rusty add that “in a world of Mix & Match, solids are just as important as prints so we make sure that our prints and solid colours talk back to each other,” says Connie Dixon, Ladies National Sales Manager. Hive, O’Neill and Rusty also feature reversible styles, “offering full versatility in terms of looks and styling – one bikini, four looks,” as Adrienne Fleming, Merchandiser for Womenswear at O’Neill Europe explains.

Rusty

PATTERNS, PRINTS & COLOURS
Hand in hand with coastal inspiration, florals are staying one of the major patterns on women’s swimwear next summer. “Tropical prints which will match with our apparel and accessories line” from Billabong, and “watercolour flowers” from Brunotti, “woodblock florals” and colour blocking from Lost, “watercolours, overlapping and transparencies” at Roxy, “bohemian bold florals, hibiscus and oversized palm prints,” from Urban Beach, “exotic Hawaiian prints and jungle leaves” from Volcom, an “extra large all-over floral” from Rip Curl and “flowers, plants and funky colour-blocked palm trees combined with stripes,” from Protest.

Stripes are also popular on their own, black and white from Lost, “stripe origami” from Brunotti, textured and in “a tie dye inspiration” from Roxy, “nautical hand painted stripes” from Urban Beach, “bold retro surf stripes” from Volcom and a “chevron combination print” from Protest, next to “mattress stripes” and silver-striped combination from GlideSoul. Billabong, Rip Curl and Volcom also add some geometric patterns.

Protest

In line with the bohemian-festival-inspiration, we will also see some hand-drawn paisley from Brunotti, embroideries and beads from Roxy, crotchet, tassel and lace details from Lost, O’Neill, Billabong and Volcom. Finisterre use “photographic prints from images we have stacked up in the archives, using beautiful imagery from our shoots to create a collage on our fabric,” and Nikita work with all-over prints that “are reminiscent of sea-industrial materials: rusting metals, frayed rope, netting, worn wood.”

These natural inspirations are nicely supported by an ocean-inspired colour palette with lots of green (Chiemsee), “blue tones, multi-coloured brights and earthy coloured neutrals” from Hive, “shades of blue” from O’Neill, “deep blue hues” from Patagonia and “sailor blue – denim blue – deep blue – ice blue,” at Rip Curl. Those are paired with “vibrant shades of shock pink” (Patagonia), “burgundy and neon orange” (O’Neill) next to “seashell pinks, island greens and citrus yellows to refresh your soul for adventure,” from Urban Beach. Of course these traditionally bright, vibrant colours that “celebrate life” (Billabong) have their place as well and can be found in all collections. Finisterre mix their “soft French Riviera colour pallet” with charcoals, ocean blues and hues of red.

Urban Beach

MATERIALS
No brand new materials on the horizon either, but a couple of helpful little tweaks to existing. Lycra continues to be the top choice for all suppliers, yet with some updates, like Brunotti’s light weight Lycra, Lost’s “soft textured Italian jersey Lycra,” and “sheen sparkle peppered Lycra”, “solid Italian tricots and jersey fabrics” from Volcom, a “high-quality, soft and snag-resistant nylon/Lycra blend,” from Nikita, a combination of matte and shiny Lycra from Rusty, and a new denim Lycra from Rip Curl that supports their Xtra life microfibre in the Mirage line.

More fashion-heavy pieces like Billabong’s Designer Closet collection mixes “ribbed fabrics” with “shiny copper”, Brunotti play with fancy jacquards and crochets, which Lost play with beaded tribal prints. Roxy also work with different textures and details: “seersucker woven fabrics, solid bright light neoprene, hand made macramé, different crochet fabrics, printed textures and jacquards and a gold fabric used in the POP SURF collection,” explains Marie Lauga, Global Head of Design.

With the female population increasing their activity levels through SUP next to classic water sports like surfing, their demand for appropriate clothing is growing, which is best met with thicker materials like heavy “SUP Lycra” and quick drying “SUP neoprene with UV protection,” as Brunotti offers. Roxy work with “solid bright light neoprene”, Hive with a “nylon elastane material called Power MeshTM”, a lining that “has great durability and stretch with outstanding shape retention.” And Patagonia showcase “Nanogrip performance swimwear” that is “lined with a soft nano microfibre that prevents slippage when wet.” GlideSoul combine neoprene with mesh and elastic bands and their special S-foam neoprene that adds 20% extra flex.

Brunotti

O’Neill expand their use of sustainable materials with “O’Neill Blue – Our Ocean Mission,” and “environmentally-friendly fabrics using high-performance yarns developed from recycled plastics” that are wicking, seamless and have a UV 50 protection. Patagonia also use recycled fabric and is the first global swimwear brand to be Fair Trade Certified, while Finisterre team up with Econyl®, “who create products made out of 100% regenerated polyamide from sources including recycled fishing nets,” says Marketing Manager Natalie Beck.

PERFORMANCE & SHAPES
Since nowadays the beach is as much playing field as it is a place to see-and-be-seen, and girls always want it all, there are different approaches to incorporating sports performance into their line. Billabong, Brunotti, O’Neill, Protest, Finisterre and Roxy feature dedicated capsule collections for their sports-oriented styles that are designed to keep up with their wearers’ sporty action, with added features like UV protection, handy details like zippers or mesh panels, and designated patterns next to stand out colours. Hive, Nikita, Patagonia, and Finisterre design all their swimwear with an “active customer in mind”, in order to “meet the needs of active water women who require functional styles which are fashion forward,” says Kat Hogg, Designer & Director of Hive Swimwear.

Different fits and shapes also help to cater for the varied needs and body types of female customers. “Experience taught us that for most women it is not necessarily the size of the cup but the shape which determines how swimwear looks on the body;” Adrienne from O’Neill explains. Patagonia and Hive also offer “different levels of coverage on both the tops and bottoms,” says Laura Kinman, Product Line Director of Women’s Surf at Patagonia. Urban Beach have reworked their classic Tankini “into a strappy, adjustable tank vest style,” that offers a bit more coverage and GlideSoul add “thicker bands under the bust and more fabric in the cups to provide better coverage” for the more supportive tops and a Power Mesh lining for the more sports orientated styles.

Roxy