Mara Hoffman Reese printed recycled swimsuit, £275; Bondi Born Tatum stretch swimsuit, £260; Ganni logo embossed vegan leather platform slides, £175, all net-a-porter.com © Vivianne Sassen
“You said you hated the sea, but now you surf . . . That’s what Camila Cabello sings to Ed Sheeran in her hit “Bam Bam,” but she might as well have said the same thing to me. I’ve never hated cold, open water, but I was afraid of it.
No longer. For the last two years I’ve donned wetsuits to lochs, the Lake District waters and the Irish Sea, surfed at Cornwall’s Watergate Bay and paddled lochs in Scotland. The other night I swung around a swimming pond in Hampstead, London, wearing a one-piece suit from activewear brand Perfect Moment. It had long sleeves and was made from quick-drying recycled nylon, but otherwise cut like a swimsuit – a city-ready swimwear piece.
Perfect Moment’s Creative Director, Jane Gottschalk, believes that the rise in popularity of cold water sports and swimming online is encouraging others to dive in. “Everybody’s talking about it, and you see so many people doing it on Instagram. . . It’s in people’s psyches now as something that’s definitely on trend.” The high-fashion version of the surfwear brand was randomly timed; Specialist retailers for its swim range (from £130) have grown by 200 per cent this season over SS21 as luxury fashion retailers such as Net-a-Porter and Selfridges boost demand.
Perfect Moment Imok wetsuit, £240, perfectmoment.com
Finisterre Anella long sleeve swimsuit, £110, finisterre.com
Perfect Moment is just one of many brands riding the wave for more luxurious kits. Committed surfwear labels like California’s Abysse and Spain’s Now_Then are both seeing sales surge for pieces that combine performance and craftsmanship with sophisticated design. Roxy, meanwhile, has partnered with Liberty Fabrics, while Hurley has unexpectedly teamed up with LoveShackFancy, the US-based purveyor of floral cottagecore that typically sells ruffled cotton dresses suitable for Hamptons weekends.
The only thing that made a wetsuit a “women’s suit” back then was that it was pink
And kit it is no longer something you can just borrow and return on vacation. Sally McGee, founder of Yonder Surf, a women-centric school based in North Tyneside, UK, says many of her clients buy their own – often from Patagonia (from £100) or Finisterre (from £125). “Borrowed suits are notoriously leaky, smelly, wet and cold.”
They are also often unflattering and uncomfortable. “I remember with nostalgia when there were only masculine-cut wetsuits that didn’t make you feel beautiful,” says Andrea Salinas, a committed ocean swimmer and founder of Now_Then. “The only thing that made a wetsuit ‘women’ back then was that it was pink.” Today, she offers zip-up suits and rashguards that are constructed from panels, with seamless finishes and flat, raw-edges that “ don’t bulge” and leave no marks on the skin.
Now_Then Eugenie bodysuit in ECONYL® regenerated nylon, €160, nowthenlabel.com © Monica Suárez de Tangil
Founders are reimagining the surf market with their focus on fit and feel – as well as function. “They’re wetsuits designed by women for women,” says Salinas. Abysse founder Hanalei Reponty-Gudauskas, a former pro surfer and model, says her Linda suit is cut to a slim silhouette with a vest-style bodice and features padded knees for protection on the boards.
“Performance wear doesn’t have to be bulky and ugly,” says Gottschalk of Perfect Moment, who uses Italian-made Carvico fabric, which is thinner, lighter and more sustainable than neoprene. “It has a two-way stretch that lifts and holds your shape without ever restricting it.” Long-sleeved rashguards are also becoming increasingly popular among those who just want to protect themselves from the sun. Salinas says their rashguards are “the most successful pieces of our line” and are selling well in Asia.
The popularity of wild swimming is affecting swimwear aesthetics in general. Trendy sunbathing labels like Hunza G, known for its crinkled, colorful fabrics, and Marysia, with its scalloped silhouettes, weave their design signatures with surf-inspired silhouettes. Even Alaïa, the famous French couture label, has a handful of one-sleeve swim trunks. “We’ve made sleeved swimwear one of our top five trends for 2022,” said Rebecca Saygi, swimwear and sportswear strategist at trend forecasting agency WGSN.
This trend will continue: At Miami Swim Week in July, Saygi says even more non-performance brands were offering sleeve styles for SS23. “In the past, floating brands tended to stay on their lane; Premium labels have left sportier styles to outdoor and surf brands that are more competitive in the performance arena.” But that’s no longer the norm. “Women want more convenient ways to swim, whether it’s surfing, wild swimming or a quick dip in the pool,” says Holly Tenser, womenswear buyer at Browns Fashion, which carries 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 appropriate performance suits, more stylish, sporty designs are ideal for sit-down paddle boarding or cooling off at, say, Canary Wharf’s new open-water swimming area in London. Swimming as a category is evolving, as is athleisure, where non-performance brands are blurring the lines.
“It’s becoming more than a seasonal sector, it’s evolving into a lifestyle entity in its own right,” says Saygi. “We’re predicting more and more of this crossover product as swimwear becomes more modular and versatile, and thus more durable.” Lululemon’s just-launched Hike-to-Swim range has a hybrid versatility: zip-front shorts and crop tops that, like look like ordinary sportswear, but are ideal for cooling off in a waterfall while trekking.
I’m all for comfort. And next time I hit Hampstead ponds, other swimmers might spot me in Emilia Wickstead’s long-sleeved one-piece covered in bright blue roses. With its cinched waist and sleek design it would be ideal after the pond paired with pants to dinner and its quick drying fibers would save me packing a change of clothes. Fashion and function, indeed.
Be the first to find out about our latest stories – follow @financialtimesfashion on Instagram
Comments are closed.