Designing With History In Mind
SWIMWEAR HAS ALWAYS BEEN MORE THAN FABRIC AND FIT. IT IS FREEDOM, REBELLION, CONFIDENCE, AND CULTURE—STITCHED TOGETHER BY PIONEERS WHO DARED TO REIMAGINE WHAT IT MEANT TO EXIST IN THE SUN, IN THE WATER, AND IN ONE’S OWN SKIN.
WHEN I DECIDED TO STEP INTO THE SWIMWEAR INDUSTRY, I KNEW ONE THING FOR CERTAIN: IF I WAS GOING TO TAKE UP SPACE HERE, I NEEDED TO UNDERSTAND WHO CREATED IT FIRST.
THIS BRAND WAS NEVER MEANT TO EXIST IN A VACUUM. IT WAS BORN FROM A DEEP RESPECT FOR THE DESIGNERS WHO CHALLENGED NORMS, RESHAPED SILHOUETTES, AND MADE ROOM FOR EXPRESSION LONG BEFORE SWIMWEAR WAS CONSIDERED FASHION IN THE MODERN SENSE. EDUCATION BECAME MY RESPONSIBILITY—BECAUSE CREATING WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING HISTORY FELT INCOMPLETE.
LEARNING THE LANGUAGE OF SWIM
SWIMWEAR HAS ALWAYS MIRRORED THE SOCIAL CLIMATE OF ITS TIME. EVERY CUT, STRAP, AND EXPOSED INCH HAS BEEN DEBATED, REGULATED, CELEBRATED, AND CRITICIZED. TO DESIGN RESPONSIBLY, I IMMERSED MYSELF IN THAT HISTORY—STUDYING NOT JUST TRENDS, BUT INTENTION.
WHO FOUGHT FOR THE RIGHT TO BARE SKIN?
WHO REDESIGNED SWIMWEAR TO SERVE WOMEN INSTEAD OF RESTRICT THEM?
WHO TOOK RISKS WHEN IT WAS UNCOMFORTABLE, CONTROVERSIAL, OR OUTRIGHT FORBIDDEN?
TWO NAMES STOOD OUT IMMEDIATELY—VISIONARIES WHOSE WORK CONTINUES TO RIPPLE THROUGH SWIMWEAR DESIGN TODAY: RUDI GERNREICH AND ROSE MARIE REID.
RUDI GERNREICH: RADICAL FREEDOM
HEINI MAYR / ULLSTEIN BILD VIA GETTY IMAGES
RUDI GERNREICH DIDN’T JUST DESIGN SWIMWEAR—HE CHALLENGED SOCIETY’S IDEAS OF MODESTY, GENDER, AND CONTROL. IN THE 1950S AND 60S, HIS DESIGNS PUSHED PAST CONVENTION, USING MINIMALISM AND BOLD CONSTRUCTION TO MAKE STATEMENTS ABOUT BODILY AUTONOMY AND FREEDOM.
HE BELIEVED THE BODY WAS NOT SOMETHING TO BE HIDDEN OR CENSORED, BUT SOMETHING TO BE HONORED. HIS WORK ASKED PEOPLE TO CONFRONT THEIR DISCOMFORT AND RECONSIDER THEIR ASSUMPTIONS—ESPECIALLY WHEN IT CAME TO WOMEN’S BODIES.
THE SPIRIT OF GERNREICH LIVES IN MY DEBUT PIECES THROUGH INTENTIONAL SIMPLICITY, CONFIDENT LINES, AND SILHOUETTES THAT FEEL UNAPOLOGETIC. THESE DESIGNS ARE NOT ABOUT EXCESS. THEY ARE ABOUT PRESENCE.
ROSE MARIE REID: FUNCTION MEETS ELEGANCE
IMAGE COURTESY OF L. TOM PERRY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY
WHERE GERNREICH WAS RADICAL, ROSE MARIE REID WAS REVOLUTIONARY IN A DIFFERENT WAY. OFTEN CALLED THE MOTHER OF THE MODERN SWIMSUIT, REID FOCUSED ON FIT, FUNCTION, AND FEMININITY—LONG BEFORE THOSE CONCEPTS WERE INDUSTRY STANDARDS.
SHE DESIGNED SWIMWEAR THAT SUPPORTED WOMEN PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY, BLENDING STRUCTURE WITH BEAUTY. HER SUITS WEREN’T JUST FLATTERING—THEY WERE ENGINEERED TO MOVE, HOLD, AND EMPOWER.
REID’S INFLUENCE CAN BE FELT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF MY PIECES: THOUGHTFUL SHAPING, SUPPORTIVE ELEMENTS, AND A QUIET LUXURY THAT DOESN’T SHOUT, BUT LASTS. HER LEGACY REMINDS ME THAT TRUE ELEGANCE IS INTENTIONAL.
DESIGNING WITH INTENTION
MY DEBUT COLLECTION IS AN HOMAGE—NOT A REPLICA. THESE PIECES ARE INSPIRED BY THE PHILOSOPHIES OF THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE ME, INTERPRETED THROUGH A MODERN, TROPICAL LENS. EACH DESIGN CARRIES ECHOES OF HISTORY WHILE EMBRACING THE PRESENT MOMENT: SUN-DRENCHED DAYS, SALTWATER SKIN, AND THE FREEDOM TO TAKE UP SPACE.
THIS BRAND IS ROOTED IN RESPECT—FOR THE CRAFT, THE CULTURE, AND THE WOMEN WHO WEAR IT.
I BELIEVE SWIMWEAR SHOULD FEEL MEANINGFUL. WHEN YOU PUT IT ON, IT SHOULD CARRY CONFIDENCE, HISTORY, AND PURPOSE—SOMETHING YOU FEEL AS MUCH AS YOU SEE.
AS THIS JOURNEY CONTINUES, HONORING THE PIONEERS OF SWIMWEAR WILL REMAIN AT THE HEART OF EVERYTHING I CREATE. BECAUSE KNOWING WHERE WE COME FROM ALLOWS US TO DESIGN WHERE WE’RE GOING.
AND THE WATER IS WAITING.