Best of the Gold Coast 2019: the Gold Coast’s top swimwear labels
Inspired by our sun-soaked lifestyle, brand bikini is thriving on the Gold Coast. These are just some of the local labels making a splash.
Best of Gold Coast
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Inspired by our sun-soaked lifestyle, brand bikini is thriving on the Gold Coast. These are just some of the local labels making a splash, writes Chantay Logan and Amber Macpherson
ZELLA SWIM
PHOTO GALLERY: THE GOLD COAST’S BEST DRESSED
Created and manufactured on the Gold Coast for post-baby mums and curvy women, Zella Swim is all about shopping to suit your shape.
Owner Shiralee Scheers says animal prints, spots, pastel pinks and bold colours are on trend, but she’s throwing it back to the 1950s with a modern twist in her new collection, Untamed.
“It’s the three ‘f’ bombs: flattering, feminine and functional,” she says.
“We’ve teamed our stunning leopard and cheetah print with blush coffee cream and bold neon orange for a sweet and sexy look.”
Clever design details will secretly flatter your figure.
“Our Maya one-piece is made with a gorgeous ruching effect at the top of your waist that catches the eye and defines your shape, giving you that hourglass look,” Shiralee says.
“Pair it with denim shorts or your favourite maxi skirt for a carefree holiday outfit.”
High-waisted bikinis are in style and Shiralee says they’re great for supporting a “mum tum”.
“My tip for high-waisted swimsuits is to go a size up so there’s no digging into the love handles,” she say.
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If you have a longer torso, the extra-length Areilla style fits the bill.
“Another tip for girls that don’t have too much junk in the trunk and a flatter booty is to stay away from those wide-bottom suits and granny panties,” Shiralee says.
“The idea is to not cover it up, instead you want to find suits with a narrower cut.
“Think of a V-shape when shopping for a bathing suit — it helps make the booty look like it has shape.”
With built-in sun protection, Zella swimwear is as kind to the environment as it is to customers.
“We use sustainable Lycra made from old fishing nets and recycled bottles, so you’re helping to minimise our impact on the earth one bikini at a time,” Shiralee says.
“We also individually gift wrap every swimsuit and seal it with a special recycled gift card that you can grow real-life daisies from.
“We use 100 per cent compostable packaging made from cornflower.”
BARBORA SWIM
THE GOLD COAST’S BEST BEACHES AS VOTED BY YOU
Barbora Swim founders Natalia and Stephanie Lampante may be Gold Coast born and bred, but the sisters let their wanderlust loose when designing their debut collection. “Our travels, European heritage and personal aesthetic always comes in to play when designing for the Barbora women,” says Natalia. Barbora splashed on to the swimwear scene with a 10-piece collection designed to complement the female form in flatteringly thick metallic fabrics that sculpt, lift and contour. “Tonal colours are still dominating like pinks, peaches and khakis as well as pops of neon for the daring,” Natalia says. “From blush rose tones, beige to cream, all the shades of the neutral palette were present on runways at this year’s Miami Swim Week. Eighties and nineties cuts like our Stephanie bikini set have been making a comeback season after season, with high-cut bikini bottoms and sport-luxe style crop tops. For a softer look, choose styles with ruching and pleating.” While lounging poolside might be the most stressful thing you do in a Barbora bikini, Natalia says a little extra effort will prolong its lifespan and protect fabric from losing its lustre. “A great tip to care for your swimwear particularly while on holidays at resorts is to rinse your bikini in freshwater before and after you enter the pool to protect your swimsuit from fading. Fabrics absorb and retain the most water when they first get wet so this prevents it from soaking up too much chlorine.”
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VINCIJA SWIM
The beach belongs to the bold and beautiful, says Gold Coast designer Vincija Kovac. “All things high-wasted, textures, ruched and banded detail and, of course, pop colours and animal prints will definitely dominate this summer,” she says. “Our latest collection is inspired by the ’80s and ’90s with key pieces featuring texture, animal print, ruching detail and bright colours. We like to cater to everyone so we offer handmade to order and handmade to size swimwear, assuring our customer receives the perfect fit and style for their body shape and feels comfortable and confident.” Vincija advice to swimwear shoppers is to be brave and experiment with style and colour. “A lot of girls are scared to try high-waisted, but in fact this style elongates the legs and flatters the figure so we highly recommend giving it a go.”
KYLIE JENNER’S POST WITH GOLD COAST FASHION LABEL
Capriosca Swimwear
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Everyday Capriosca Swimwear founder Marcia Pilkington receives an email from a grateful customer thrilled to have finally found a pair of swimmers that fit. “I would not have a day where we don’t get someone emailing us to say thank you so much for proividng for their cup size and the variety we’ve got,” Marcia says. The Southport-based company specialises in plus-sized suits, with the new spring/summer collection inspired by holidays in faraway places. “We shot (the new collection images) in Costa Brava this year in Spain,” Marcia says. “Our range is designed for the Europe vacation in mind. We’ve done a lot of zip-up one pieces with sleeves and rash vests in long sleeves. They’re great especially if you’re going on cruises, you don’t know what the weather’s like. They work really well.” Capriosca also offers a range of chlorine-resistant costumes made entirely from polyester, a fabric that Marcia says lasts three times longer than Lycra.
PEONY
THE LOCAL LABEL JLO WORE DURING PROPOSAL
Orange, peach and chocolate sound like the flavours of a luscious summer. Peony Swimwear’s new collection serves up colour and texture in classic styles. “Our October collection titled Wallflower celebrates retro in a chic, fresh light,” Peony director Rebecca Morton says. “The range is built upon a warm and shimmery colour palette, (and) luxury is injected into clean shapes with nostalgic textures and elevated detailing. This collection debuts our incredible Rainbow fabrication — a custom knitted jacquard fabric in rainbow colours made from 97 per cent recycled content. Key fashion highlights from our collection are our belted high waisted pants, as well as our shimmer short which is perfect for surfing or paired with an oversized linen shirt.” With sustainability at the forefront of 21st Century fashion, Rebecca says choosing ethically is more important than ever. “I encourage women to shop more consciously by asking questions and investing in quality over quantity so your pieces stand the test of time. Peony is pioneering sustainability in swimwear and it is something we are incredibly proud of. All our fabrications are made from recycled and sustainable content meaning our fabrics have a significantly reduced carbon footprint.”
Eau Paix Vie
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It’s practically impossible to be unhappy in a pair of Eau Paix Vie’s bikinis — they’re bright, flirty and fun. Eau Paix Vie co-founder Carly Wilkins says the new range is made for itchy feet. “Our current collection, due to launch in time for summer, is inspired by travels this year to India, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and Indonesia,” Carly says. “We always have the EPV girl in mind when designing, which is someone fun who loves or dreams to travel and explore new places. Our vibrant designs are deliberately this way to emulate the happiness that comes from new places and people and enjoyable days under the sun around the world.” Comfort and colour come into play in the new collection, so make sure to dry your swimmers in the shade to maintain those signature EPV hues. “We are loving pastel tones and our signature bright summer colours,” Carly says. “We are also seeing a move towards hardware free swimwear, and the majority of our new collection reflects this. To keep the vivacity of the colours, be sure to hang your swimwear inside out in the shade. We only use highest quality, extra long-life Italian fabrics so you can be sure your colours will last the longest.”
Frankii Swim
FLASHBACK: THE COAST’S BEST SWIMWEAR LABELS OF 2018
When it comes to finding a cossie, Frankii Swim founder Rebecca Klodinky says don’t fight the feeling. “Go for the suit that makes you feel good,” she says. “The moment you slip it on, if it feels right, it’s the one. Don’t over think it and don’t try to keep up with the trends, each body is different, so stick to what you feel great in.” The keep-it-simple approach lends itself to Frankii’s new collection, with clean shapes and colours creating understated elegance. “This season I very focused very much on minimalism,” Rebecca says. “I went into this collection with a very basic approach, refining textures and focusing on blacks and whites only. A very classic season. Black and white basics are making a comeback. I am predicting we see a lot of simple, classic string bikinis on our beaches this year.”
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