The first instalment of trade fair Swimshow Australia will run from March 23 to 25 on Queensland's Gold Coast. Erin O'Loughlin chats to a handful of resort and swimwear exhibitors to unearth a preview of what product will be on show.
Claire Powell
With 100-odd styles, resortwear designer Claire Powell says her 2011/12 summer range has swelled to become one of her largest yet. The hero garment is the skirt. “I listen to what my customers need and I think there’s a really big need for skirts in Australia, and skirts that are easily worn, that people don’t have to fit to the shape of,” Powell says. As a result, long skirts, wrap skirts and pull-on skirts are all available in sizes small, medium and large. Bolstering the range are dresses that feature embellishments such as sequins and beading around the neckline, and tops designed to pair back with leggings. Kaftans in animal prints such as leopard and zebra are also included. “The emphasis is on comfort and clothing that breathes and that people are relaxed in,” Powell says. The entire collection is constructed from cotton, including brushed cottons and crinkled cottons. Colours include aquas and pinks, with the additions of the traditionally nautical red, navy blue, white and black. Whilst Powell is stocked nationally by David Jones, her hopes for Swimshow Australia are to find more boutique clients. Retail price points for the label are kept under $100 and sizes span 8 to 18.
Lisa Maree
Fresh from securing international accounts with the likes of Net-A-Porter and Urban Originals, swim and resortwear designer Lisa Maree Boersma will continue to present her popular crochet swimwear designs at Swimshow Australia. But that’s not all Boersma has planned for next summer. “We are using all new silhouettes as well as delving into the lycra swimwear in a big way,” she reveals. Shades of rust, purple, turquoise and pale yellows will feature throughout, whilst silk resortwear will provide options for those wanting to go from beach to bar. “Cover-ups are huge,” Boersma says. “Customers can’t get enough of the kaftan!” Silk pieces will feature metallic embellishments and jumpsuits and maxi dresses are available too. Boersma is keeping a tight lid on her key prints for the season. “This is to be revealed at Swimshow,” she teases. Lisa Maree is priced from $119 to $280.
Gypsea
Brand new on the fashion circuit is swimwear label Gypsea. Director Scott Bauer and designer Emma Brereton work together to translate Bauer’s open water photography to digital prints on both bikinis and one-pieces. “The main theme is the ocean,” Bauer says of the spring/summer 2011/12 collection. “Deep blues, perfect breaking waves, to the amazing splash of colour in our ‘Psychedelic’ collection, the ocean theme runs thick in the new range.” There are bustier pieces to offer women cup support, and the label is produced in sizes eight to 14. Bauer confesses that he and Brereton are fans of styles that don’t reveal too much. “We love the canvases of the one pieces. It gives us the opportunity to really go big with our artwork.” Gypsea retails between $150 and $180.
Rebecca Manning
Designer Rebecca Malouf broke with tradition last summer and offered her young female customers a stronger component of full-piece swimwear over two-piece styles. It’s something she’s looking to repeat again for spring/summer 2011/12. “I think it always takes a few years for the general public to get their head around something,” Malouf says. The Queensland-based designer is working to incorporate high-fashion elements into her next season, including high-waisted bottoms, digital vintage prints and silk-satin, silk-chiffon and silk-cotton kaftans. “I look to the catwalks of Paris and London and transport the looks into swimwear as well as I can,” Malouf says. Floral prints come to life in colours including purples, blue and splashes of fluoro yellow, and sizes will span eight to 14. Retail price points range from $189 to $250. “I try to pull it back from $300 as much as I can,” Malouf says.
Hive Swimwear
This swimwear label aims to cater to everyone from tweens to women in their sixties with styles that merge function and fashion. Within its spring/summer 2011/12 collection called ‘Wild Honey’, Hive is catering again to women from sizes six to 16. Styles include the traditional triangle bikini, athletic cuts, full pieces and tankinis, and prints feature a cascade of colour. “We have a snake print; it has a lot of earth colours like yellows and reds and greens and blacks,” says Hive designer Kat Hogg. “It’s probably our strongest print at this point in time.” Animal prints, tribal prints and a black and white story round out the colour palette. Retail price points start at $90 and cup sizes span to an E. Hogg says she is pedantic about ensuring the label’s fit can withstand active water sports like surfing, kite-boarding and triathlon.
Kini Bikini
Digitally printed lycras and crochet panelling merge in the new collection from Kini Bikini designer Kyna Treacy. The four-year-old label already counts Surf Dive ‘N Ski and City Beach among its 25-odd stockists, but Treacy is hoping her size six to 14 label will also appeal to boutiques in her native Queensland. In addition to its trademark crochet panelling, Kini Bikini’s summer collection will feature high-waisted bottoms and structured tops in lilac, rust and black and white shades. Prints have been inspired by the work of American screen-printer Vera Neumann and range from the geometric to the abstract to the hyper-colourful. A brand new style for Kini Bikini is a ‘two-in-one’ swimsuit. “It’s got a top piece, the bottom piece and then a middle piece,” Treacy explains. “You can be sunbaking and want to get a bit of sun cover, so you pop on the middle piece. It’s basically an all-in-one.” Silk-printed kaftans, playsuits and crochet apparel are also offered. Kini Bikini swimwear retails from $100.
White Sands
It’s out with the soft and pretty and in with the sexy and sophisticated for Leah Madden’s label, White Sands. Called ‘Supperclub’, Madden’s spring/summer 2011/12 collection is all about 1950s pin-up girls, with bikinis and one-pieces featuring lingerie-inspired panel work, ruffles and bows. “I’m still doing the high waist,” Madden says. “It made an appearance last year and I’m working that into very glamorous, pin-up styles. It’s about going back to that old day glamour.” The hero of the colour palette is cerise, complemented by a moss green and classic white. Brand new for the label is the introduction of a range of separates as well as A/B and C/D underwire cup support in signature styles. The Supperclub collection features 35 styles in multiple colourways and is available in sizes extra small to large. Madden has also introduced a diffusion line called Sandi with styles that retail closer to $100. Made in Australia, Sandi features smaller-cut sizes and conversational prints. “It isn’t necessarily for people that are younger, just young at heart. It’s more casual, it’s more fun and playful.”