Fashionistas are following their favorite designers from the runway into the water.
As the importance of swimwear as a fashion category has grown, consumers have begun to seek out looks from those designers who dominate the runways and red carpets.
Name recognition is a major selling point for the fashion-conscious customer, said Karen Tanner, merchandise director at swimwear specialty chain Everything But Water. “They know who Michael Kors is, they’re familiar with Juicy, and they look for those suits,” she said. “Designers are familiar” from magazines, on television and on the backs of celebrities, “and people seem to know the labels.”
Saks Fifth Avenue market director Colleen Sherin said the designer customer is a woman who wants to be noticed for her good taste. As such, many of the most popular suits pay homage to their designer roots with signature elements. “The customer who’s buying a Dior handbag would probably love to have a Dior logo bikini,” Sherin said. Missoni’s zigzag stripes feature prominently in some of the swimwear, as do graphics and nautical prints from Michael Kors’ ready-to-wear and ruching from Carmen Marc Valvo’s evening gowns.
“Signature elements are part of the appeal of those lines,” Sherin added. “The Pucci print that we sell in ready-to-wear, they absolutely want in swimwear.”
Bridget Quinn Stickline, director of fashion merchandising at Owings, Md.-based specialty chain Water Water Everywhere, agreed. “I think the customer who’s buying designer swim is looking for something you can’t find everywhere,” she said. “She’s willing to invest more in order to stand out.”
While more mainstream pieces aimed “at a more universal customer” have had lackluster sales, designer signature items have proven popular, said Stickline, adding that the Michael Kors chain bandeau, seen in his runway show, has sold well, as has the triangle bikini and a slightly retro ruched underwire top. Similarly, she said, DVF Beach has had more success “where it’s a really distinct, special item.”
Designer customers, retailers said, are also more likely to purchase entire swim wardrobes from their favorite designers. “Often, a designer swim customer likes an ensemble, so she’ll choose a coordinating caftan or cover-up so she’ll have a head-to-toe look from a designer,” Saks’ Sherin said.
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Stickline said designer swim sales have shown “impressive improvements” over past seasons. She attributes this in part to the addition of several new lines, including Splendid and Barbara Lesser, and to the addition of high-end accessories, such as those by Helen Kaminski.
“The woman who buys a $400 Shan suit doesn’t want to buy a $30 beach bag,” Stickline said.
Overall, designer swim lines have been getting solid, if unexceptional, reviews from retailers, with summer projections ranging from “good” to “very nice” to “strong.”
“Missoni and Gaultier are performing very nicely,” said Sherin. “Pucci is performing very nicely.”
Tanner said designer labels such as Gottex, Carmen Marc Valvo and Michael Kors “are doing quite well for our stores. We expect [designer swim] to be as strong as last season.”
The overall feel of the market is upbeat. Designer lines such as Missoni, Moschino, Calvin Klein and Shoshanna sell steadily and consistently carry over to transitional and resort seasons.
Though name recognition can be an asset, a suit won’t sell unless it looks good. Designer swim labels are working to produce suits that hit on key trend points from season to season and consistently deliver on customer demands for fit and style.
“I’d say women are looking for more details,” Sherin said. Embellishment in the form of jewelry pieces, hardware and macramé insets, as well as coordinating cover-ups, are high on the list, as seen on Michael Kors, Karla Colletto, Gottex and others.
Tanner said a designer customer looks for great fit and unique fabrics, prints and textures. Popular this season are details such as wooden beads, nautical stripes, paisley and ethnic prints and retro styling, particularly the one-piece bandeau tank and the two-piece underwire top with a hipster bottom, as well as skirts and tunics to cover.
“We’re seeing a comeback of the traditional underwire with straps that go over the shoulder, instead of a halter,” Tanner said.
Most retailers agree that the upcoming resort season will be the true litmus test of many designer swim lines. Although mainstream suits sell well during the summer, when customers shop for more active beach vacations and boating trips, Sherin said, designer lines tend to enjoy more success with customers looking to lounge, cruise and otherwise model their glamorous — and bone-dry — suits. “Resort is an excellent market for us, particularly in the designer area,” Sherin said.
Stickline said some lines that are underperforming are likely to come into their own for resort. “We haven’t retailed Carmen Marc Valvo well, but we think it’ll be better for cruise,” she said. The line’s sequins, beading and “glitz and glamour,” she said, make it “more glamour girl than summer.”
Overall, sales in the designer swim segment should continue to improve as the selection expands and consumers become more knowledgeable.
“We in the industry don’t do enough to communicate that this is a fashion purchase for the consumer,” Stickline said, adding that the entrance of well-known designer lines such as Trina Turk and Betsey Johnson to the swimwear market is likely to underscore that point. “I think it’ll only improve as more designers that consumers are excited about join the swim business.”
This article appeared in WWD Swim, a special supplement to WWD available to subscribers.