Emblematic of Los Angeles, the swimwear market has spawned a number of success stories and continues to inspire new entrepreneurs. While the number of mono-brand stores remains small, many Los Angeles-based brands still compete in the swimwear market. Valued at more than $20 billion in revenues nationwide by 2024, the American swimwear market is, according to experts, boosted by the rise of beach tourism, body positivity movement, cultural influences and seasonal demand.
Home of the swimsuit, supported by surf culture, the success of water sports and the television industry – thanks to “Baywatch” series and Pamela Anderson – Venice, Malibu and Santa Monica are home to the largest number of independent swimwear boutiques in Los Angeles. Beverly Hills, on the other hand, is home to major international names such as Erès, present since 2005.
Frankies Bikini, a Californian phenomenon
Founded by mother-daughter duo Mimi and Francesca Aiello in their Malibu home in 2012, Frankies Bikinis has grown in just a few years into an internationally recognized company. In addition to its classic models, the brand has been collecting collaborations with huge celebrities from Gigi Hadid to Pamela Anderson, as well as Sofia Richie and Bella Hadid.
Boosted by an $18 million investment from the Victoria’s Secret & Co. in 2022, the brand has opened six boutiques across the U.S. in just a few years. After opening its first store in New York in 2022, on Mercer Street, Soho, Frankies Bikinis added a new store in Miami on Collins Street, followed by a second boutique in New York’s West Village, a pop-up store in Chicago, and a first store in Los Angeles in 2024 in Malibu on Civic Center Way. Beginning of January, Frankies Bikini added its first store in Venice on Abbot Kinney boulevard.
With each passing season and investment, the brand has expanded its collections to include ready-to-wear, knitwear and activewear. In addition to its 6 boutiques, it now has over a hundred stockists, including Victoria’s Secret, Revolve, Ssense, Free People, Kith and Bloomingdale’s.
Bromelia Swimwear, function and lifestyle
Also present on Abbot Kinney, Bromelia Swimwear was founded by another Californian, Laura Quinn, in Brazil in 2018. Two years later, the entrepreneur relocated her office and production to LA.
“One of the most symbolic exports of Brazilian life is a swimsuit,” said Quinn. “In Brazil, specifically in Rio, swimsuits and cover-ups aren’t just meant for the beach. They are a lifestyle. The lightness of the garments, the delicate symbiosis between body and material elicit the feeling that you are this close to sun and relaxation. The women of Ipanema have a cool yet confident stride while flowing through their day dressed in beachwear, and know their style choice plays a factor. It was this essence of Brazil – the cool confidence, the ease, the alegria – that it was decided to package this into my own take on the export I too began wearing daily.
“The goal was to create a physical product that acts as a conduit for the person who is not accustomed to this essence, and help them find their own stride,” added Quinn. “In 2020, we made the conscious decision to further embrace our community-minded pillar and began to manufacture 100% of our garments in Los Angeles to bring more.”
Today, Bromelia has a store on Abbot Kinney in Venice and is expanding to other stores nationwide. “Our current stride is growing our reach and exposure to find a home in everyone’s swim drawer,” continued Quinn. “We will expand by continued emphasis on function, fit and quality while embracing our current loyal Bromelia babes and meeting new ones at the events we will be co-hosting around the map this Summer.”
Left On Friday: an active swimwear brand on Abbot Kinney
A new player on the Californian scene, Canadian swimwear brand Left On Friday opened its permanent store on Abbot Kinney last December. Founded by Lululemon alumni Laura Low Ah Kee and Shannon Savage, Left On Friday has been making a name for itself in the premium active swimwear segment.
“My journey began during my sabbatical. Half way through my 12-year career at Lululemon, I spent two months in Maui immersing myself in surf and kiteboarding culture,” said Low Ah Kee. “I was wearing sports bras for activity and brought a bikini to hang out in. Upon return to Vancouver, Shannon and I were catching up in a hot tub, and it was here where we clearly identified the opportunity. We realized that while we both had active swimsuits for performance, we lacked options that were both functional and stylish for post-activity relaxation. This realization led us to create Left on Friday, aiming to design swimwear that supports an active lifestyle without compromising on style.”
Launched in 2018, the brand targets “active woman seeking swimwear that not only performs exceptionally but also looks and feels incredible, whether it’s for in – or out – water sports, swimming or leisure,” added Low Ah Kee. Since its origins, Left On Friday has been developing collections with innovative materials, like “Smoothing Dream Fabric”, a material made in Italy used “to be compressive and for smoothing coverage and feels like butter on the body”.
The brand now has 1 permanent store in LA, a shop in shop in Vancouver, and organizes pop-up in LA, New York and Muskoka. It boasts 79 stockists worldwide, half of which are in the United States.
“Leveraging our extensive industry experience, we’ve grown the brand into a successful, profitable eight-figure business, combining technical expertise with a deep understanding of community and style,” summed up the co-founders.
Gigi C: from swimwear to sportswear
In August 2023, Gigi C, a new swimwear brand opened its showroom at the shopping mall The Grove. The 6,856-square-foot, two-level space, which took over the former Barneys New York store, unveiled the brand by Gigi Caruso, the youngest daughter of The Caruso company owner Rick Caruso.
The young entrepreneur, who launched her brand in 2017 at the age of 18, “noticed an essential gap in the swimwear market when she was unable to find quality swimwear that could support her active lifestyle and still reflect her personal style.”
Supported by her mother, Tina Caruso, a former clothing designer and swimsuit model, Gigi began deconstructing and cutting up her old swimsuits and refashioning them into chic styles that evolved into the brand’s signature aesthetic: clean lines, architectural shapes, and crisp, laser-cut details.
In addition to the swimwear line, Gigi C now offers a wardrobe ranging from sportswear to summer dresses and loungewear. The brand is now distributed in some twenty physical stockists including Elyse Walker and luxury hotels such as Rosewood Miramar Beach, and also online through a dozen of e-shops.
Vitamin A collaborates with Target
Sustainability is also a key theme for Vitamin A back in the early 2000s. Born in Southern California and based in Laguna Beach, south of Los Angeles, founder Amahlia Stevens launched her brand by combining feminine design and sustainable innovation. Last year, she launched her ReLux collection, a line of swimwear made from recycled materials, including an innovative fabric that combines 80% recycled ghost fishing nets and 20% recycled elastane.
This season, the brand has launched a capsule collection with popular retailer Target. The collection features more than 45 items, including swimsuits, such as kinis and one-pieces made from recycled jersey, ribbed and textured jacquard fabrics. There’s also a beachwear line with dresses, sets and scarves, made from breathable cotton linen blends and using at least 50% natural fibers.
Also supported by Los Angeles celebrities such as Jessica Alba, Hilary Duff, Ashlee Simpson and Shanina Shaik, the brand is now distributed in 70 stockists worldwide, and in more than a dozen in California, but does not yet have a physical store.
Same: from blog to luxury brand
A real Californian success-story, the Same brand owes its success to blogger-turned-influencer-turned-entrepreneur Shea Marie. A Southern California native from San Diego, Marie co-founded Same in 2015 alongside Ryan Horne as a luxury swimwear brand, “with a mission of making swimwear a true fashion category.”
“When we launched Same 10 years ago, swimwear was something that you wore in the water and that was about it. Since then, the brand has really gone on to define the luxury swimwear category,” explained Marie.
“I wanted to create swimwear that felt as intentional as ready-to-wear, designed for women who value quality and style.”
Launched around a wholesale strategy in its early days, the brand focused during the 2020 pandemic on building a direct-to-consumer business. Unlike many brands, Same was built without the image of its founder.
“I really wanted Same to stand on its own,” explained Marie. “The brand isn’t about me, it’s about the product, the design, the quality and the lifestyle it represents.”
Launched with an early swimwear collection, the brand has since grown. Supported by talent agency CAA, and a number of celebrities including Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner and Sydney Sweeney, Marie has grown far beyond swim into ready-to-wear, denim, “and now into an entirely new phase of brand evolution,” added Marie.
“This past year has been one of major transformation, and it’s only the beginning. We have something truly exciting launching this summer that feels like a defining moment for the brand. I can’t say too much yet, but it’s big, and I can’t wait to share it!”
Anemos: swimwear and sustainability
Another brand to watch in Los Angeles, Anemos was founded in 2018 by California natives Lauren Arapage and Joshua Shaub with “inspiration from the laid-back ease of their shared home state as well as the directional sensibility of New York City.”
Shaub, the former buying director at Moda Operandi and former associate buyer at Gucci, and Arapage, who collaborated at Stella McCartney in press and VIP relations, built their now Santa Monica-based brand on minimalism and a large focus on sustainability.
“All of our fabrics are sustainable, and our suppliers are Okeo Step,” explained the brand on its website.
“We work with local, family-run factories in LA to produce both swimwear and ready-to-wear. Manufacturing locally permits us to be involved firsthand in every step of our supply chain – we are able to monitor their working conditions and form close relationships with all who are involved. For our printed marketing and branding materials, we are working with an officially certified LA Green Business that prints recyclable foil on card stock made from sugar cane, which is biodegradable and saves trees. We want to bring environmental awareness to our customers as well – apparel and swimwear are shipped to you in 100% compostable packaging.”
Aubrey Swims and Silver Springs pilates studio
Today, new brands are trying to make their mark. Launched last year in the glamour and sustainability segment, Aubrey Swims is the brand founded by Amanda Apramian Amorim, daughter of Miss Portugal and based in Los Angeles for several years.
To penetrate the swimwear market and differentiate itself, Apramian Amorim puts forward several points. “It’s a mix between quality, creativity and a strong point of view. Having a brand is ultimately storytteling -whether that’s through the product, the campaigns or the website – it all needs to feel authentic and defined. For Aubrey Swims that story includes art, timelessness and a lot of cultural references from my personal life that I love incorporating into our collections. And of course, the brand can evolve but the essence should remain the same. We make classic shapes that fit well, are high quality and have something special about them in an effortless way.”
After a first collection presented last year and focused on solid colors, the new collection entitled “True Romance” in reference to the 1993 film, and shot in Laguna Beach, unveils a collection of prints made in Portugal from materials sourced from dead stocks. The brand also makes its boutique debut with an exclusive swim set with West Hollywood’s famous pilates brand, Silver Springs. It will also be sold at select boutiques hotels in the Hamptons this summer.
Men’s swimwear: from Vilebrequin to Mollusk
Less well supplied, the men’s swimwear market boasts Vilebrequin as a must-have brand, present in both Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. Also in the running is MC2 Saint Barth, which has had a boutique in Venice since 2018, and another in Century City in the Westfield mall. Finally, a cult favorite in Los Angeles, Mollusk brings together the entire surfing community in its flagship store in Venice, where it offers a wide collection of boardshorts.
Swimwear multi-brand stores
In Los Angeles, the swimwear market is finally represented in several renowned multi-brand stores. Over the years, Everything but Water has established itself as a pioneering swimwear institution in Los Angeles. The American chain, founded in 1994 and since 2019 in the hands of entrepreneurs Blumenthal and Sabra Krock, has 11 stores in California, including 4 in Los Angeles County.
The chain distributes over 80 swimwear brands, including Frankies Bikinis, Curve, Pain de Sucre, Vitamin A, Trina Turk and Sanctuary.
New to the multi-brand segment, Coast by Coast is the new challenger. After a career working as a merchandiser and buyer for Victoria’s Secret’s swim division and later for Macy’s, Kristen Cleary opened her first pop-up at Platform shopping destination in 2018 before opening her first store in 2020 at Row DTLA, in Downtown.
“Cleary opened Coast by Coast because she feels there is still a niche in the market for multi-brand bricks-and-mortar shops, especially boutiques that offer a mix of new designs and a spirit of discovery in swim,” explained California Apparel News.
“There are so many amazing brands on the swim market right now,” said Cleary. “If we love a new brand and they measure up to our standards of quality, fit, design and sustainability, we’re going to bring it into the shop, no matter what the world is doing.”
The swim retailer carries brands such as Anemone, Anna Maria Blanco, Matteau, Kikirio and Kore Swim. Several men’s brands are including Bather, Ocin, Arrels Barcelona, as well as sunglasses, towels and skincare brands.
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