With ruffles, prints, and quirky silhouettes, swimsuits are going from beach to bar

Inspired by staycations and an increasingly adventurous domestic market, home-grown swimwear brands are creating swimsuits with quirky silhouettes that can go from beach to bar

When the pandemic took a little breather in the last quarter of 2020, it propelled Maldives and Goa to superstar status. People were jet-setting (some in private charter jets) to these beachy destinations or road-tripping around Goa. Social media overflowed with the greenish-blue waters of the Maldives, the hot golden sandy beaches of Goa, and holidaymakers in swimwear. 

And that became the reason for numerous homegrown swimwear labels to pop-up and the existing ones to churn out interesting collections. Over the last few months, fashion labels such as Aroka and Dash and Dot that primarily focus on clothes have also added capsule swimwear collections to their repertoire.

For designers of brands such as Nadi Nadi, Maarteeni, and Papaaya, the lack of trendy swimwear in the market made them take the leap into starting their own brands. They noticed that in India, other than labels like Shivan and Narresh there were not too many options. And as we all have learned by now, in the age of the Gram, cookie-cutter patterns are a strict no-no. 

“Everything stems from a shortage of options,” laughs Rishi Baweja who, along with his partner Bhaavya Bhatnagar, startedNadi Nadi in Delhi in 2021. In general, the border closed off and a hyper-focus on domestic holidays opened up new avenues for businesses to fulfil a demand, he says, adding that initially, swimwear was not as much in demand as resort wear such as kaftans, cover-ups, beach skirts etc.

“It picked up after the trend of staycations. The pandemic brought back focus on these kinds of experiences. People were travelling to resort destinations, using the pools in villas, or even while holidaying in the hills they wanted something to wear in a hot tub,” says Rishi, who also co-owns Hannan, a contemporary jewellery brand, with Bhaavya.

Rather fittingly, Nadi Nadi was conceptualised on a trip to Goa. The first swimwear was made for Bhaavya — blush coloured, cut out in the front and it followed the brand’s design philosophy of clean minimal silhouettes with a focus on colours. “We play around with ruchingand pleating details to let the fabric do the talking,” says Rishi. They do not do season-specific collections but come up with capsules when they have a narrative in mind, around three or four times a year. Their shimmer swimwear in tones of silver and gold is an all-time favourite.

Ahead of her beach holiday, Tania Abrol, a Chandigarh-basedphotographer, was clear that all she wanted was a great-looking swimsuit. She picked one and just after one wear it had lint on it. In a quest for the perfect swimwear, she started Maarteeni in 2022. “Interestingly, when I was looking for a swimsuit, I didn’t care about the style or fabric. But when I started researching for my brand I discovered that materials like polyester, nylon, etc release microfibres into the sea that the fish end up eating. I wanted to understand fabrics and create an environmentally conscious brand,” says Tania. Maarteeni uses recycled plastic waste fabric, however, the search is on for better fabric options. “There’s a difference in the stretch. Polyester or spandex stretches beautifully. But because this is a recycled material it is sturdier and thicker,” she adds.