The beautiful women’s swimwear capsule inspired by the coastal waves of the ocean usually incorporates clean and unfussy swimsuits/bikinis, with elements of interest like back cutouts, colored stitching/binding, and occasional use of ruching. The swimwear also features natural materials in soft shades with a light and airy feel that offers maximum comfort. Each piece also has a timeless touch with a multi-purpose appeal that is perfect for most women’s summer wardrobes.
Table of Contents
What is the market size for women’s swimwear?
Key trends that capture the coastal feel
Hop on these trends
What is the market size for women’s swimwear?
In the next five years, the swimwear market should have a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 2.98%. The major factors driving the market are fabric comfort, trend, and design. Other factors like convenient cuts, value-added features, and trendy prints further drive the market growth.
The consistent rise in product innovation, like developing swimwear fabrics with increased efficacy and elasticity, will also contribute to the market experiencing high sales in the coming year. So, it’s a good time for sellers to explore women’s swimwear trends.
Key trends that capture the coastal feel
Summer 2023 will see a move towards more coastal looks, which include designs that are functional and beautiful. The trend will have some twists on classic designs that incorporate some interesting style features. Here, you will find some key trends worth the investment in S/S 23.
Swimsuits
There are two types of key trends for swimsuits in the coastal capsule. One is the classic all-rounder, which features as the core swimsuit with a good range of variation ensuring suitability for all types of wholesalers. The second is a slightly more styled piece:the asymmetric swimsuit. This piece features a single solid strap that creates a sophisticated feel.
Core/All-rounder
The core bathing suit is a gorgeous fitted suit, with a simple almost sports-like rounded front. This suit also has nice solid straps that are approximately one-inch thick, with a back that features a gorgeous opening, or cutout detail that is enhanced with either clips or bows. Consumers that are big on details prefer the variants with straps that have a bit of frill.
The fit includes an inner support for the bra area, which can either be an underwire, or a shelf support, both concealed by the rounded front. The solid colors help to enhance the simplicity of this look, however, there is room for the occasional muted summer prints.
Asymmetric
The asymmetric swimsuit looks classy with a Grecian or edgy style depending on the color combinations and detailing. The Grecian style is best for consumers that love a neutral colored bathing suit with a bit of detailing on the single strap with a cut-out center section from the front to the back for a two-piece effect. For the edgy yet natural look, the swimsuit features a single strap with a simple design and eye-popping colors.
Although block colors are the most prominent feature, there is room for contrasting color division between the top and bottom sections where there is a cut-out detail within the design. With the top being a bolder, stronger color and the base maintaining neutral tones. This is a multi-use item that women can pair with a beach cover-up and wide leg trousers. Alternatively adding a floaty skirt to the ensemble can easily switch the day wear to an evening look.
The core/all-rounder and asymmetric bathing-suit come from spandex based fabrics containing recycled synthetics such as polyester blended with an adaptable fiber for swimwear called Trevira. Trevira has antibacterial qualities so it’s great for sports clothing like swimwear. Equally, scuba neoprene fabric is also an excellent option as they have an impressive structure that boosts comfort. The structure refers to how well the core and asymmetric swimsuits support the bust and butt areas. Hence, they are best-suited for petite and plus-sized women.
Bikinis
These days, women of all shapes and sizes love the idea of wearing bikinis. So, sellers should consider stocking up a wide range of sizes and designs.. The two key coastal trends feature a ruched bikini and a sporty bikini, which have multi-purpose qualities.
Sporty
The Sporty is the most adaptable of the two bikinis, due to it being perfect for swimming, and other sports activities like yoga. Consumers can pair the sporty bikini with shorts and a hoodie for the perfect casual day-time outfit. The piece features a high/round neck crop top and either cycling shorts or high-waist short-like bottoms, which is ideal for activewear functionality, as they provide optimum coverage for workouts. The sporty bikinis are equally suitable for petite to plus-size women due to the coverage of the two-piece.
Colors are still earthy, yet slightly deeper. They range from midnight blue, to deep brown, and bay leaf green. Sellers can also stock up unique pieces–bikinis with additional details like lighter colors on the arm seams or underneath the bust area to spark up the sporty look. Additional color detail can be added in form of binding on the arm seams, or underneath the bust area, highlighting the built-in bust-support. These create some stand out features uplifting an otherwise simple sporty look.
Ruched
The ruched bikini has a more traditional feel and it’s perfect for lounging on the beach. Consumers can pair the ruched bikini with a gorgeous cover up while sitting in the beachside cafe for lunch. The Ruched caters to a wide range of female consumers, as it’s a good blend of elegance and functionality.
The ruching focuses more on the top area, and can be on the bust part of an underwired bra-like bikini top, or across the whole area of a bandeau style elastic supported two-piece. Ruching can also feature on the bottom half of the bikini and it’s great for plus-sized women as it works well in covering the tummy area – especially if they are high waist variants. Another consideration is the straps as they are diverse with thick and supportive straps. The thin string-like straps that tie at the top are also a thing for females that want an added feature and fashion statement..
Colors are more playful with this piece, although they maintain the natural feel of the coastal look. Shades like soft lavender, citrus blue, optic white, and oat milk (which looks like soft sand) all work well and add to the calm quality of the design.
Typically, a ruched two-piece should feature a four-way stretch material with quick-drying properties that offers excellent movement. Another fabric worth considering for this piece is the spandex and nylon blend, which provides maximum comfort and breathability.
Cover-ups sets
Cover-ups are essential to complete the coastal summer swimwear capsule. A cover-up can consist of a shirt dress or a trouser set with a smock shirt/top. And each of them comes from ethical fabrics that create a floaty yet cool look. The trend is combined with either the core, asymmetrical one-piece swimsuit, or the ruched/sporty bikini, and can be worn during the day at the beach or at night in town.
Shirt dress
The shirt dress cover-up has kimono-style sleeves that sit on the elbow with a floaty feel. It comes with wide-leg linen trousers that consumers can layer with loose-fitting shorts during the day, or fasten as a dress with loose pants in the evening. This versatile piece also allows for complementary features like gathered ties at the waist area for a sophisticated and classy look.
The dress is colored in natural and off-white tones. Understated prints could also work for consumers who want to jazz up their style.
Trouser-set
The trouser-set cover-up features palazzo-style wide-leg trousers, with a thick band at the waist that uses buttons or drawstrings. The ensemble top half is more like a smock shirt, and it’s great for added protection during summer. In the evening, consumers can swap the top half of their outfit for a ruched bandeau bikini top and shawl for extra sophistication. The smock can also be paired with loose linen shorts for a more casual feel.
The colors for the trouser-set are once again natural and off-white, although stripes work well with this look. The full set can feature stripes yet the colors are subtle and not overly contrasting.
When it comes to fabrics for the cover-up sets, hemp, linen, and thin canvas-style cotton are ideal. They can be colored with botanical dyes or unbleached, giving them a truly ethical feel.
Hop on these trends
The women’s coastal look is the perfect trend for wholesalers who want to cater to a wide range of tastes and styles. This capsule caters to the sporty/athletic woman who wants a decent and versatile swimsuit that’s effective for different activities on the beach. To top that, the swimwear comes in timeless designs that flatter most shapes and sizes. Hence, it’s a good time to invest in these hot trends.
