Swimwear: Summer’s bright on the beach

It’s all about bright colour and a bit of retro this season said head of design and production Michael Hittinger of Cape Town-based beach and leisure brand Granadilla.

The brand recently launched its own space within the We Are Egg department store in Rosebank’s The Zone as it grows a national footprint. Garments are designed and manufactured locally.

Granadilla first launched in 2014 and the brand was inspired by the one-liners that Mother City ice cream sellers on the beach use to peddle their wares. Capetonians claim these are legendary sales pitches and in celebration of this lyrical art the ice lollies sold beach-side even feature on some Granadilla swimwear designs.

But looking good on the beach this season stretches beyond just donning a cozzie and letting rip over the holidays in your flip flops. Today’s everything’s got to be Instagram-worthy and, said Hittinger, crossover looks between beach time and owning the night is one of the season’s hottest trends.

Beachwear colours this season are bright and bold, said Hittinger. He said: “Look out for cobalt, pink and red this summer. This season is all about bright colours and 70s-inspired prints across both men’s and women’s wear. Notable trends also include quirky colour combinations with repetitive prints.”

As for style, he said that the season’s bottoms are either cheeky-cut or a bit barer. Hittinger said that the thong is making a strong comeback. Men’s shorts are also getting a bit smaller, and this year boardshorts are cut above the knee. He added:” There are also some experimental cuts like short-shorts and the 70s jogger.”  

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When you’re not in a costume, mesh garments across tops, bottoms and dresses are huge in beachwear this year. Hittinger said: “You can also dress it up or down for a night on the town. Thrown over more basic pieces like a tight white dress or tank top and trousers, the mesh garments can be paired back for clubbing or dressed up with a pair of strappy puff sandals.”

He added that across all aspects of fashion this season, sheer is the common denominator. It’s everywhere and the reveal and conceal, or not conceal at times, trend is here to stay said fashionistas at the beginning of European summer earlier this year. Reportage suggested that the trend of showing off more skin in playful and dramatic, figure-hugging ways, will stretch across several seasons.

However, said Hittinger, there is no longer a notion of a fashion no-no. He said that in today’s fast fashion environment, individualism has also become far more prominent, and any kind of disastrous fashion faux pas are really a thing of the past. He said that there is very little that doesn’t make the cut these days.