Swimwear blog news and trends

The controversial ordinance issued by the city council officials of Yakima, Washington affected the sales of lingerie in the city and nearby towns. According to reports, the sale of thong bikinis dropped following the prohibition of the so-called “cleavage of the buttocks” in public areas.

The phrase was coined following the increase of individuals showing off their behind and giving the views a full view of the thong.

The issue reportedly started following the hype caused by baristas wearing these thong bikinis or see-through attires at a local coffee store. There has been reported increase of complaints of indecency. This prompted the officials to do something about it.

Earlier this month, the council approved an indecent exposure law which gives stiffer fines to violators of the dress code.

Yakima Mayor Dave Edler earlier expressed that he wanted changes to be made on the adult business ordinance of the city to include coffee stands in the law. However, legal officers said that there might be difficulties that would be encountered if this is pushed through.

A lingerie shop in the neighboring town of Kennewick reported a decline in thong bikini sales after customers heard about the ordinance.

There are an increasing number of women who prefer wearing less revealing swimwear. Some say that they prefer modest swimwear due to religious reasons while some say that they just don’t feel comfortable revealing “too much.”

This unexpected need for modest swimwear prompted two French-born Orthodox Jews to design a line called Sea Secret. The undertaking started a year ago in Israel and the designers have consulted with a respected rabbi in order for the products to meet the standard dress code.

The popularity of modest swimwear is gaining worldwide. According to reports, there are new lines flourishing in Australia, Middle East, Asia and even in United States.
Online blogs and journals have started featuring these modest swimwear to its readers thus increasing awareness of the product through viral marketing.

Major companies have started joining the bandwagon. British swimwear giant Speedo has started selling a long-legged swimwear plus neck-covering for a little over a hundred dollars on its website.

Despite the emergence of new players in the field, Sea Secret owners revealed that their sales are still up and that they will still continue designing modest swimwear for modest women everywhere.

The swimwear industry is now making a sexy twist to accommodate the changing trend on women’s perception of their body image.

These days swimwear attires are now made out of lycra and certain linings that create an instant slimming effect on the body. These sexy swimwear attires now have high elasticity factors that create instant body curves.

Experts said that there’s now an increasing demand for slimming suits which gives instant shaping satisfaction and power for women to flaunt their curvy assets.

Aside from physical changes, women tend to feel more confident in doing their daily tasks because they know that there are significant changes in their body both inside and out.

The good thing about these sexy swimwear outfits, according to lingerie designers, is that they don’t work like the usual girdle which makes the women uncomfortable. These newly designed swimwear does not compresses the body but rather firms it up without the added weight of the fabric.

With all the positive attributes stated about the swimwear, designers are confident that the trend will stay on for a longer period of time. They added that the appeal applies to all women whatever their sizes are.

The summer is near and that’s the best time to relax and spend quality time at the beach. Bikini season is definitely here but who says it’s only for those with model-like bodies?

Experts say that every woman can be part of the season. All they need is confidence! It doesn’t hurt to eat some healthy food to feel good and look good during the sunny season. Here are some advices given by the experts:

• Self-acceptance: Wear a bikini and stand in front of a mirror and check yourself out. Focus on your good features and accept your flaws. No one’s perfect. If you focus more on enjoying life, then you’ll feel really good.

• Eat vegetables and fruits: It aids in losing weight but the most important reason behind this is for you not to feel bloated when you wear your bikini. Aside from that, fruits and vegetables prevent body dehydration especially when you are under the heat of the summer sun.

• Size is just a number: Know and understand the shape and size of your body. Go for a bikini in your size. If your a big boobed girl choose freya or panache. They are made for curved bodies. This builds self-esteem.

FINA, the global governing body on swimming competitions, is now facing a legal suit filed by a customer swimwear company whose swimsuits were not approved by the former for the upcoming World Championships.

Blueseventy has reportedly filed the legal action in a Switzerland court last Thursday. According to the suit, the FINA’s new procedures to test swimsuits were “unfair.” It was the company who designed the revolutionary “nero comp” swimwear worn by David Davies of Great Britain. Davies broke the national 400 freestyle record last March.

FINA released a list of about 200 approved swimwear designs last month. There were nearly 350 custom swimwear designs submitted by manufacturers. These items underwent tests for buoyancy and fabric thickness by scientists.

Ten of those suits were rejected automatically while the other 136, including those from Blueseventy, were advised to undergo changes first. The companies were given a month to do the modifications. However, the custom swimwear company made numerous requests to FINA to clarify what modifications must be done considering that their swimwear passed the buoyancy and thickness tests.

FINA came out with new regulations following the controversy over sudden influx of world records being broken by swimmers who wore advanced swimsuits.

Academy Award-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow has joined the bandwagon of celebrities branching out to the field of fashion design by coming up with a limited-edition swimwear line.

The actress, who will be seen in the sequel of “Iron Man,” created the line for retailer store Lilly Pulitzer in celebration of its 50th anniversary. This was made under the store’s “A Colorful Cause: Celebrity Designer Program.” The program aims to raise funds for charity The Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation.

Interested buyers can acquire her swimwear at Lilly Pulitzer stores or at the retailer’s online site.

Also signing up for this goodwill project are actresses Bridget Moynahan, Debra Messing, Marcia Cross and Brooke Shields. The proceeds is used for research to combat the rare children’s skin disease.

Aside from the swimwear collection, Paltrow has joined forces with a fashion house in France to design her very own collection for the upcoming Autumn and Winter season. The range will be called ZOEtee’s Love Gwyneth and is expected to have a preview in the coming months. The collection includes, bridal lingerie, inderwear, jerseys and tailored designs for men.

“Iron Man 2,” which stars Paltrow and Robert Downey, Jr. is slated for release next year.

International Swimming Federation or FINA has reportedly rejected about ten advanced men’s swimwear proposed for use in upcoming swimming competitions. Australian coach Alan Thompson said on Wednesday that this development would mean difficulty in upholding the new world records set by two swimmers from France.

The ruling body made the decision to reject the men’s swimwear on Tuesday. Included in the ban are swimwear made from polyurethane, the same material worn by French swimmers Alain Bernard and Fred Bousquet. The two swimmers set world records during a competition in Montpellier in France last month.

Bousquet and Bernard used an Arena “X-Glide” swimwear that propelled them to set 50 meters and 100 meters world records respectively. The previous record holder was Eamon Sullivan of Australia.

However, with the decision at hand, it’s highly possible that the new records will be voided as FINA recognized that the swimwear technology aided the players’ wins and not solely by athlete’s achievement.

The men’s swimwear can still be approved if necessary alterations will be made subject to the approval by FINA. In July, the Rome World Championships will take place and the swimsuits can be used if the stamp of approval has been made.

Apparel giant Columbia Sportswear Co. reported last week that its net income for the first quarter of this year dropped about 65 percent due to slump in sales and stronger U.S. currency. Despite this development, the sportswear maker said that it did better than the expectations by the Wall Street.

However, a weak second quarter performance is expected thus dropping its shares to about $34 in last week’s trade. Several retail companies have reported major drops in sales for the past months and Columbia is not an exception. Especially in sportswear: swimwear, running gear, sports bras, running shoes etc. In second quarter, the company expects another 20 percent decline in net sales, part of it will be from shipment timing. Analysts predict a ten percent decline but the company estimated more.

Columbia Sportswear’s first quarter net income logged at $6.9 million which is a sharp drop from the same quarter last year which was $19.9 million. Net sales dropped to $272 million, about 9 percent lower from last year.

The noted declines came from Europe, Africa and Middle East region – a total of 24 percent slump. Sales in the United States were slightly affected. Net sales for sportswear slid 14 percent while footwear sales dropped 22 percent.

Two-time Academy Award winning actor Tom Hanks revealed that he sported a Speedo swimwear in one of the scenes of the upcoming film “Angels and Demons,” saying that it does take a “real man” to wear this and still be prepared to work.

In an interview with Radio Times, Hanks said that in the past he felt insecure about his acting, which led to lack of confidence at one point. He added that he immediately pounced on film offers just for the money. However, things changed as the years go by.

Hanks became the only the second actor in Oscars history to have lifted the Best Actor trophy for two consecutive years. The awards were for his impressive portrayals in the movie “Philadelphia” and “Forest Gump.”

This month, Hanks will be seen once more portraying the role of Robert Langdon in the movie adaptation of “Angels And Demons.” It was during then he said that he’s already toned down on the vain side, saying that he already learned to accept what he looks like.

In one of the significant scenes of the film, Hanks went swimming only wearing the Speedo swimwear.

Due to the credit crunch consumers are spending less. We can already see the impact on the high street shops. But what is the impact on sales of products like swimwear? A report is published about the swimwear market in 2014. The report looks at technology, style and shapes, brands and labels.

The clothing industry is suffering from the effects of the credit crunch for a while now. This also means that the swimwear growth will decrease from 5.32% to 1.69% between 2008 and 2014. And if the situation gets that bad, it will affect the huge amount of present brands.

Brands dominate 60 to 70 percent of the value in western country markets. That equals between 38 to 43 percent of the units. The sales is dominated by a few specialist businesses, like Victoria’s Secret in America and Marks and Spencer in Great Britain.

Some other conclusions:

• Due to the aging population in the western countries, the style of swimwear will be influenced as swimming is slowly being accepted as a relaxing leisure time
• The older woman will cause the popularity of figure supporting swimwear
• Younger people will start wearing swimwear outside the pool and beach
• Retail sales in traditional shop will be surpassed by Internet swimwear  sales