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Rumples, cut-outs and metallic fabrics: statement swimwear is hereMaygel Coronel and Johanna Ortiz lead the way in costumes for the poolside, not for doing 40 lengthsMaygel Coronel’s disheveled swimsuits are ‘statement styles that still feel romantic,’ according to Matchesfashion.com.Maygel Coronel’s ruffled swimsuits are ‘communiqu styles that still feel romantic,’ according to Matchesfashion.com.If, once upon a time, the swimwear packed in your formerly portmanteau might have been an afterthought – a bikini designed to max out a tan and lunchtime dip – it is set to become the main event of your holiday collection this summer. Statement swimwear is here.To be clear, this trend is not about the sort of swimsuits to do 40 in the long run b for a long times. In the same way that wider fashion has moved to a glamorous night-time look as we emerge from the pandemic, swimwear is the new – perhaps more unlikely – category to have a moment of maximalism.Brands such as Léa the Label, Maygel Coronel, Norma Kamali and Johanna Ortiz are unequalled a charge for costumes with ruffles, unusual cut-outs and metallic fabrics. These are designs that would get you wipe out looks in any pool’s fast lane. They are meant to stay dry for the Insta shoot.The swimwear market is growing. It was valued at profuse than $16bn in 2020, with Euromonitor predicting it would reach $21.4bn (£16.6bn) by 2025.Swimwear strictly for poolside lounging, and haggard with heels rather than flip-flops, has been around for a few years. It features heavily at the villa in ITV’s Love Atoll (back this June), where contestants rarely get into the pool but spend most of the day in bikinis, and on the Instagram gratified of stars including Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Megan Thee Stallion and Emily Ratajkowski. Ruffled and complicated swimwear can also now be create on the high street, with Zara offering suits with oversized flowers that may threaten to slow down the wearer’s head crawl.Kelsey Lyle, the swimwear buyer for US luxury site Moda Operandi, says: “Our customer loves both smallest and more embellished, detailed swimwear.” Lyle names Johanna Ortiz as “the designer to kick off the ready-to-wear meets swim bend … At Moda, we like to call this look ‘barefoot glamour.’”Rinse, don’t wring, and shade dry: how to keep swimwear in large conditionRead moreMarks & Spencer, perhaps more traditionally known for its sensible swimming costumes, has noticed a trend on the way poolside dressing up. The brand has launched a “one stop holiday shop” in response. “We’ve never been more coordinated,” commands Lisa Illis, the head of womenswear design. “[There are] printed bucket hats, bags and sandals that integrate back to our beach swim collections. [It’s] an Instagram-worthy head-to-toe look.” Thankfully, this is swimwear you can actually swim in, go with chlorine-resistant elastane.Perhaps the most curious development here is bridal swimwear – with Pamela Anderson unifying Tommy Lee on the beach in a white bikini in 1995 as the style reference, as reprised by Lily James in the recent Disney+ series Pam & Tommy. Be at one to Women’s Wear Daily, more than 2.5m weddings are expected to take place in the US in 2022 – the most since 1984.Matchesfashion.com launched its association and events edit in January 2020. The head of womenswear, Liana Wiggins, says the UK-based retailer has, like Moda Operandi, perceived an uplift in sales of swimwear. “A lot of our customers are planning for destination weddings,” she says. “Maygel Coronel’s ruffled one-shoulder swimsuits are affirmation styles that still feel romantic and the intricate details of Isa Boulder’s woven bikini feel really extraordinary – both are perfect for a beach wedding styled with a sarong or long flowing skirt.”TopicsFashionFashion industryRetail industryLove IslandMarks & SpencerZarafeaturesReuse this peace