The search for the perfect swim attire provides one of summer’s biggest conundrums – a seemingly endless play off between aesthetics, function and fit, with one element so often coming up frustratingly short (sometimes literally).
There are a handful of brands, though, which approach swimwear with either architectural precision (Eres and Alaïa both fit this bill), a true sense of summertime ease (think: Orlebar Brown, Frescobal Carioca), or with a sense of glamour and play (Hunza G, Chanel and Lido). Each is a trustworthy option for beach attire this summer.
All of them feature in this guide of the world’s best swimwear brands – for both men and women – collated with help from the Wallpaper* style team (who in turn have consulted trusted friends). Rounding out the list are a handful of more sporty labels – including Nike Swim and the perennial Speedo – which will seamlessly transition from workout to seashore.
The world’s best swimwear brands, according to Wallpaper*
Eres
(Image credit: Eres)
There are a few reasons Eres is the leading name in swimwear. The first is its unparalleled understanding of what looks and feels good on the female form. Suits are masterfully cut to flatter the body’s curves and lines, while uncomfortable padding and wires are nowhere to be found.
The other reason is the brand’s exclusive materials, which not only sculpt the body but are also comfortable, quick-drying, and durable enough to endure a hundred swims in the roughest waters. Founded in Paris by Irene Leroux in 1968, the brand hit its stride in the 1970s, and it continues to draw inspiration from the decade with sleek silhouettes, graphic patterns and a rich, jewel-toned colour palette.
Available mytheresa.com.
Eres
Calanque Irisée Swimsuit
Orlebar Brown
(Image credit: Orlebar Brown)
Orlebar Brown doesn’t create swim shorts, it creates shorts you can swim in. At least, that was the idea that inspired the brand when its founder, Orlebar Brown, was denied entry to a restaurant because he didn’t look smart enough after a day spent at the beach. Since 2007, the Chanel-owned brand has created men’s swimwear that looks luxurious enough to get you through any door. Its swim shorts come in a variety of lengths and styles – alongside a full warm-weather wardrobe of shirts, linen jackets and pants – but the most reliable choice is always the Bulldog, which come in an array of prints and feature trouser details like metal side-fasteners on the waistline.
Available selfridges.com.
Orlebar Brown
Bulldog Swimming Shorts
Hunza G
(Image credit: Hunza G)
If you’ve been anywhere near a body of water in recent years, chances are you’ve seen a Hunza G bathing suit (or if you’ve seen Pretty Woman, Julia Roberts’ white and blue dress in the opening scene is a Hunza G design). The brand’s signature crinkle fabric suits have been around since 1984, but its relaunch in 2015 has made it the mainstay choice for cool women everywhere. Like Issey Miyake’s Pleats Please line, Hunza G’s crinkle fabric is designed to be universally flattering, with an extraordinarily stretchy composition that conforms to a wide range of body types, while playful fabrics and silhouettes – like a new gingham collection – keep things interesting. ‘You can swim in the clothing pieces and sit at lunch in the same items – dry minutes later. It’s swimmable ready-to-wear,’ says Georgiana Huddart, founder and creative director.
Available at selfridges.com.
Hunza G
Celine Plunge-Neck Swimsuit
Vilebrequin
(Image credit: Vilebrequin)
Vilebrequin’s swimwear reflects the laid-back elegance of its Saint Tropez hometown. The brand’s signature swim trunks are meticulously designed, from the rear pockets that are hand-placed to ensure the pattern lines up, to metal eyelets that drain excess water and prevent ballooning, to the barely-there feeling of its mesh lining.
Yet, perhaps the best thing about Vilebrequin’s suits is their durability. Each style is designed to be worn, repaired and passed on from one generation to another, making for a trusty summer companion that will see you through rough sea waters or lazy days by the pool. Beyond its signature swim trunks, the brand also sells equally high-quality swimwear for women and kids, alongside a wide range of resort-focussed clothing and accessories, like towels and hats.
Available harrods.com
Harrods
Embroidered Water-Reactive Swim Shorts
Rudi Gernreich
(Image credit: press)
Rebellious is the best word to describe Rudi Gernreich, the man, and the brand. In 1970s Los Angeles, Gernreich was already operating a successful fashion brand when Los Angeles County made it illegal to tan or swim naked at any of the city’s beaches. Gernreich’s response was both a brilliant bit of marketing and a stroke of creative genius: the thong bikini.
The creation garnered a storm of attention and eventually gave birth to the bikini’s underwear counterpart, but Gernreich was not just a showman. His swimsuit designs are modernist masterpieces, with asymmetrical necklines, graphic cut-outs and bold block colouring. As out fashion features editor, Jack Moss wrote ahead of the brand’s relaunch in 2022, for Gernreich, these designs ‘arose not just from a desire for shock and publicity, but a deep-founded belief in the liberatory power of clothing’.
Decades later, the anarchic spirit of Gernreich can still be felt in every one of them. No matter how much the world has changed since Gernreich unveiled his bikini, that (very) little piece of clothing still has the power to shock.
Available rudigernreich.com.
Rudi Gernreich
The Original Thong
Alaïa
(Image credit: Albert Moya)
The Parisian fashion house Alaïa is known for designs that celebrate the female form with figure-hugging silhouettes and flexible fabrics. It makes sense, then, that under the creative direction of Pieter Mulier, the brand has been able to seamlessly transition into swimwear. It is, perhaps, as close to couture as swimwear could ever get with elegant draping, ruching, cut-out details, in-built hoods, bolero-style waterproof jackets, asymmetrical necklines and other impeccably designed creations. All the suits are made in Italy and come in the rich, block colours the brand is known for, including its signature black and red.
Available maison-alaia.com.
Alaïa
Black Cut-Out Swimsuit
Speedo
(Image credit: Speedo)
Is there any brand more synonymous with swimwear than Speedo? Probably not, and that’s because the brand has been changing how we swim since 1921, when it launched the world’s first non-wool suit, which allowed for a greater range of motion in the water than ever before. Other innovations include the first nylon swimsuit, the first made-to-measure sculpting suits and the first suits made out of chlorine-resistant fabric. More Olympic Gold Medals have been won in Speedo than any other brand, but you don’t have to be an athlete to wear its designs. A black Speedo one-piece or swim trunks are a timeless addition to your summer wardrobe, while a new ‘Jetstream’ collection looks back to the brand’s roots with vintage-inflected motifs in signature tones of navy, white and red (above).
Available at speedo.com.
Speedo
Jetstream Colourblock Swimsuit
OAS
(Image credit: OAS)
OAS combines the cool minimalism of Scandinavian style with the vibrant colours, bold prints and sinuous silhouettes of Southern Europe. Founder Oliver Adam Sebastian began the brand after years of bringing back suitcases filled with espadrilles he bought in Barcelona to his Scandinavian friends. Eventually, Sebastian decided that since the summer shoes were nowhere to be found in his hometown, he would start making them himself. Not long afterwards, OAS was born and quickly grew to include a range of other summer styles like swimsuits, sarongs, button-up shirts for men and women. Particularly notable is the brand’s Dye Studio, located in their former Stockholm office, where garments are dyed and reworked by hand into chic, idiosyncratic designs.
Available from oascompany.com.
OAS
Starry Jagger Bathing Suit
Nike Swim
(Image credit: Nike Swim)
If there’s a brand that knows how to dress for sporting activity, it’s Nike. And while the American behemoth might be closely associated with sports like basketball, track, football and the like, its swimwear designs are just as high-performing. That said, a recent focus on the Nike Swim line has seen the brand filter such technical innovations through a more style-conscious lens – whether through a bold colour palette or playful design details, like nautical lace-up which feature in the S/S 2025 collection, without compromising the sports-ready performance of the suits.
Available from nike.com.
Nike Swim
Sneakerkini 2.0 Cross-Back One-Piece
Frescobol Carioca
(Image credit: Frescobol Carioca)
The ethos behind Frescobol Carioca swimwear is suggested in its name – Carioca (a demonym used to refer to residents of the City of Rio de Janeiro) and Frescobol (a racket sport popularised on the city’s beaches in 1945). With its range of brightly coloured swim trunks, elegantly tailored linen shirts and breezy drawstring trousers, Frescobol Carioca channels the exuberance of the South American city and the dapper elegance of 1940s style. Each suit is made from quick-dry materials with flexible cuts that make them ideal for beach sports.
Available from mrporter.com.
Frescobol Carioca
Salvador Straight-Leg Swim Shorts
Chanel
(Image credit: Photography by Irina Shestakova, fashion by Jason Hughes)
You can’t get much chicer this summer than wearing a swimsuit made by Chanel. Capturing the sense of irreverent Parisian style and ease which runs through the house’s ready-to-wear collections, Chanel’s swimsuits and bikinis have a playful undercurrent, evoking styles that walked the runway in the 1990s. The house’s latest Chanel Coco Beach 2025 collection features signature dual-tone one-pieces and bikinis featuring miniature ‘CC’ emblem decoration which pair perfectly with Chanel’s signature sandals and sunglasses, as well as this season’s Chanel towels, sarongs, ‘CC’ handboard and other beach accessories.
Enquire at chanel.com.
Lido
(Image credit: Lido)
Italian brand Lido was born out of the desire to create sustainable swimwear that didn’t sacrifice style. Named after an island near Venice, each Lido design is made in Northern Italy using fast-drying fabrics, with colours and shapes inspired by the local region. Highlights include the Undici bikini, a flattering high-waisted style, and the Uno one piece, with a cross-over back straps and deep scoop neckline. Meanwhile for men, a recent launch of a dedicated menswear line sees classic shorts and trunks – all with SPF protection inbuilt – in hues of red, forest green and navy.
Available net-a-porter.com.
Lido
Net Sustain Venti Triangle Bikini
CDLP
(Image credit: CDLP)
Swedish brand CDLP launched in 2016 with the aim of revolutionising men’s underwear through minimalist designs and sustainable, breathable fabrics. These days, the same meticulous approach applies to the brand’s swimwear, which includes swim briefs, boxers and trunks for men, as well as bikinis and one pieces for women. Many of the designs are made from Econyl, an innovative nylon fibre created from landfill and ocean plastic waste that is both durable and quick-drying. Particularly noteworthy styles include the Bermuda Swim Shorts, which are made from matte dry nylon poplin with a belt closure, and the simply named ‘Swimsuit’ for women, a one-piece style with a high neckline and cross-back adjustable shoulder straps.
Available from ssense.com
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