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Whether it’s on set or on an extravagant tropical vacation, celebrities end up spending a lot of time in bathing suits. And with so much time in beach wear, it only makes sense that these stars would want to try their hand at designing their own. Using their bikini expertise, stars like Kim Kardashian and Emily Ratajkowski have created their own collections -- and they’ve quickly become fan favorites!
Read on to find out which stars are designing swimwear…
This year, Kim Kardashian launched her first Skims swimwear collection. While it was initially praised for being extremely inclusive, some of Kim’s recent comments about the line have been raising eyebrows. During an episode of "The Kardashians," Kim explained that she wanted fans to use her swimwear to hide their insecurities.
"I wanted to make it like Legos. So it could be like, if you want to cover your arms, wear that. If you want to cover your legs, wear that. Like, everyone, pick your insecurity and figure out how to cover it," Kim explained.
Kim has not yet responded to the backlash to her comments.
Kim’s younger sister Kylie Jenner is also now a swimsuit designer. In 2021, she debuted a line of brightly colored, barely-there bikinis and one pieces. While Kim opted for a wide selection of coverage styles, Kylie created a more skimpy collection -- and it wasn’t well received by fans. Fans who purchased the pieces complained that the suits were poorly made and too small. While Kylie hasn’t released any further collections, it sounds like she may revamp the line in the future.
Emily Ratajkowski grew up by the beach and still spends a lot of time in a bikini as a model, so it makes perfect sense that she has her own swimwear line. In 2017, the model and social media star debuted Inamorata, which has now also branched out into clothing and intimates.
"It is that beach attitude taken to the city. It’s not about the body -- it’s about the confidence, it’s about self-love. These are pieces that are for you. Listen, if you never wear your underwear around anyone else, it doesn’t matter. It’s about how it makes you feel," Emily said on the brand’s website.
As a "Sports Illustrated" model, Ashley Graham decided to launch her own line of inclusive swimwear. She teamed up with Swimsuits For All to create her own collection, which includes a wide variety of bathing suits for all shapes and sizes. She says she wants her pieces to promote body positivity and make people feel "badass."
"I know it will make ladies feel sexy in their swimsuits throughout the summer. No matter what you end up wearing this summer don’t forget to rock your swimsuit with confidence. The secret to feeling sexy in a swimsuit is put a swimsuit on and tell yourself 'I’m sexy,'" she told People.
As the founder of CALIA athleisure line, Carrie Underwood decided she wanted to branch out into swimwear in 2019. After years of experimenting with swimwear and finding what kind of bathing suit made her feel most confident, she wanted to share that with other people.
"I’ve had women come up to me and be like, ‘Thank you! I can take my teenage daughter and we can get things that are cute but also appropriate for her and for me,'" says Underwood. "And I think of myself running after my crazy kids and being at hotel pools, wanting to be cute but also not wanting to worry about things. Everything stays where it’s supposed to!" Carrie explained to People.
Victoria's Secret model Candice Swanepoel’s swimwear line Tropic of C has become a celebrity favorite since launching in 2018. The brand came to life while Candice was taking a break from modeling after welcoming her first child. Now, the nature-inspired brand is sold all over the world and is working to transform the swimwear industry by using sustainable fabrics and prioritizing recycled materials.
"Sustainability is a key part of my lifestyle. I think coming from Africa and growing up with such a strong level of nature, it’s where I get inspiration…I had already dreamed up the brand ethos and what I wanted it to look like…It’s like my third baby," Candice told Forbes.
In 2019, Alessandra Ambrosio teamed up with her best friends to launch GAL Floripa, a lifestyle brand highlighting swimwear. The group spent a year designing the perfect pieces for their first collection, which included bikinis and one-piece swimwear. Alessandra has now launched numerous GAL Floripa collections, many inspired by the place where she grew up.
"We always had this dream. We grew up in Florianopolis, which is an island south of Brazil, and swim was always like our second skin. We were always in a swimsuit going from one beach to another and always wanted to have a bikini shop there one day. That was our dream when we were 18," Ambrosio told People.
When Khloé Kardashian started her Good American brand, she wanted to create the perfect denim. Now, the brand has branched out into numerous other categories, including swim. It took two years for Khloé and the company to perfect their swim line before launching but when it finally debuted, Khloé couldn’t have been more excited.
"Swim has been in the works for nearly two years -- it was our most requested category. It can be extremely frustrating and challenging to find swimwear that fits right and makes you look and feel sexy. It is for that exact reason that we spent the time and resources into making this a strong collection so women can feel confident and beautiful, always," Khloé shared with People.
In 2020, "Real Housewives" star Kim Zolciak launched her sustainable swimwear brand Salty K. Kim, who says she owns over 1,000 bikinis, explained that her extensive collection helped her learn about "fit, fabrication and style." When creating the line, Kim says she focused on styles that appealed to a wide range of people and that would last for years to come.
"I want my girls to be able to wear my suits, I want somebody my age to wear my suits, and I also want somebody that's 55 years old to wear my suits and still feel comfortable. That was ultimately my goal. In the past, I've found so many suits I could wear for just one season, before I was like, 'Eh, this is out of style,' or 'The fabric doesn't look good out in the sun.' And I wanted the opposite with this line. I want women to have these suits for years to come. The designs are fun yet simple. Timeless," Kim said in an interview with People.
Elizabeth Hurley has become known for her sexy bikini snaps on Instagram and it completely makes sense considering she’s owned her own swimsuit line since 2005. She says she was inspired to start the company because of her obsession with beachwear -- which all goes back to her upbringing in rainy England where she didn’t often get to wear swimsuits. Now, she wants to make sure all women are looking their best when they get to the beach.
"I decided to venture into beachwear not only because I've always been obsessed with vacation clothes, but also because it's an area where women, regardless of shape or size, can either look amazing or really get it wrong. I wanted to develop resort collections which make women feel fabulous at any age," Elizabeth shared on the company’s website.