Taking on the resortwear boom

Key takeaways 

• Swimwear collections have grown in the past year, and bikinis are the predominant style in both mass market and luxury brands’ collections 
• Price inflation has had an impact on the price of swimwear, although bikinis and one-pieces have been affected differently.
• Within holiday or resortwear collections, brand assortment volumes differ between the European and US market

As summer travels are back in full swing, brands are increasing their investment in swimwear and resort wear. As stated by Euromonitor, the US swimwear market has grown by 14% YoY – now valued at more than $5 billion and expected to reach nearly $7 billion by 2025. Dive into Retviews’ latest analysis to get all the data insights your brand needs when launching holiday wear this year. From assortment mix, to pricing and sustainability initiatives – see how the industry is taking on the holiday wear comeback.

The mass market state of swimwear 

Brands are not wasting any time, as Retviews data indicates that numerous mass market brands within the US market started launching their swimwear collections in January. The resurgence of traveling compared to 2021 is clearly reflected in swimwear assortments. Within the US market, there has been a 54% increase in assortment share, in leading brands’ swimwear collections.

When taking a closer look at Retviews’ data, it is evident that bikinis are gaining more traction than one-piece styles this year, with a 17% YoY increase. Within both styles, specific trends stand out. The most popular colors in swimwear assortments in 2022 are pink, green, black, and orange – coinciding with this season’s bright color trend. Within one-pieces, several key trends are emerging this season as the most popular styles are cutouts, high leg cuts and one-shoulder styles, which make up 32%, 21% and 10% of leading brands’ swimwear assortments.

Another key swimwear and beachwear trend this season is crochet. Crochet bikinis, which weren’t present in SS21 collections, now account for 1.5% of leading mass market brands’ spring summer 2022 collections. The trend has not only had an impact on swimwear, as categories such as crochet bags, crochet hats are increasing significantly within leading brands’ assortments, growing by 113% and 250%, respectively.

Size inclusivity still seems to be faltering in swimwear collections. Sizes are lacking on both ends of the spectrum, as leading brands are not offering 3XS styles and their assortment of XXS styles has decreased by 66%, compared to 2021. On the other side of the spectrum, mass market leaders are not catering to consumers above a size 2XL, as only 1%-2% of the swimwear assortment is offered in sizes 3XL and 4XL.

Swimwear prices heat up

Price inflation has already had a significant impact on the fashion industry as a whole, and Retviews data has already showcased that price increases are more prominent within mass market brands in the US market, as opposed to the European market. Considering the industry-wide price hikes, where does swimwear stand?

As indicated by Retviews data, leading brands are increasing prices for both bikinis and one-pieces, with a 14% and 4% YoY price increase, respectively. This price increase is directly proportionate to the difference in assortment share for the two respective styles. As depicted previously, one-pieces are less present in leading brands’ assortments which is reflected with a smaller price increase – as brands are hiking consumer prices within the bikini category, which initially stands at a lower price point than one-pieces.

Swimwear in luxury

Although luxury brands’ assortments showcase a predominance of bikinis over one-pieces, the assortment share of the popular two-piece bathing suit has shown a slight decrease within the luxury market, falling by 1% YoY. Logos are a big part of luxury brands’ assortments, and their prominence can also be seen within swimwear assortments, as 42% of luxury brands’ swimwear collections display a brand logo.

Taking the US market into consideration, Retviews data showcases that one-piece bathing suits are more prominent within the luxury market, seeing as the style makes up 35% of luxury leaders’ swimwear assortments, whereas mass market brands’ one-pieces account for only 16% of the swimwear assortment.

The difference between luxury and mass market swimwear is also evident within their price hikes, as one-pieces have a stronger price increase than bikinis, standing at 62%.  Unlike mass market brands, fashion’s luxury players comfortably increase prices several times a year and are not subject to an inflation-induced decline in demand, as higher-income consumers have maintained spending habits.  Furthermore, according to Bain, global sales of personal luxury goods will reach at least $320 bn this year, with a YoY rise of at least 5%. 

The resurgence of vacation dressing 

Prior to the pandemic, resortwear was already becoming a key category for luxury brands. However, as travel restrictions are being lifted, there is a now a boom in luxury resortwear, with many brands installing pop-up shops in maritime locations. Many luxury brands have added “holiday wear” capsule collections in their Spring Summer 2022 assortments. These capsule collections enable them to both target higher income clients who want to accessorize their holidays with luxury pieces, as well as remain a relevant entry point for younger consumers, at a time when prices for their iconic bags are skyrocketing.

Retviews’ data indicates that within the US market, Versace focused the most on accessories whilst Valentino included more ready-to-wear items in its resortwear collection.

Within Versace’s holiday accessories’ assortment, the three standout categories are beach towels, sunglasses, and beach accessories – each of which account for 17%, 10% and 6% of its assortment share, respectively.

For both brands there is a trend of offering a different number of items in their vacation capsule collection between the EU and the US market. Within each brand’s overall resortwear assortment, the collection is larger within the European market. Versace’s and Valentino’s European resortwear assortments are 9% and 6% larger than their US resortwear collections, respectively. However, certain specific categories stand out.

Retviews’ data, looking at brands’ collections on an international scale, indicates that Valentino displays the strongest difference between the European and US market, within its holiday wear skirt assortment – which is 50% larger within the European market. On the other hand, within Versace’s most prominent category accessories, the US market holds a larger assortment than within the European market.

Retviews, the competitive analysis platform for fashion brands allows brands to optimize their retail strategy on an international scale. Targeting different markets requires a different approach in terms of assortment strategy, to get the right product mix in different markets. Here it is evident that Valentino’s main resortwear focus is ready-to-wear, which in turn is less prominent within the US market. Access to this data would allow your brand to formulate the best strategy, which in this case could be to increase the number of accessories when targeting the US market, especially if your goal is to target a younger generation.

Brands' sustainability initiatives

As consumer demand for sustainable products has reached an all-time high, many brands are boosting their sustainability efforts – regarding both the raw material used as well as improving their environmental impact. In the swimwear market, investments for sustainable materials such as EcoNyl, EcoLux and EcoRib have grown. Moreover, many US brands have increased the share of recycled fabrics used in their swimwear products.

In 2021, Retviews data shows that – aside from Gap – leading brands within the US market didn’t have a high percentage of swimwear made from recycled fabrics. Abercrombie and Aritzia’s assortment of swimwear made from recycled fabric went from non-existent to making up a large portion of their swimwear assortment.

Retviews data allows your brand to track competitors’ strategies, identify gaps and be able to act on it quickly and confidently, to gain a competitive advantage. In this case, having access to real-time data on sustainable swimwear would help your brand identify competitors’ sustainability efforts and compare your own strategy, in order to make a data-based decision that will improve your strategy and keep your brand ahead of the competition.

Hit the market on time, on trend and on cost with Retviews

Demand for apparel is becoming increasingly unpredictable, due to factors such as the global pandemic, price inflation and supply chain disruptions, as well as the fast-paced shift of consumer preferences. Micro trends and aesthetics are taking over the trend cycle and being able to keep up with the changes is essential to remain competitive. Your brand can access competitors’ data in real-time and quickly act on what you see, reducing your lead-time, allowing you to sell the right product and increase your margins. With Retviews, you can stay on top of the industry shift with the right assortment, discount and pricing strategies.