Our 30 best bikini (and swimsuit) brands

The 30 best bikini (and one-piece) brands to buy now

Haight

This Brazilians brand’s approach to swimwear is to see it as sculpt ura l spor t swear. Haight ’s cut s a re always interesting – and at times daring, so not for the faint-hearted. From £131, from farfetch.com.

araks

Due to popular demand, this lingerie label expanded into swimwear in 2015. The ex-j Crew desig ner Araks Yeramyan focuses on brilliant fit, streamlined silhouettes and a bold palette. It’s your beachside secret weapon. From £85, from mytheresa.com.

Flagpole

It seemed nat ura l for fou nders Megan Balch and Jaime Barker to name their swimwear brand after their favourite beach, known locally as Flagpole in Palm Beach, Florida. To celebrate t his haven for swimming a nd surfing, the duo were inspired to create a collection that catered for life ‘beyond the beach’ by bridging the gap between swim, athletic, and ready to wear. From £215, net-a-porter.com.

bower Arabella london

Founded in 2015 by husband and wife duo Fiona and Rupert, Bower offers luxury swimwear with an ethical and sustainable slant. Many of its fabrics are made from recycled fishing nets so, a long wit h manufactur ing processes that create as little waste as possible, it is helping to save t he environment one cossie at a time. From £48 for bikini bottoms, bowerswimwear.com. The capital is not the obvious hub fo r sw i mwe a r, bu t Ar a b e l l a London is defying the norm. Impossibly chic, and available in four classic colours, the swimwear – which comes with a ‘sig nature convex cur ve’, created to avoid ‘tugg ing or tucking ’ of bikini bottoms (that’s wedgies to you and me) – will bring you one step closer to your inner Ursula Andress. From £175, arabellalondon.com.

how to buy swimwear

The low-down from Anna Laub, founder of Prism resortwear (right), prismlondon.com. — Dress sensibly when you go swimwear shopping. Take a skir t, trousers or shor ts that you might wear with a swimsuit on the beach. Avoid wearing giant knickers (so you don’t see them when trying on bottoms). — Allow at least an hour to try enough t hings on or email a head for adv ice. The store staff are there to help and can pull options out before you arrive. — Always test the fit: take any detachable straps off and take a walk around the changing room. — Choose your shape first, then pick your favourite colour, texture or print. Swimwear is desig ned with different body shapes in mind – and if in doubt, ask the shop staff’s opinion.

the bikini At 70

Named after Bikini Atoll, the South Paci f ic te s t s ite for t he atom ic bomb, t he t wo-piece ar r ived on t he scene in 1946. Louis Réard (above), a French designer who wanted to create a liberating alternative to the swimsuit, fi r s t showca se d a n it s y-bit s y newspaper-print bikini at the Piscine Molitor in Paris. It took off, was a hit with men (quelle surprise), and Réard continued to sell swimwear in his boutique for the next 40 years. Now, his label is back, under the eye of designer Céline Adler, with clever reinterpretations of Réard classics. From £95, reard.com.