Q: What do you enjoy most about designing swimwear?
A: I love the entire process but my favorite is at the conceptual stage, when I select the fabric and design the hardware from scratch. It is amazing to see a small swatch, scrap of metal and an idea transform into a beautiful bikini worn by thousands of women all around the world.

Q: What’s your favorite new swim trend for 2011?
A: Definitely my “L*Novelties” styles. Adding that extra detail gives swimwear a luxurious touch. I created an entire group this season doing just that with macramé and fishnet treatments. The price point is slightly higher but I think more women are leaning towards that sophisticated showstopper and I’m excited to design it for them!

Q: Tell us a little about the inspiration(s) behind the 2011 collection.

A: For 2011 you will see a trend of matte golds, ethnic prints and detailed treatments incorporated throughout the collection. Gray plays a huge role in both my loungewear and swim this season. Its cool yet subtle presence makes for a soft and complimenting color on all skin types. I also incorporated the adage “opposites attract” into the collection and popped a very vivid set of Kelly greens, acid blues, corals and rich reds with soft hues creating a eye-catching statement for the pools or at the beach.
Silhouette-wise I love the exhibitionist style of the Rio De Janeiro beaches…we’re not talking topless here but I did pay a small tribute to that barely there coverage in triangle tops and Brazilian bottoms, coining them in the collection as Skinnie Minnie and the Scanty.

Q: The 2011 collection features a number of new top and bottom styles.  What’s your favorite new style and why?
A: The Beverly Bandeau.  Every swim manufacturer has caught on to the bandeau band-wagon so to offer our customers something fresh we gave our top selling Lola Bandeau a facelift. By changing the back tie to a front tie, bandeau fans get a little lift for the “girls” along with an easy-on-the-spine comfort for hours of bronzing on the beach.

Q: Every year, you always create exclusive new styles and collaborate with different organizations.  This year, you teamed up with the African Wildlife Foundation and created the “Wild At Heart” capsule collection.  Could you tell us a little about the collection and the inspiration behind it?

A: This season I am collaborating with an organization that I have admired for years. There is a special place in my heart for animals so I jumped at the opportunity to work with such an influential movement. Using a vintage color pallet for a refreshing spin on animal prints, the small collection emulates the beautiful coats of zebras and leopards found in two regions (Kilimanjaro and Limpopo) of the AWF conservation efforts. It is an honor to partner with the AWF (not to mention wildlife indigenous to Africa lend themselves quite nicely to swimwear prints) and I cannot wait to see how this wildlife-inspired capsule collection is received.

Q: What’s your all time favorite product that you’ve designed thus far and why?

Stardust Fringe One-Piece: Monica's Favorite Style!

A: That would have to be my Stardust Fringe One-Piece. I came up with the concept about six years ago after seeing the treatment on a shoe while traveling abroad. My thought process was if it looked good on a shoe it has to look good on a bikini, right? Yes, although my epiphany seemed unlikely to most, six years later that fringe epiphany remains a top seller in my collection and one I hope to carry through and reinvent for many more years.

Q: Tell us something interesting about yourself that most people do not know (the quirkier, the better!)

A: Well I guess most people would NOT know that I am an absolute reality show addict. Anything from American Idol and Rachel Zoe to Top Chef and Project Runway…I think I have upwards of 10 reality series set on my TiVo at the moment. I just can’t get enough!

Q: What’s one item you can’t live without at the beach?

A: Although a solid summer read and designer shades are included in my beach tote, I would have to say Sunscreen is one item I cannot live without. As we know bikinis only cover a small breadth up top and down below so protecting my skin is priority! So much of a priority that I created my very own L*Space SPF, Shady Lady to keep beach bound babes healthy and unscathed from the harsh UV’s.

InStyleSwimwear is pleased to present Paula Hermanny, the brilliant creator and designer of ViX Swimwear, in this exclusive Beauty & The Beach interview:

Q: How did ViX Swimwear first come about?

 
A: Vix came about when I moved to the US and saw a void in the market for exceptional swimwear.

 
Q: Where did you draw inspiration from for your new collection?

 
A: I follow trends in fashion shows and magazines, I went to Europe to see how fashion translated there and I shop all over the world for inspiring colors, details and concepts.
 

Q: Do you feel that swimwear trends are related to more general fashion trends?  Do you consider general fashion trends before designing a new collection?

A:Yes, swimwear often picks up on current trends, weather its, leather, gold, rope, fringe or neon we all accent our collections with the most recent trend. Yes I do consider general trends but not all translate into my vix image.
 

Q: What’s your all time favorite product that you designed thus far?  Why?

A: It would either be the new wendy dress I designed last year or the solid triangle suits with tortoise in this collection- I love classic solids and think tortoise is so chic.
 

Q: What is one item you can’t live without at the beach?

A: I love my Oliver People sunglasses!!

First up is Monika Hornbostel, creator and designer of Anika Brazil Swimwear.  Let’s see what she has to say.

Q: How did Anika Brazil first come about?
 

A: ANIKA, from the name of the brand (meaning grace and thanks), to the inspiration behind the brand, is all drawn from my near constant love affair with Brazil and all things Brazilian.

 
As the bikini gods (or goddesses!) would have it, I moved here during my adolescence and absorbed the culture and (I hope) a bit of that delicious Brazilian style. After university and a treacherous, torturous 2 years in banking I fled back to Rio de Janeiro and several years later realized that designing swimwear neatly brought together all of my passions! Drawing, working with color, even cutting material, provided an on hands experience and satisfaction that sitting in front of a computer just didn’t fulfill. The obligation to spend hours on Ipanema beach for field study wasn’t bad either!

Anika brings together swimwear with jewelry, through embellishments and sidepieces. I joke around that if you tire of your bikini, you then have some jewelry to play with. This is what sets Anika apart from the others and what makes Anika truly special. I use freshwater pearls, mother of pearl and even polished horn in my collections.

Q: Where did you draw inspiration from for your new collection?
 

A: Inspiration for Cruise 2010 comes from the incredible precious stones that come from Brazil. The    colors are rich   and opulent such as emerald, aquamarine and my absolute   favorite, sapphire, which is a beautiful cobalt that stands out   on all skin tones.

Cruise 2010 embellishments come from natural sources, whenever possible, such as mother of pearl details and also polished horn. All of our embellishments are made to go in the water. I cannot imagine designing swimwear that was only for show and couldn’t get wet!

Q: Do you feel that swimwear trends are related to more general fashion trends?  Do you consider general fashion trends before designing a new collection?

A: Certainly colors and some prints follow fashion trends. But what I love about swimwear is that you are designing for women to feel great about themselves, even when they may be at their most vulnerable (almost naked!). Swimwear is about a great fit and colors that compliment women’s skin tone. Last season nude was big on the runways, but there was absolutely no way that I was going to incorporate nude into our color palette. On the beach you want colors that are rich and stand out, without being tacky or too over the top. I feel that Anika is able to do that in a sophisticated color palette and with incredible sidepieces.

Black with opulent sidepieces is always one of our bestsellers, and I think that says a lot about what women are looking for in swimwear. They are looking for sophistication and a color they feel chic and comfortable wearing on the beach or at the pool.

Q: What’s your all time favorite product that you designed thus far?  Why?

A: I absolutely LOVE sliding rings. We started with sliding rings 3 years ago and lots of other brands saw how great they are and continued with this trend. Even so it is a silhouette that I always have in the collection. Anika does more of an artistic ring, not the plain metal ring but rather a miniature piece of art. This year on of our sliding rings is hand woven with seed beads and on the front of the ring is an amazing gold foil murano rectangle. It is rightly named GOLD BAR.

Q: What is one item you can’t live without at the beach?

A: Oversized sunglasses – I have an old school YSL pair that are so cool. Even wearing a skimpy string Anika I feel duly covered, since I am hiding behind my shades. I also love Humectress leave in conditioner after I come out of the water. It smells lightly coconutty and is as important as sunscreen for me and my big pile of curly hair. My hair actually looks better after the beach than before!