Svitlana Bevza sells seashell swimsuits? Now that’s a tongue twister.
The Ukrainian designer known for her minimalist ready-to-wear is dipping back into the beach market, this time with an extended assortment straight out of Ariel’s wardrobe in “The Little Mermaid.”
The two bikinis and two cutout one-pieces in black, white, yellow and aqua all feature a clam-shaped bustline, which Bevza has previously used on a line of slip dresses and one other bathing suit that walked her spring 2020 runway. Both were such a success that they “are still in very high demand,” the designer said, so incorporating the aquatic motif into a larger range of swimwear was a no-brainer.
Masha Tsukanova models the Bevza swimwear collection.
Courtesy of Bevza
Nodding to the environment and the collection’s use of conscious deadstock fabrics, shells are also “a metaphor that every woman is a pearl, precious and unique,” Bevza said.
So when the time came for her to choose the pearl that would be the face of her campaign, she looked to longtime friend and former Vogue Ukraine editor in chief Masha Tsukanova. “It was just fun to ask her, ‘Masha, would you undress for me?’” the designer said.
Masha Tsukanova models the Bevza swimwear collection.
Courtesy of Bevza
Tsukanova, who is 42, was honored to do so — and to be part of the wave of age-inclusive casting in fashion as seen in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue covers featuring Martha Stewart and Gayle King, among others, and campaigns from major brands like Prada, Balmain and Balenciaga, who are encouraging values of “permission and acceptance,” as she said. “Bevza featuring the face and body of a non-professional model over 40 destigmatizes aging and non-normative beauty.”
The Bevza swim collection is available online from Wednesday. Prices range from $85 to $335.