Sunshine Brings Spike in Swimwear Sales on Melrose
Summer might have started a little late for boutiques selling swimwear on Los Angeles’ high-profile Melrose Avenue.
For much of May and June, it was cloudy and cool in Los Angeles, and that was a problem for these boutique owners, who work in a place that typically boasts of year-round sunshine. Those interviewed for this article said swimwear sales on Melrose only started spiking around Father’s Day,June 21. On that weekend, the sun finally broke through the “June gloom” weather that was clouding over the area, said Karen Meena, vice president of buying and merchandising at Ron Robinson, located at the Fred Segal store on Melrose Avenue.
“It was a late-blooming year,” Meena said. People typically start buying swimwear in January, often for a cruise or a Mexican vacation. But even though the cruise season was light this year, at least there was a steady stream of people buying boardshorts year-round in surf-obsessed Southern California.
It was enough to support high sales for Sundek, a 50-year-old classic surfwear label with new cachet. Florence, Italy–based Kickoff SPA reintroduced the boardshorts, which bear a rainbow logo, this year. Meena said the boardshorts’ price tag also gave a boost in a tough year. A pair retails for $125.
Veteran surf company Billabong continues to be popular at Ron Robinson. The Irvine, Calif.–based company’s “Gringo” boardshort has been selling well. The print on this boardshort was designed to look like a colorful Mexican blanket. Another popular Billabong item is the retro-style “1986” boardshort. Both retail for around $54.
Upstart Aussie brand Insight is performing well at Ron Robinson. The surfers shopping there are looking for Insight boardshorts with flair. Popular Insight styles include “Tabloids,” featuring a newspaper-style print all over the boardshort, and the “Framous” boardshort, which features a print of sunglasses. They retail between $52 and $58.
Also popular at Ron Robinson is Huntington Beach, Calif.–based O’Quinn, which debuted in 2007. Retail price points range from $52 to $58 for O’Quinn styles, such as “Linus” or “HappyDays.”
Ron Robinson has produced a capsule collection from Southern California designers called the L.A. Designers Series. Jade Howe, creative director of the Howe fashion house, designed two boardshorts for Ron Robinson. Meena said they were selling well, with retail price points ranging from $52 to $58.
Flavia Mosci hopes the June gloom is banished from Southern California. On July 15, she debuted her high-end bikini label, Mosci, at her boutique, which also bears her last name. The swim line takes inspiration from the beachwear of her native Brazil. Her shop, located at 7813 Melrose Ave., debuted in 2005 as a destination for casual Brazilian fashions.
Because Brazil’s beach culture is legendary, Mosci said, her shop has become a go-to place for Brazilian bikinis. “One thing I have not seen a drop in is bikini sales,” she said of selling fashions during an economically tough year. She planned for bikinis to drive traffic to the store. Since January, she placed her bikinis on sale, with some 50 percent off.
Brazilian-cut bikinis are famously skimpy. Some of the best-selling bikinis at Mosci are Brazilian lines tailored to American tastes. The Laura Soares label is designed in Los Angeles by Brazilian expatriate Laura Soares and manufactured in Brazil. This designer’s mission seems to be finding a happy medium between Brazilian sizzle and American suits, which can offer more support.
Popular Soares styles feature a crochet material and details such as small quartz stones hanging from the tie strings on the sides of the bikini bottoms. They retail for $89. Another swimwear line juggling Brazilian sensuality and American sensibility is Maracuja, which is manufactured in Brazil. A suit retails for $65.
Mosci reports those interested in the full Brazilian swimwear experience have purchased true Brazilian-cut bikinis from Magia Do Mar. Retail price points are $65.For swim trends, Mosci said she has noticed a lot of skin tones, floral bikinis and tiger stripes in the best-selling swimwear.
Brazilian label Tyla Couture also has been a top seller at store Imperial Planet, located at 7473 Melrose Ave. Retail price points range from $110 to $180 for Tyla. Imperial Planet owner Jacques Kevorkian said swimwear is new for his store this year. He also debuted a private-label line, called Imperial Planet, which retails for $50 to $70.
