Cult Gaia first made retail waves with its Gaia's Ark bag, a beachy-bamboo design that quickly put the brand on the fashion map. Ready-to-wear and shoes soon followed, as well as statement jewelry, all created with the same bold, slightly-retro, cool-girl approach to style. These are not clothes and accessories for shrinking daisies.
Next up for the Insta-friendly brand? Swimwear, of course—the first full collection from the label after doing a collaboration in the space. And minimal black one-pieces these are not. Instead, designer Jasmine Larian is going all in on bright, sculptural bikinis and one-pieces, which just launched on cultgaia.com. Below, hear from Larian on why it was time for bathing suits, what inspired her, and which icon she'd love to see wear the pool-ready pieces.
What made you want to launch swim?
Everyone kept asking us and it became hard to ignore. Everything I’ve done for this brand has been super-organic and there’s never been a true rhyme or reason..it has always just been when I feel it's right and when everything falls into place. Resort is also my favorite season because it feels very wanderlust. I also have the longest time to concept and design the collection.
Shop Cult Gaia Swim
Claudia Bikini - Seaspray
Jana One Piece - Surf Multi
Now 60% Off
Cindy Bikini - Surf Multi
Now 49% Off
Cindy Bikini - Shiva
Now 62% Off
It clearly is within the brand DNA but what made now the right time?
Serendipity. I started designing swim that ties back to our ready-to-wear because I love keeping a lot of our styles sheer and use it as a layering piece so the clothing has more end uses. l have always been the person that buys the cover-up to wear with jeans and at the beach so that’s how this collection really came to be. I also think our visual language aesthetic has evolved and so much of our hardware and accessories design lends itself to elements that look so beautiful in our swimwear. Like the amorphous faux tortoise and brass rings that we used as a detail and the clear straps that make it look like the bikini is suspended on the body.
What is the inspiration for the collection?
I imagined a modern goddess woman went back in time to 60s poolside parties and what she’d be wearing. We also derived a lot of inspiration from the brand itself and made sure that every fabrication looked almost iridescent in a non-obvious way under the warm sun. It was also important to me to make the collection super wearable and accessible. I used the most flattering and classic shapes and added strong details without it feeling over-designed and overdone.
Who would you love to see in it, real or fictional?
My friends. In a fantasy world...Monica Belucci, Sofia Loren, Monica Vitti all captured in old school Italian paparazzi.
Kerry Pieri is Harper's Bazaar's Digital Fashion/Features Director. Kerry oversees the fashion vertical for BAZAAR.com, including launching digital covers, styling celebrity features, and managing recurring features including Brand Watch and My Life in Three Looks. In addition, Kerry edits the “best of” each season, from shoes to bags, denim and coats, and is consistently looking for shifts in the fashion realm to lend a voice. Kerry formerly served as the Editorial Director of StyleCaster.com and as a producer at Full Frontal Fashion. She lives in New York with her husband Steve, and baby girl Lila Sky.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qa3RqZyrq5KWx6Kt0WeaqKVfm660tMiopWisopq7pb%2BOmmlycGZmhXSBjpyspaxdnK6qrYysrqKlXZi8rbjEnKuip55k