DESIGN CORNER
ROBB & LULU BRANDS
WE ROUNDED UP SOME OF THE EMERGING SWIMWEAR BRANDS KNOWN FOR THEIR DURABILITY, FUNCTIONALITY AND FASHION SENSE – SO YOUR BEACH WORKOUT IS SORTED IN TERMS OF BOTH STYLE AND COMFORT THIS HOT SEASON
Karina McIndoe
PHOTOGRAPHY: NAT LANYON
DESIGNER AT BLUE ATHLETICA BLUEATHLETICA.COM.AU // @BLUEATHLETICA
ON HOW IT BEGAN Growing up on the beach I was always surfing or swimming, so I lived in my swimmers. When I was studying fashion design I interned at swimwear companies and my graduate collection was swim/resort wear, so it was a natural progression for me to go on to design activewear and swimwear. My co-owners, Bridie Cutifani and Angela Saville, and I launched Blue Athletica in 2017, so the business is still a baby. We have had great feedback from customers so far; they love BLUE ATHLETICA
the high quality fabric and compression feel of our tights. In our latest collection, we have evolved our range to feature a new 7/8 length tight and a surf crop – a beautifully cut bikini top that features adjustable straps and a strong, elasticated underbust band to stay put when you are surfing or swimming laps.
ON WHO IT’S DESIGNED FOR We design for women that live active lifestyles but also love fashion. She could be a busy mum or an urban professional but she will take every opportunity to move. Whether it be training for a marathon, hitting the gym, barre class, yoga or going for a surf, she is the type of woman that appreciates quality and likes to express herself through her style.
PHOTOGRAPHY: SUPPLIED BY BLUE ATHLETICA
ON KEY DESIGN ELEMENTS
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womenshealthandfitness.com.au
Bridie and Angela are accomplished personal trainers and I grew up in the water, so when we review each design we not only have high standards for quality, but our combined experience gives us the ability to understand how it will perform at the gym or in the water. When we think about the water component, we want women to be free to move without worrying if their activewear or swimwear is going to hold up. This is why we use compression fabrics, place
elastic in all our straps, and flatlocked seams in the waistbands. Our tights also have powermesh in the waistband. If you can duck dive under a wave or swim laps and not have to re-adjust every time you come up for air, that's a good result! Our anklebiters (full-length tights) and high-neck crops are perfect for providing sun protection if you are spending a day surfing or paddle boarding We use soft fabric imported from Italy which provides great coverage and compression and have it printed here in Australia. The yarn contains lycra so it has great recovery and is long lasting.
ON AESTHETICS Our signature prints that I design inhouse contribute to our range’s aesthetic. We want to stay relevant to what’s in fashion, and one of the ways I ensure this is to ask the girls and myself: ‘Would you wear this print in a dress?’ If the answer is ‘yes’ then I know I am on the right track. Currently, I am loving the classic prints making a comeback in swimwear, such as polkadots and gingham stripes. We have just released our Ciao Bella collection featuring navy with a small white polkadot print and we have a colourful vintage floral on the way too.