India and the New Age Bikini Bazaar

The bikini, that for so long has been a subject of much scorn in India, has undergone a dramatic facelift.

A stroke tassel bikini set (L) and a pastel choker strapped bikini by Flirtatious, (M); and an aqua fringe bikini set by The Label Life (R).

Here’s a humble request: let’s not reduce the bikini to an object that’s designed merely to appease the male gaze.

Because it is so much more than that. In its tininess, it holds together all the confidence of a woman, its delicate strings strong enough to weather centuries of patriarchy.

Call it an effect of the globalisation wave or the emancipated thinking of women, the bikini – which for so long has been a subject of much scorn and vilification in India – has undergone a dramatic facelift.

Scarlet plunge swimsuit by The Label Life, ₹ 3,890; black plunge swimuit by The Label Life ₹ 3,890; and a metallic bikini by The Beach Company, ₹ 3,200.

Just three years ago in 2013, Milan-educated designer Aakriti Grover opened her stylish swimwear brand, Flirtatious, in India to cater to the gap in the market between ridiculously expensive swimwear and cheap, unstylish options. She has witnessed the Indian swimwear market evolve dramatically first hand, in how women are demanding better designs that flatter their bodies and give them an empowered feeling on the beach.

Designer Nikhil Thampi too has created a swimwear line for The Label Life, full of bright colours and an easy-breezy vibe.

Tangerine Plunge Swimsuit by Nikhil Thampi for The Label Life, ₹ 5200.

Aqua Fringe Bikini Set by The Label Life, ₹ 2360; stroke tassel bikini set by Flirtatious, ₹ 5600, and a firetrap tassled bikini by The Beach Company, ₹ 2900.

Like Aakriti Grover of Flirtatious, designer Nidhi Munim has focused almost exclusively on the beach/swimwear market in India.

Today, bikini designs available online in the Indian e-commerce space are striking and bold; cater to the adventurous Indian woman, unafraid of disapproving looks, and determined to look good on a beach holiday.

Part of this could be attributed to increasing disposable incomes and bi-annual travelling rituals.

Pastel choker strapped bikini by Flirtatious,₹ 4500; Vanilla Moon S/S 2016 by designer Nidhi Munim; Santorini, a polka dotted high waisted bikini by designer Nidhi Munim.

And these brands, with their size charts accommodative of almost all types of curvy Indian women, are just as determined to make them look good.