Swimwear heading into 2028 is being built around one word: escapism. According to Fashion United, trend expert David Shah told the Mare di Moda textile and swimwear trade fair that consumers now want swimwear to carry them out of everyday life, not just onto a beach. His seminar laid out four movements — Hyper hyper, Chill, Hot and Flow — that will shape beachwear for the season.
The context matters as much as the colours. Shah opened by calling this "one of the most difficult seasons, as nobody in this industry really has any idea what is currently happening." Yet he stayed "very, very positive" about the swimwear market, and the four directions he mapped give shoppers and buyers a working shortlist for what to look for next. For related coverage, see White sneakers women live in come down to three pairings.
Why a trend forecaster admitted he was puzzled
Shah's confession was not a throwaway. He noted that he had opened a seminar with similar perplexity a few years earlier, and doing so again underlines how volatile the industry and the world currently are. The list of uncertainties he ran through was long: the war in Ukraine is not over, tensions between Iran and Israel remain high, conflicts are escalating in the Red Sea, and the US heads to the polls in November.
He also turned to China, where he has worked since 1985. He described the country as culturally self-confident rather than belligerent, advancing in robotics, artificial intelligence and electrical engineering, and pushing imports worth around one billion euros daily into Europe — a flow that now firmly includes fashion, cosmetics and lifestyle. The luxury sector, meanwhile, faces criticism over its pricing. Young people feel cheated and are taking their anger over inequality to the streets. Fewer tourists in Paris, a decline in US buyers and fluctuating markets add to the strain. One odd bright spot: quiet luxury continues to perform well, a phenomenon Shah calls "non-status status".
The consumer shift that favours swimwear again
For years, swimwear lost out to travel itself. Consumers prefer to spend money on experiences rather than possessions, and luxury travel is booming — with some travellers counting visited countries as if in a competition. That hurt the swimwear sector, because a weekend trip built around a photo opportunity does not require 14 days on the beach. Shah expects a turnaround as many people now yearn for a genuine escape from everyday life.
Body ideals are shifting too. The status symbol is no longer a six-pack but the number of healthy years of life. That favours lightweight, soft fabrics and a form of wellness swimwear — a materials story as much as a silhouette one.
The older shopper is back in the spotlight
One of the most commercially interesting threads: the older female consumer is returning to the spotlight following actress Jamie Lee Curtis's appearance in Vogue. This demographic has both the money and the time to travel, yet often finds buying swimwear unpleasant and prefers to order online. The industry must position the category to be age-inclusive, which in practice means better fit language, better online presentation and less intimidating changing-room moments.
Sensuality returns — with a twist
Sensuality is coming back, from the return of the Victoria's Secret show — Bella Hadid walked the VS SS27 ready-to-wear show in October 2026 — to provocative cinema films and series. Behind it sits a generation that feels lonely, finds dating expensive and longs for romance and tenderness. The same young consumers embrace flaws, disruptions and oversized silhouettes while loving playfulness: toys, Lego and puzzles are booming, tennis and padel remain fashionable, and cuteness is back in teddy bears, plush, fluffy textures, pastel shades and a candy-coated sheen.
The four movements to know
- Hyper hyper. Drawn from hyperpop and internet culture: artificial, uninhibited colours, chrome recalling the early internet, and glitter borrowed from glam rock and Y2K. Ruffles, flounces, 3D embellishments with a kitsch factor, plus showgirl and burlesque references. Shah was fond of sequined varsity sportswear, calling it "trash culture at its best". This look is designed less for the beach and more for what follows — cocktails at the beach bar.
- Chill. The counterpoint: lo-fi music, California, authenticity over perfection. Sun-bleached, washed-out colours reminiscent of water, flower petals and honey. A pared-back 1960s surf look, as though children had raided their parents' wardrobes. Two-tone palettes, motifs nodding to indigenous art, batik and hand-dyeing, crochet and needlework pieced together anew, heirloom details such as ruching, smocking and cream-white embroidery, Missoni-style colourways, reworked checks and soft fine stripes.
- Hot. The Latin movement: passion, elegance and seduction. Saturated colours against dark backgrounds with a silky sheen. Shah called it "maximalism at its best", with ruffles, flounces, hyper-realistic feathers, intensely printed skin motifs and colour blotches like an "ink storm". Body-hugging contours and a touch of boudoir, while gender boundaries dissolve.
- Flow. Sustainability has lost momentum in fashion, Shah explained after a conversation with a responsible apparel expert; it is evolving into a "next nature" where nature and technology merge. The colours are atmospheric, mossy and mushroom-like yet carry a clinical, synthetic edge.
Shah's conclusion was clear: swimwear must above all offer escapism. That is the shortest summary of where beachwear is going, and it explains why the four movements look so different from each other — each is a different exit route from the everyday.
What to skip, and the shopping note
What to skip: buying into every movement at once. Hyper hyper and Chill are deliberate opposites, and a wardrobe that chases both ends up costume-heavy. Pick the direction that matches how a person actually travels — a beach-bar socialite has little use for heirloom smocking, and a quiet-sunbather has little use for chrome sequins. We covered a connected angle in What is a capsule wardrobe? The definition, the test, the math.
The practical note: shop the movement, not the season. Look for soft, lightweight fabrics if comfort is the priority, plush and pastel textures if playfulness is, and saturated silk-sheen pieces if drama is. For more on how these directions fit the wider picture, keep an eye on our trends coverage as the 2028 collections land.
