This Summer’s Top 20 Hot Resort Wear Brands

Summer is synonymous with resort wear, or ‘casual summer elegance’ and with travel now a year-round pastime, increasingly resort is a genre that many designers are choosing to translate across all seasons, producing collections that are equally suitable for beach or city summer dressing. We have curated twenty globally accessible brands, some heritage and some luxury newcomers, that fall into the resort wear category, creating a go-to guide for the entire family. Summer holiday style and beyond, ticked.

WOMENSWEAR

ZIMMERMANN

The award-winning Australian label was created by two sisters and has grown to become a global brand, that fuses fashion and swimwear, with bohemian silhouettes, colour and texture. The duo now present their ready to wear collections each season at New York Fashion Week, and have branched into menswear and childrenswear. zimmermannwear.com

CULT GAIA

Created in LA, Cult Gaia designs modern heirloom pieces. The brand approaches its collection as objets d’art, and since its inception in 2012 it has not only created waves in the fashion world, with its bamboo clutch achieving cult status, but has grown to become a lifestyle brand, with a ready to wear collection and shoes. cultgaia.com

KALITA

Produced in Bali, the Kalita collection features colours inspired by gemstones, sand, sky and the desert, in signature styles of oversized silhouettes in silk, cotton and linen, with nods to vintage Studio 54. Confident, statement, and so easy to pack for travels around the globe. matchesfashion.com/womens/designers/kalita

KLEMENTS

Charlotte Allen previously designed for Paul Smith before launching her own label, designing all prints by hand. The best-selling brand in the old Harrods ‘scarf room’, Klements scarf production is in Lake Como in Italy but has very British roots, with collaborations with the Natural History Museum in London. klements.co.uk

MATTEAU

Australian label Matteau was borne from a desire of its two female co-founders to create the perfect swimsuit, but has grown to become a philosophy of timeless summer classics with a twist, that should endure long after purchase: the ultimate holiday investment pieces. This May the brand presented their first catwalk show at Australian Fashion Week. int.matteau-store.com

THREE GRACES LONDON

The Three Graces timeless dresses, swimwear and separates in classic neutrals and sun-drenched brights are designed to move seamlessly between beach and city, in cotton, silk and linen sourced from European artisan mills. This season the brand collaborates with British designer Dame Zandra Rhodes with her iconic 1970’s banana leaf print. threegraceslondon.com

LEM LEM

Created by Ethiopian supermodel LiyaKebede in order to preserve traditional weaving methods and inspire economic growth in the region, lemlem is the leading global fashion brand exclusively manufactured in Africa. lemlem has cemented its fashion credibility with runway shows and collaborations from Pierre Hardy to Sonia Rykiel. The brand now produces childrenswear and homewear. lemlem.com

ERES

Launched in the 1960’s the Chanel owned brand offers collections of swimwear and lingerie with a style and architecture designed to emphasise natural femininity whatever your body type. It’s latest holiday capsule combines ready to wear activewear and beachwear in heritage Eres tones of mustard, maroon and fuschia. eresparis.com

MENSWEAR

ORLEBAR BROWN

Orlebar Brown is influenced by 1960’s poolside, drawing inspiration from iconic Riviera and Palm Beach photography: a reminder of the sophistication that went with holidays of the era. The brand has also expanded to a children’s swim short collection, and this season a collection in collaboration with the James Bond franchise, referencing outfits 007 wore throughout the years. orlebarbrown.com

FRESCOBOL CARIOCA

The cult Frescobol Carioca brand rose from the original Brazilian frescobol beach bat teamed with the Carioca spirit of 1970’s Rio. Branching into clothing inspired by the city’s modernist architecture, in European linens and impeccable tailoring designed to move from city to sea with louche ease. Frescobol is now available in over 200 boutiques globally. frescobolcarioca.com

ONIA

Derived from the Hebrew word for sailboat, Onia encompasses its designers passions for travel, hospitality, minimalist design, and sustainability. A celebrity favourite, seen on Kylie Jenner, Jessica Alba and Jay Z to name a few, Onia makes stylish travelling achievable for men and women. onia.com

VILEBREQUIN

The Vilebrequin family brand was founded in St Tropez in 1971 and maintains the idea of the freedom and spirit of the era with holiday collections for men, women and children that are ‘bathed in sun 365 days a year.’ Vilebrequin signature prints allude to the sea and nature with the turtle – the enduring symbol of the house. The brand invests in seabed preservation worldwide. vilebrequin.com

YOSUZI

Yosuzi is a London based brand, founded by Venezuelan born Yosuzi Sylvester who co-develops luxury hats and straw bags with indigenous tribes across Latin America, and stocked in Harrods amongst others. With a loyal celebrity following, Yosuzi designs for men and women, both equally as covetable. yosuzi.com

DUNDAS LONDON

Dundas London champions the great men’s linen shirt, produced in Europe sustainably with hand-selected weaves and highest thread counts. Enormous attention is paid to detail and quality every stage of the process, encouraging the concept of wearing the linen shirt ‘anytime anywhere’. These are shirts designed to travel the globe. dundaslondon.com

CHILDREN

ALEX AND ALEXA

Online shopping destination Alex and Alexa showcase over 400 luxury brands for children including Gucci, Fendi and Burberry. The year-round holiday shop features classic holiday brands such as Vilebrequin and Ray-Ban. It’s the ultimate luxury kids one-stop shop. alexandalexa.com

ANCIENT GREEK SANDALS

Christina Martini earned her fashion stripes as a shoe designer for Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton before launching Ancient Greek Sandals, handmade in Greece for all the family, using traditional techniques, and inspired by local myths, pottery, jewellery and sculpture, The iconic golden wing buckle is inspired by Hermes flying sandals. ancient-greek-sandals.com

MARIE CHANTAL

Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece launched her first collection in 2000 inspired by her memories of childhood, and her five children. The focus is on classic and timeless design with a whimsical summer vibe; with worldwide shipping and a new London flagship. marie-chantal.com

STELLA MCCARTNEY KIDS

Ethical British designer Stella McCartney has been producing children’s collections since 2010. The range covers seasonal collections but the signature prints often fall into a resort theme with quirky and bold colourways. With the brand fully committed to sustainability, all pieces are made from organic and responsible sources. stellamccartney.com

RAYBAN

Founded in 1937 by Bausch & Lomb, on commission of the United States Air Force, Ray-Ban sunglasses were responsible for creating two of the most imitated sunglass models on the planet: the aviator and the wayfarer. The Ray-Ban Junior sunglasses range features a multitude of identical styles to adult Ray-Ban sunglasses, perfect for the mini style icon. ray-ban.com

NET A PORTER

The multi-brand luxury mega site launched its kidswear collective this January, with a tight collection of brands who have all created capsule collections for the website. Featuring offbeat labels from Golden Goose to Aluni, the Chloe collection shines with a resort suitable mini-me collection. net-a-porter.com ◼

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© This article was first published in June-July 2019 edition of World Travel Magazine.