Beachwear- Current Trends and Possible Future

Beachwear includes items of apparel or accessories specifically for use at the beach. Though this particular segment of clothing is still in infancy stage in India, but the global market provides a tremendous scope for developments and research in this field. With the advantage of various factors such as easy availability of raw materials, strong base of traditional textile art, the Indian market can definitely make a mark in this segment of clothing too.

Designing of any product specifically clothing line requires various factors which now is not an option but a necessity. Accordingly today's globally oriented consumer looks for the following in any design:

• Comfort
• Design
• Fit
• Utility
• Cost

Functionality of material used, performance of textile and fit of the swimwear are important factors to be considered while designing for swimwear. Transformability of beachwear into casual wear or lounge wear is another growing trend and demand among consumers.

Designing and promotion of this category of body wear is still a taboo. The requirement for this garment may be minimal but cannot be ignored. It is high time we got it out of the closet and gave it its due share of recognition.

To further reinforce on the lack of innovations taking place in this segment the researcher conducted a survey to assess and evaluate the prevailing trends in beachwear specifically in terms of design features and fabric use.

The investigation showed that there is stagnancy in the design factor of the beachwear flooding the commercial market today. Also restriction in usage of innovative fabrics for beachwear is another area that can be looked into, to give the customer a perfect blend of design with comfort and functionality- the mantra for global success today.

Aim of the survey

The study aimed to determine the current trends in beachwear in terms of functional and structural features.

Objectives

• To conduct a survey of retail stores located in Bangalore specifically dealing with sportswear, beachwear and activewear.
• To assess the current market trend in terms of fabric use in beachwear.
• To evaluate the design features prevailing in beachwear in todays market.

A schedule was used and the data was collected from 20 retailers dealing with beachwear located in Bangalore.