Heidi Klum and New Zealand-based Bendon, which launched Heidi Klum Intimates last year, are getting ready to dive into a larger pool with Heidi Klum Swim. Launching in the Southern Hemisphere in July and the Northern Hemisphere in October, the line of bathing suits and cover-ups will retail between $70 and $240.
“Most of my career has been spent rolling around on beaches around the world, and I still love it, so we’ve been working on this for a while,” said Klum, creative director for both lines as well as the spokesmodel in the Rankin-shot ads.
As for Bendon, which also produces lingerie for Stella McCartney as well as several in-house labels, this first foray into swimwear with Klum is a natural fit.
“Swimwear has always been a part of the growth strategy for the Heidi Klum brand,” said Bendon chief executive officer Justin Davis-Rice. “It’s a natural category extension for Bendon, [because of] our technical knowledge in fit and production. And we have in Heidi Klum a creative director who not only brings credibility and exhaustive fashion credentials, but who also epitomizes the essence of summer.”
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Klum said the most important element for her was fit, and her aesthetic leans toward simple shapes because: “I’m not a huge fan of strange tan lines. There are so many complicated swim shapes out there but I don’t want 10 straps on my back.”
The line features 10 styles of tops and five bottoms in both solids and colorful prints accented with colored metal hardware, studs and tassels. The beach dresses and short and long cover-ups come in coordinating colors.
“When you’re in a swimsuit you are as close to naked as you can get, so I want to make sure women feel good and not vulnerable,” said Klum. “The line also has to perform really well. I go to water parks a lot with my kids and you want things that look good but that also hold up when they are wet.”
The first ads, shot on location and in studio in Los Angeles feature Klum posing in a pool and on set. “I wanted to work with Rankin again because he’s like my brother, and he knows what I want and we play around together working on the images,” she said.
Of the first-year sales, Davis-Rice said, “It’s too soon to give numbers, but we’re incredibly confident Heidi Klum Swim will mirror the success of Heidi Klum Intimates, which is sold in over 2,000 doors worldwide.”