Why Most Swimwear Design Is Still Stuck in the Binary

1) A System built on assumptions
2) When design defines the body
3) Beyond just the visual
4) Towards a more open approach
5) Designing from the body, not the category
6) Rethinking swimwear

Swimwear has long been built on a simple structure: two categories, two sets of expectations, two ways of presenting the body. For decades, this framework has shaped how garments are designed, produced, and worn. It has influenced cuts, proportions, levels of coverage, and even how people are expected to feel in what they wear.

But the body has never been that simple.

A system built on assumptions

Traditional swimwear design is based on fixed ideas. Patterns are developed around standardized shapes, and silhouettes are repeated with only minor variation. These structures may be efficient, but they are also limiting.

They assume that bodies can be grouped neatly, that proportions are predictable, and that everyone will feel comfortable within the same set of options. In reality, this is rarely the case. Bodies differ. Identities are fluid. And the way someone wants to experience their body cannot be reduced to a category.

When design defines the body

One consequence of this system is that clothing begins to define the body rather than respond to it. Instead of asking how a garment can adapt, design often asks the wearer to fit into it. This creates a disconnect, where the piece may technically fit, but does not feel aligned.

In swimwear, this is especially visible. Because the garment is minimal, every decision becomes more pronounced. A cut that is slightly off, a tension that is uneven, or a silhouette that does not correspond to how someone wants to feel can change the entire experience.

Beyond just the visual

Much of traditional swimwear is driven by visual codes. Certain shapes are linked to certain expectations, and these codes are repeated without questioning whether they actually serve the body.

But design is not only visual. It is also structural. A garment can look right and still fail in movement. It can follow a familiar silhouette and still feel uncomfortable to wear.

Moving beyond the binary is not just about changing aesthetics. It is about rethinking how garments are constructed in the first place.

Toward a more open approach

A different perspective is beginning to emerge, one that focuses less on categories and more on adaptability. Instead of defining who a garment is for, the design starts with how it functions, how it fits, how it moves, and how it feels over time.

This approach allows for more flexibility, both physically and emotionally. It creates space for different bodies, different preferences, and different ways of expressing identity.

It does not erase difference. It simply stops imposing a single structure on it.

Designing from the body, not the category

At andi, swimwear is developed with this shift in mind. Rather than starting from predefined silhouettes, each piece is built from the body outward. Movement, balance, and real-world wear are considered from the beginning.

This led to the development of Skin-Wear™, a system based on anatomical coverage, soft compression, and stability. Instead of forcing the body into a fixed form, the garment adapts to it, creating a more natural and consistent fit.

The result is swimwear that feels less prescriptive and more intuitive.

Rethinking swimwear

Moving beyond the binary is not a trend. It is a reconsideration of how design relates to the body. It is about creating garments that respond rather than define, pieces that support different ways of existing without reducing them to a single form.

The future of swimwear is not about replacing one standard with another. It is about expanding the possibilities. Design becomes less about fitting into a category and more about finding alignment between the garment and the person wearing it.

Explore the Skin-Wear™ collection and discover a different approach to design, one that begins with the body and stays with it.