British underwear and apparel brand Lounge debut their first-ever swimwear collection as part of Miami Swim Week’s Art Hearts Fashion showcase.

As one of the few British swimwear brands at the annual swimwear trade show, Lounge highlighted inclusivity on the catwalk featuring emerging models through to Instagram famous names including the likes of Kara Del Toro, La-Tecia Thomas, Steph Rayner and Natalie Roser, to represent a wide range of body types to showcase its debut swimwear line.

The move the British fashion brand stated was in line with its ethos to be as “representative as possible to women, encouraging body confidence and comfort, celebrating all women”.

Lounge chief brand officer, Melanie Paradise, said in a statement: “For me, this was all about celebrating our Female Family. We work hard to always reflect inclusivity in what we do and are so passionate about empowering women, encouraging them to feel amazing in their skin and to own their confidence as they worked the runway together.

“A big thing for me was to be diverse not only in our runway’s look but also in our selection of model status. We gave girls who had never walked before this incredible opportunity alongside faces we’ve worked with over the past three years. We loved the idea of making their dream come true, giving them this opportunity to walk for the first time. It was an incredibly proud moment to see our designs go down the catwalk on such an amazing team of strong, confident women.”

Founded in 2016, Lounge has grown from a young couple's dream in their living room, to a fast-growing brand aiming to revolutionise the underwear and apparel industry with “comfort made sexy” at the heart of its products ranging from everyday underwear to loungewear and daring and luxurious lace underwear for an “extra touch of sass”.

Lounge highlights inclusivity on the catwalk at Miami Swim Week

The Lounge Swim collection has been designed to complement the core intimates offering with shimmery fabrics, statement shapes and as well as comfort. Highlights from the debut collection include sexy triangles with cut out details, scooped tops with contrast bottoms, subtle pinstripes and adorable gingham prints.

Lounge has also introduced a bikini version of two of their best selling underwear pieces, its signature ‘Mesh’ style, a sleek scoop top designed with mesh underboob inserts, and the aptly named ‘Miami Triangle Bikini’ which boasts a sports-lux feel with minimal logo, plunging triangle top and high rise bottoms.

Lounge chief executive, Daniel Marsden, added: “The brand began with underwear and that is still and will always be our core, however, we were passionate about bringing swimwear into the mix as a continuation of ‘Comfort Made Sexy’; our core brand value.

“We’re really proud of this first collection and have been completely overwhelmed by how much our customers have loved it. Seeing Lounge Swim on the runway at Miami Swim Week has been absolutely amazing and is just the start for Lounge. We have big plans for the future, so watch this space!”

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Images: courtesy of Lounge by Arun Nevader/Getty Images for Art Hearts Fashion