Talking Swimwear With Debenhams Buyer Sasha Nagalingam
With swimwear being popular as ever and seeming to stay in fashion right through the year with lovely holidays to exotic countries we thought we would catch up with the swimwear buyer for Debenhams, Sasha Nagalingam. She tells us about popular trends, the rise of the retro and that Debenhams shoppers like exciting and fun styles. There’s also good news if you need a fuller cup!
Q. So with swimwear still selling right throughout the year, what style are standing out above the rest and the best?
A. We sell more structured styles at the beginning of the season, especially when the more mature customer may be going on cruise holidays. Designer brand styles of swimwear such as J by Jasper Conran and Beach by Melissa Odabash sell very well at this time of year. Other styles such as suits with skirts and grown-up prints are also popular earlier in the season with their darker and more muted base colours, we think this is because these styles are more flattering to the female figure.
Later on customers seem to want skimpier styles for Ibiza style holidays. We sell triangles, tie side pants and more fashionable suits with cut out panels in bright prints. Matthew Williamson’s range was very popular this year. We are also seeing a rise in the retro-trend, which has made the lower leg, higher-waisted brief and skirted pant popular seen in our Floozie range
Q. So with these styles on the up, are there any particular types of colours or patterns that are popular?
A. At the moment it’s all about prints and embellishment – our customers generally don’t go for plain pieces. We usually see neutral colours work better at the start of the season, however we are creating some excitement with pops of pink and coral to lift the mat and offer some choice. For high summer we introduce bolder colours, the focus is on corals and aquas and also some bright neons.
Q. So with all the new styles doing so well, are there any reoccuring styles that are still going strong?
A. Debenhams customers love embellishment, which is becoming an ongoing trend for us. In terms of shape, we stock a broad spectrum to ensure every woman is catered for, but it does vary depending on the time of the year. Other trends have been retro styling in our Floozie range, surf styling seen in our Mantaray range and we have seen a rise in the popularity of one-piece suits for both the older and younger customer.
Q. There are a lot of customers who struggle to find nice swimwear in a fuller cup, are your sizes going up in the near future?
A. We are going up to an E cup on Designer swimwear and Gorgeous goes up to a G cup. We really see certain styles selling better in larger cup sizes – Our Floozie range from FrostFrench does really well in the under-wired options.
So there you have it! Debenhams really have some beautiful pieces in at the moment, and it’s never too late to stock up on a good bikini, late minute holidays are always good this time of year or even one for the pool. So check out the swimwear range at Debenhams and find something perfect for you.