Nancy Ten years after she sold Tigerlily to Billabong, the designer returned to the beachwear, this time leading the charm of the 70s.
For nearly 20 years since the establishment of the swimwear brand Tigerlily, Australian designer Jodhi Meares has launched The Upside Beach, a vacation extension of her upside sportswear series The Upside – marking her return to swimwear.
After selling Tigerlily to Billabong in 2007, Meares received much-needed relief from the rag trade, distributing her time between Sydney, New York and Hawaii. Loyal yogis soon noticed that the huge GM (including Lululemon) monopolized the sportswear market at home and abroad. In 2013, she launched her own sports and leisure brand, which has high-end sensitivity to more fashion-conscious customers.
Fast Track By October 2018, Meares added The Upside Beach, which she said was the natural development of the brand. “Ultimately, we are a company with an Australian soul and the beach plays an important role in this,” she said.
This line spans swimming and holiday wear and is designed to complement the summer lifestyle of women and can be worn from the coast to the evening. The series’ activities coincided with the European summer shooting in Saint-Tropez, which seems to reflect the French laissez-faire mentality. “Upside Beach is a disappointing charm. I did this to make the team crazy, but if we were shooting, I would put everything in the suitcase, this is how I packaged, then I will [collection] Pull out and continue the model. There is no ironing or over smearing, only clothes and women wearing them,” Meares said.
The collection includes a sleek one-shoulder black piece that can be worn as a skirt or denim under the trim; a leopard-print bikini and paddle suit; and a sportswear style, nautical color bikini.
As the new main summer outfit, the collection features short kimono dresses, plus a luxurious pajama dress made from premium cotton-linen blends designed for beaches, bars and anywhere in the middle.
“I think you will end up designing what you want to wear… I want that kind of freedom and fabric as well,” Jodhi said.
In addition to the ethereal, loose silhouette and natural fibers, The Upside Beach is still perfect for its stable performance. “For this series, printing is very important for Upside Sport,” she said. This line blends simplicity with the charm of the 70s to the Chinese style, traditional Indian textiles and Paris.
In addition to bikinis and beach dresses, there are some serious performance stoppers, including the Luxe Lurex Kate dress and the matching Palazzo Pant, with its fluffy transparent fabric and dramatic proportions that piece together the complete Studio 54.
“We approached the design in French way – a bit loose, beautiful fabrics really can’t speak. When you are in the sun, on the beach on vacation or on vacation, you feel beautiful, which is the same as our design spirit. “Meares said.
What is the next step? Meares recently opened a US office and a boutique in sunny Santa Monica, Los Angeles, as she focused on building the brand’s overseas business.
