“We have redefined what a bathing suit can be”: Introducing Rivage Swimwear and the original swimdress

There’s a particular visual world that swimwear brands have kept us subscribed to for decades: images of languid days stretched out on a sun-lounger, sprawled with a sense of ease across a range of summery surfaces, be it white sands, yachts or pool floats. But for Nadja Forsberg, the gap between this idyllic, painstakingly-posed notion and the reality of being an active woman on vacation was too vast to ignore. “I was vacationing with my family in the south of France after just giving birth, enjoying quality time with my two children, but I was also reflecting on how uncomfortable I felt wearing the minimal bikinis and bathing suits that were on offer,” Forsberg says. “The way you vacation with kids is different. You’re constantly moving, in and out of the water, buying ice cream, it’s so active. So I envisioned something that I could wear to feel more elegant and comfortable,” she says. “Something versatile.”

Cue Rivage Swimear, the brainchild of Forsberg's which she started up with fellow co-founders Michelle Malmström and Jessica Johansson, launched in spring 2023. Taking its name from the French word for a bay or shoreline, the Rivage universe exudes a vintage-tinged feeling of riviera sophistication centred around a quiet (and quick-drying) revelation of a design: the swimdress. A UV-resistant swimsuit, cover-up, and beach dress all in one, the swimdress serves as an all-in-one staple: lined with a full bathing suit with a liftable skirt. Simply squeeze or pat-dry the dress and, within a matter of seconds, excess water has dried from the breathable material and it's regained its perfect shape and fall. “We have redefined what the bathing suit can be,” says Malmström. “It blurs the lines between ready-to-wear and classical swimwear to address this gap that we had seen. It’s a garment that brings you from the ocean to lunch without worrying about cover-ups or switching outfits.”

Initiating the design process for the Rivage swimdress came with meticulous research and consideration, with the trio of women looking back through chronicles of swimwear, studying the female experience of dressing for the water and everything that came with it: from bathing gowns worn in the 18th century to the pop culture moments that birthed the bikini. While the trio were seeking more covered-up silhouettes in response to the rise of the scant string bikini styles, Forsberg is clear that Rivage is not about wanting women to cover-up. “That would be something that would signal insecurity,” she says. “This wasn’t about making something to hide in. This is about confidence and comfort and elegance. It’s really about having the opportunity to choose.”

That doesn’t mean the swimdress is lacking in sex appeal – the founders were acutely aware of still bringing sensuality to the design. “We spoke a lot about the length of the skirt, it’s still sexy,” Malmström says. “It’s just about the personal perception of what you consider to be feminine and sensual,” Forsberg adds. The development of the swimdress was aided by Forsberg’s existing contacts through previous entrepreneurial endeavours including the popular hosiery brand Swedish Stockings. The Rivage team secured a relationship with an Italian factory specialising in high-end swimwear, working in close collaboration to secure the best fit, functionality and design. Today, the hero swimdress design – an A-line silhouette with deep V-line cut at the front and back – is available in retro-tinged red and white colourways. “We tried to add some dust to the colours, tapping into ‘60s and ‘70s imagery of the riviera that inspired us,” Forsberg explains.

Nothing quite expresses Rivage Swimwear’s vision of a confidence and comfort more than its debut video shot at an indoor pool in Stockholm, starring two Swedish women who Forsberg describes as having “mastered water, both on the surface and under the surface”: Olympic medal and world championship-winning Therese Alshammar and free-diving athlete and entrepreneur Li Karlsén. “It really captures how we are inspired by women, not necessarily just in how they look or dress, but in what they do – their personalities, their strength, and their uniqueness,” Forsberg says of the video campaign. “These are inspirational and fierce women, and you can see how streamlined and strong they are wearing Rivages.”

See the campaign by Oscar Barkenbom below: