The Best Designer Swimwear Brands \u2014 The Investment Edit

There is a particular kind of swimwear that survives the chlorine, the salt, the seven summers and the inevitable rearrangement of one's body — and still looks like something. We are not talking about the impulse buy that pills by August; we are talking about investment swimwear, the pieces that earn their place in a suitcase year after year. Below, the brands we'd actually save for, and why they're worth it.

Eres — The French Benchmark

If designer swimwear had a patron saint, it would be Eres. Founded in Paris in 1968, the house cuts its costumes from a dense, sculpting double-lined fabric that holds everything precisely where you'd like it held — no underwire, no fuss, no visible engineering. The maillots are the stuff of legend, the bikinis impossibly clean.

This is the swimwear equivalent of a perfectly tailored coat: quietly expensive, endlessly flattering, and never, ever trying too hard. Buy one black Eres maillot and you'll wear it for a decade. Shop Eres

Hunza G — The Cult One-Size Crinkle

The most photographed swimsuit of the last decade, and deservedly so. Hunza G's signature crinkle-stretch fabric is the rare one-size piece that genuinely flatters a remarkable range of bodies — it expands, it contracts, it clings in all the right ways and forgives the rest. The seersucker texture is instantly recognisable, the colour palette dangerously collectable.

A British brand with a JLo seal of approval and a near-religious following, Hunza G is the modern classic that started the crinkle craze. One Seventies-cut one-piece will become the most-worn thing you own. Shop Hunza G

Zimmermann — Resort Romance

For those who treat a holiday as a styling opportunity, Zimmermann is the answer. The Australian house brings its signature romance to swim — painterly florals, scalloped edges, frilled trims and prints that look as though they were dreamed up on the Amalfi coast. These are the bikinis you buy with a matching kaftan and absolutely no regrets.

Pieces that photograph beautifully and feel every bit as luxurious as the runway it all comes from. Worth it for the prints alone. Shop Zimmermann

Melissa Odabash — The Riviera Standard

Spotted on every chic sun-lounger from Capri to Cannes, Melissa Odabash has built a quietly powerful empire on glamorous, grown-up swimwear. Think gold hardware, plunging maillots, ruched detailing and that effortless jet-set polish — the sort of suit that looks just as at home with a wide-brimmed hat and a negroni as it does in the sea.

It's the brand for the woman who wants to look expensive without looking like she's trying. The hardware-trimmed one-pieces are the heroes here. Shop Melissa Odabash

Heidi Klein — British Resort, Done Properly

The London label that understands a holiday wardrobe as a complete proposition. Heidi Klein's swim is beautifully constructed — proper support, considered cuts, and prints that range from the sophisticated to the joyfully bold — and it all coordinates seamlessly with the brand's resort separates. This is grown-up, well-made swimwear with genuine staying power.

If you'd like one place to build an entire poolside capsule, start here. The mix-and-match bikini tops and bottoms make sizing blissfully simple. Shop Heidi Klein

Vitamin A — Conscious Luxury

For the investment buyer who'd like her conscience to come along for the ride, Vitamin A makes some of the most beautiful sustainable swimwear going. The California label works in recycled and eco fabrics that feel buttery against the skin, in a desert-toned palette of terracotta, sand and sage that flatters a tan magnificently. The cuts are clean, the quality serious.

Proof that doing the right thing needn't mean compromising on the lovely thing. Their ribbed one-pieces are a perennial in the edit. Shop Vitamin A

How to Buy It (and Wear It) Well

A few rules for spending wisely. Buy your first investment piece in black — a sculpting maillot from Eres or Odabash earns its keep from beach to bar with a slip skirt thrown over. Choose fabric over flourish: a dense, double-lined costume will outlast a flimsy printed one by years, so let the structured pieces be your splurge and keep the trend-led bikinis (and the crinkle textures) for the brands that do them best. And size for the activity — if you intend to actually swim, prioritise support and a secure cut; if you intend mostly to recline beautifully, follow your eye. Care for them properly — a cold rinse after every wear, never the radiator — and your investment edit will see you through summer after summer, looking every bit as considered as the day you bought it.