Latin American Swimwear and Resortwear Labels Worth the Suitcase Space
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Latin America doesn’t just have the beaches — it has the swimwear to match. Brazil and Colombia in particular have turned swim and resortwear into a design discipline, with cuts, prints and fabrics that make a strong case for buying your bikini where you’ll actually wear it. Here are the labels on our radar, from our wider guide to Latin American fashion designers.
Lenny Niemeyer: Rio’s Sculptural Swim
Lenny Niemeyer is one of the most respected names in Brazilian swimwear, and her Rio label treats a swimsuit like a piece of design. Expect architectural one-pieces, elegant cutouts, interesting hardware and a palette that runs from earthy neutrals to graphic prints. It is swimwear for people who would rather look chic than merely tan.
- Look for — sculpted one-pieces and coordinating cover-ups
- Why we love it — it bridges the beach and the beach club seamlessly
The label also does elegant cover-ups, sarongs and beach accessories, so it’s easy to build an entire vacation wardrobe around one swimsuit. Fabrics and finishes are designed to look as good off the sand as on it.
Adriana Degreas: São Paulo Glamour
From São Paulo, Adriana Degreas brings a dose of old-school glamour to the shoreline. Her designs often feature bold prints, retro-inspired silhouettes, dramatic cutouts and coordinated kaftans and resort pieces that move straight from sand to dinner. If your ideal holiday involves a sun hat and a very good cocktail, this is your label.
The collections tend to feel like a complete holiday wardrobe rather than a rack of separates — swimsuits designed alongside matching wraps, wide-leg trousers and dresses. Buy the set and the packing decisions make themselves.
Salinas: The Classic Brazilian Bikini
For the archetypal Rio bikini — cheerful prints, flattering cuts and that unmistakable Brazilian confidence — Salinas is a reliable starting point. The label leans colorful and playful, with plenty of mix-and-match options. It’s a fun, accessible way to bring a bit of Ipanema home. Our Rio de Janeiro guide covers where to put it to use.
Brazil’s beach culture is also a lesson in confidence: cuts are generally smaller than in the US or Europe, and nobody is self-conscious about it. If you prefer more coverage, most labels offer fuller styles — just ask.
Beyond the Bikini: Farm Rio and Osklen
Resortwear is where Brazil really shines. Farm Rio is beloved for exuberant, tropical prints — think lush botanicals, parrots and fruit in saturated color — across dresses, skirts and swim. Osklen, founded in Rio, offers the opposite mood: relaxed, minimalist beachwear with an emphasis on natural materials and an easy, sun-faded palette. One packs a punch, the other packs light; both work beautifully in places like Trancoso.
We’ve also written about PatBO, whose embellished, party-ready designs carry the same Brazilian love of color into evening.
Both labels are a smart way to dress for warm-weather cities as well as beaches: a Farm Rio dress works on a São Paulo rooftop, and Osklen’s linen-and-cotton basics suit almost any coastal town in the region.
Maaji: Colombia’s Reversible Wonder
Colombia’s swimwear industry is concentrated around Medellín, and Maaji is one of its most recognizable exports. The label is known for reversible pieces with mismatched, whimsical prints on each side — effectively two swimsuits in one, which is a gift to anyone trying to pack light. The overall mood is playful, artful and sporty. Read more in our Medellín guide.
Beyond swim, the label has expanded into activewear and beach accessories with the same mismatched, illustrative spirit. Sizing tends to be generous with options, and the reversible format makes it a particularly smart buy for long trips.
Onda de Mar: Polished Colombian Resort
Onda de Mar offers a more polished take on Colombian swim, with elegant one-pieces, refined prints and matching resortwear that feels made for a long lunch on a boat. It pairs well with the city we most associate with it in spirit: Cartagena, where the dress code is effortless and the light is always golden.
For more from Colombia, see our profiles of Agua by Agua Bendita, known for its handmade, embroidered and appliquéd swim, and Johanna Ortiz, whose romantic ruffles have become shorthand for Latin American resort style.
The look is grown-up but never stiff: think clean necklines, flattering structure and prints that nod to the tropics without shouting. It’s an easy brand to build a capsule around, especially if you prefer one-pieces.
The Finishing Touches: Hats and Bags
No resort wardrobe is complete without the right accessories, and the region’s crafts deliver. The so-called Panama hat is actually woven from toquilla straw in Ecuador; labels like Sensi Studio, which we profile separately, give it a contemporary edge. In Colombia, Wayuu mochilas — colorful crocheted bags made by Wayuu women in La Guajira — make a perfect beach tote. When buying either, look for cooperatives or makers who can tell you who made the piece and where.
A good toquilla hat is tightly and evenly woven, and the finest grades take weeks of skilled work. Wayuu mochilas vary widely in quality too, so look for dense, even stitching and a sturdy strap.
Before You Go
- Sizing runs small and cheeky — Brazilian cuts in particular tend to offer less coverage; check size charts and ask for fuller-coverage options if you prefer
- Buy in season — summer in Brazil and the Southern Cone runs roughly December to March, when new collections arrive
- Rinse after every swim — salt, chlorine and sunscreen shorten the life of even the best lycra
- Think in sets — many labels make matching cover-ups, so a single purchase can double as a dinner outfit
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