'Controversial' lingerie brand to 'put sex back into swimwear’
In the very same week that saw Prime Minister Scott Morrison weigh in on one woman’s ‘skimpy’ bikini, controversial Aussie lingerie brand Honey Birdette has announced its launching its very own swimwear line.
Yahoo Lifestyle was given a sneak peek at the saucy new line that promises to ‘put the sex back into swimwear’ before it hits stores later this month.
Honey Birdette founder Eloise Monaghan decided to create the line after she went shopping for swimwear and came home empty-handed.
“I went into several retailers and they were charging $100 just for a swimming top and they were all terrible,” she said.
Eschewing popular floral prints and pastel hues, Eloise instead focused on ‘wet sexy looks’ in red, black and animal print featuring oversized hardware in the form of 3D fox motifs.
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“We wanted to do something that was fairly decadent with big custom-designed buckles. Something that feels like Honey Birdette but was designed to be seen rather than just being a functional piece,” she said.
The range includes environmentally-friendly fabrics that also offer the wearer structural support in key areas such as waistbands.
As for why Honey Birdette is launching a new collection in the middle of a pandemic and a recession, Eloise just wants to give shoppers an alternative to ‘oversized floral prints’.
“There’s a need for it, and I think this is the year of not saying no,” she said.
Eloise wants to see the new swim range on a broad range of customers.
“The Honey Birdette customer can be an 82-year-old woman or a 17-year-old, a gay man or a transsexual. Our customers are so varied,” she said.
The brand is no stranger to controversy and was accused by some members of the LGBTQ+ community of ‘fetishising’ lesbian relationships in an advertisement in February.
There have been numerous petitions over the past few years pushing to prevent the underwear retailer from displaying ‘porn-style advertising’ and ‘hyper-sexualised’ images in its shop fronts, which are located in shopping centres frequented by families and young children.
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