Crochet bikini

Last updated
Crochet bikini.jpg

The crochet bikini or crocheted bikini is a bikini / swimsuit crafted from yarn that has been worn since at least the 1970s. [1] The style gained popularity in the late 2010s as a form of boho-chic and as new brands emerged. [2] [3]

Contents

A crochet bikini created by Brazilian street artist Maria Solange Ferrarini has been the focus of several lawsuits that received international attention. Turkish American entrepreneur Ipek Irgit took the idea of Ferrarini's crochet bikini during a visit to Brazil and claimed copyright on the design. Since starting her company in 2013, Irgit has made copyright claims against any similar swimwear and never credited Ferrarini. [4] In 2019, Ferrarini was awarded her own copyright on the design she created. [5]

History

Michele Merkin Michele Merkin 3.jpg
Michele Merkin

Crochet motifs became a material used for bikinis in the 1970s, among other alternative materials. [1] Actress Robin Byrd became known for wearing a crochet bikini during the 1970s, and the look became closely associated with her image. [6]

Maria Solange Ferrarini was born 1956or1957 in São Carlos, Brazil to a seamstress mother and bricklayer father. She was taught to crochet at an early age and sewed out of economic necessity. She sold her crafted garments on the beach in Trancoso, Brazil. As the beach town became more popular, her sales increased. British model Kelly Brook was photographed wearing one of these bikinis during her visit to the town in 2012. Ferrarini signs all of her crochet bikinis. [4]

In 2013, Turkish American entrepreneur Ipek Irgit launched her crochet bikini under the trademark of Kiini. [4] [7] The product gained attention after model Dree Hemingway posted a picture of herself in a Kiini. [8] [4] Irgit, who had previously worked for New York design companies, including Max Mara, [9] branded her product by creating a portmanteau of her initials and the word bikini.

Initial claim

In 2014, Irgit obtained copyright protection for the crochet bikini design and claimed trade dress rights. [10] [4] In 2015, Irgit sued Victoria's Secret for a similar crochet bikini. [11] Later, Irgit sued Neiman Marcus and two other swimwear companies for trade violations. [11] Sally Wu, a colleague of Irgit's in the production of the Kiini, told The New York Times that Irgit feared that the discovery process of those lawsuits would reveal that Irgit had not actually designed the Kiini. (Irgit denied Wu's claim.) The discovery process never proceeded, and Irgit and Victoria's Secret settled their suit out of court. [4]

Other lawsuits and versions

Pretty thai girl at Nai Harn beach, Phuket XOKA9614s4 (46924290422).jpg

In April 2018, Kiini filed a federal lawsuit in the Southern District of New York, against Neiman Marcus, alleging unfair competition. [4] A month later, Kiini amended its lawsuit against Neiman Marcus to explicitly add PilyQ, Bloomingdales, Lord & Taylor, Macy's and other retailers as defendants.

PilyQ is a swimwear brand which sells a line of crochet bikinis under its brand name Platinum. [4] Following the lawsuit, Jason Forge, the husband of one of PilyQ's owners, sought out Brazilian street artist Maria Solange Ferrarini, to negotiate a licensing deal for her crochet bikini designs. [4] Under the terms of the deal, Ferrarini was paid about $5,100 in 2018, and would earn an annual licensing fee of $7,700 as from 2019. [4]

Today

As of October 2019, Neiman Marcus, [11] Target [5] and other retailers [12] continue to sell their own versions of crochet bikinis, while Irgit's lawsuits against them, and Ferrarini's lawsuit against Irgit, continue to work their way through the courts. Ferrarini was awarded her own copyright on her crochet bikini design by the United States Copyright Office in January 2019. [5] Ferrarini's copyright was awarded under the title "Ferrarini Bikini". [13]

Crochet bikinis can also be crafted as a DIY item. [2] There are many crochet bikini lookalikes for the Kiini. [12]

As of March 2023, retailers such as Urban Outfitters, ASOS, and Amazon are selling crocheted bikinis as well as cover-ups and dresses. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bikini</span> Two-piece swimwear

A bikini is a two-piece swimsuit primarily worn by women that features one piece on top that covers the breasts, and a second piece on the bottom: the front covering the pelvis but usually exposing the navel, and the back generally covering the intergluteal cleft and some or all of the buttocks. The size of the top and bottom can vary, from bikinis that offer full coverage of the breasts, pelvis, and buttocks, to more revealing designs with a thong or G-string bottom that covers only the mons pubis, but exposes the buttocks, and a top that covers only the areolae. Bikini bottoms covering about half the buttocks may be described as "Brazilian-cut".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swimsuit</span> Clothing worn for swimming

A swimsuit is an item of clothing designed to be worn by people engaging in a water-based activity or water sports, such as swimming, diving and surfing, or sun-orientated activities, such as sun bathing. Different types may be worn by men, women, and children. A swimsuit can be described by various names, some of which are used only in particular locations or for particular types of suit, including swimwear, bathing suit, bathing attire, swimming costume, bathing costume, swimming suit, swimmers, swimming togs, bathers, cossie, or swimming trunks, besides others.

Venus is an American online and catalog fashion retailer headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. The company sells clothing, shoes, jewelry and accessories for women. Venus is known for its swimwear and lingerie. The company is known for actively participating in charitable endeavors and community activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sawgrass Mills</span> Shopping mall in Florida, United States

Sawgrass Mills is a shopping mall in Sunrise, Florida, owned by Simon Property Group. With 2,370,610 square feet (220,237 m2) of retail selling space, it is the eleventh largest mall in the United States, the largest single story outlet mall in the U.S., the largest shopping mall in Broward County, the second largest mall in Florida and the Miami metropolitan area after the Aventura Mall, and the third largest shopping mall in the southeastern United States. With over 21 million annual visitors, Sawgrass Mills is one of the most visited attractions in the state of Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trancoso, Bahia</span> District in Bahia, Brazil

Trancoso is a district in the municipality of Porto Seguro in the state of Bahia, Brazil. Once a small fishing village, the town is now known for its beaches and has increased in popularity since gaining international attention around 2000 while retaining an eco-friendly appeal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burkini</span> Swimsuit

A burkini is a style of swimsuit for women. The suit covers the whole body except the face, the hands, and the feet, while being light enough for swimming. This type of swimwear was designed with the intention of creating swimwear for Muslims who observe hijab in this way. The amount of skin covered is about the same as the person wearing a full body wetsuit and a swimming cap.

Jantzen is a brand of swimwear that was established in 1916 and first appeared in the city of Portland, Oregon, United States. The brand name later replaced the name of the parent company that manufactured the branded products. The brand featured a logo image of a young woman, dressed in a red one-piece swimsuit and bathing hat, assuming a diving posture with outstretched arms and an arched back. Known as the Jantzen "Diving Girl", the image in various forms became famous throughout the world during the early twentieth century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neiman Marcus</span> American department store chain

Neiman Marcus is an American department store chain founded in 1907 in Dallas, Texas by Herbert Marcus, his sister Carrie Marcus Neiman, and her husband Abraham Lincoln Neiman. It has been owned by the Neiman Marcus Group since 1987, and is a sister brand to luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman through this ownership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bikini variants</span> Swimsuits based on or influenced by the bikini

Many stylistic variations of the bikini have been created. A regular bikini is a two-piece swimsuit that together covers the wearer's crotch, buttocks, and breasts. Some bikini designs cover larger portions of the wearer's body while other designs provide minimal coverage. Topless variants are still sometimes considered bikinis, although they are technically not a two-piece swimsuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the bikini</span>

Evidence of bikini-style women's clothing has been found as early as 5600 BC, and the history of the bikini can be traced back to that era. Illustrations of women wearing bikini-like garments during competitive athletic events in the Roman era have been found in several locations, the most famous of which is at Villa Romana del Casale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thong</span> Garment worn as underwear or as part of a swimsuit

The thong is a garment generally used as either underwear or in some countries, as a swimsuit. It may also be worn for traditional ceremonies or competitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dree Hemingway</span> American model and actress

Dree Louise Crisman Hemingway is an American fashion model and actress. She gained attention playing the lead in American director Sean Baker's feature Starlet (2012). She has since become known for her high-profile fashion campaigns and her extensive work in independent film.

Island Company was a wholesale and retail resort clothing brand founded in 2002 by Spencer Antle. As of 2019, the company shut down its retail stores due to extensive damage from Hurricane Irma.

Boutique La Vie en Rose Inc. is a Canadian lingerie retailer headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. The brand produces and sells a range of undergarments, sleepwear, and swimwear aimed at women in the 25-55 age group. Since 2003, La Vie en Rose also offered underwear, sleepwear, loungewear and swimwear for men under the brand name "La Vie en Rose MAN". In 2016, the company launched a new line for men called "LV96". As of September 2017, La Vie en Rose has permanently stopped offering products for men, explaining that "In order to focus on women's comfort and well-being, we will no longer carry our men's collection".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milly (fashion brand)</span> American fashion designer

Milly is an American fashion company. Specializing in women’s clothing, it was founded in 2000 by fashion designer Michelle Smith and Andrew Oshrin. The company is based in New York City and retails worldwide in department stores, via its own boutiques, its website and wholesales primarily to department stores. Smith and Oshrin ran the company until 2019 when it sold to S. Rothschild.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of swimwear</span>

The history of swimwear traces the changes in the styles of men's and women's swimwear over time and between cultures, and touches on the social, religious and legal attitudes to swimming and swimwear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BikiniLuxe</span>

Bikini Luxe was an American online retailer that specializes in fashion clothing, swimwear, and accessories for young women. The company was founded in 2013 by Candice Galek and is based in Miami, Florida. The retailer stocks over 2,500 bikinis and one-piece swimsuits along with a collection of designer clothing items and accessories, such as activewear, jewelry, and dresses. The company made headlines in the spring of 2016 after founder and CEO, Candice Galek, posted controversial photos on her LinkedIn profile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natasha Oakley</span> Australian Instagram model (born 1990)

Natasha Oakley is an Australian Instagram model. She came to prominence with her A Bikini A Day blog, which she founded with friend and business partner Devin Brugman in 2012. Oakley and Brugman went on to launch the retail brand "Monday Swimwear" in 2014.

Inamorata is a brand designed by Emily Ratajkowski that launched as a swimwear line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eileen O'Donnell</span> Irish model

Eileen Mary O'Donnell, known professionally as Eileen O'Donnell, is a Northern Irish model and beauty pageant titleholder. O'Donnell started her career in 2011 and has since modelled in the categories of fashion, skincare and swimwear. She has gone on to collaborate with numerous notable brands including Pretty Little Thing, GymKing, MVMT Watches, The Couture Club, Ziaja Skincare, Benefit Cosmetics, amongst others.

References

  1. 1 2 Charleston, Beth Duncuff (October 2004). "The Bikini". Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  2. 1 2 "How to crochet a bikini for summer". June 20, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  3. ↑ Carreon, Justine (May 2, 2017). "17 Crochet Bikinis That Were Basically Made For Summer". Elle. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Rosman, Katherine (March 29, 2017). "The Itsy-Bitsy, Teenie-Weenie, Very Litigious Bikini" . Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 Rosman, Katherine (26 June 2019). "Target Pulls New Thread in Bikini Yarn". The New York Times.
  6. ↑ Buck, Stephanie (March 15, 2017). "The wholesomely pornographic Robin Byrd sued Time Warner to keep her show on the air" . Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  7. ↑ Kiini
  8. ↑ Sagansky, Gillian (September 15, 2014). "Bikinis Forever" . Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Introducing Ipek Irgit: The Designer Behind This Summer's Hottest Swimwear Brand". March 29, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  10. ↑ Givner, Ariel (March 29, 2017). "Kiini, Victoria's Secret Settle Swimsuit Infringement Lawsuit" . Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  11. 1 2 3 Weiss, Debra Cassens (2019-01-02). "Who owns the copyright to a crocheted bikini? Legal battle waged by Kiini maker takes a turn". ABA Journal. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  12. 1 2 Julia, Maria (May 11, 2018). "7 WEBSITES FOR BEAUTIFUL KIINI LOOK ALIKES (FOR CHEAP!)" . Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  13. ↑ Ferrarini, Maria Solange (2018-06-23). "Ferrarini Bikini Copyright Application". United States Copyright Catalog. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  14. ↑ Muhammad, Latifah (2023-03-29). "Boho Style: Where to Buy the Perfect Crochet Bikinis, Dresses, Tops & Coverups". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.