Israeli-designed swimwear offers something to suit every body

It’s that point in the summer when swimsuits are always drying on the line and recent beach outings could prove it’s time for a swimwear upgrade, especially with weeks, even months, left in the season.

It’s a worthwhile purchase, especially given that the Mediterranean Sea stays warm through October (Israeli lifeguards are on official duty through the Sukkot holiday), and there’s always the possibility of a trip to Eilat or the Dead Sea for frolicking in the water.

Right now, there are decent discounts and sales to be had from local swimsuit designers who have been thinking about what women want to wear at the beach or pool for the last decade or more.

These designers are taking what Lea Gottlieb did with the famed Gottex brand for Israeli beach and resort wear, expanding swimwear for the look and feel preferred by today’s customers.

Like Gottlieb, a Hungarian immigrant who started out designing raincoats but realized Israel’s rainy season was too short to make any money, Dana Rapaport started her company, Zohara, by designing tights and stockings for women.

Rapaport quickly understood she’d need to expand her product line if she wanted to earn profits throughout the calendar year and not just in the fall and winter.

That was back in 2010 and Rapaport began designing swimwear that would appeal to women of all shapes and sizes (along with undergarments and pajamas later on).

Zohara now has a team of female-only designers creating some 20 swimsuits made with fabrics from Spain and Italy, manufactured in Turkey.

“We’re kind of pioneers in this field in Israel, with a team of only women, working for women, and what serves them,” she said.

At Zohara, which specializes in solid-color pieces that are classic and streamlined, it’s all about the inner construction of a swimsuit that supports a woman’s body but feels comfortable to wear, modeled by women who have hips, thighs and chests. There are swimsuits for kids as well.

“We want what serves them, and us,” said Rapaport.

While most Zohara swimsuit purchases are ordered via their website, with a flexible return and exchange system, there’s also a Zohara store on Dizengoff Boulevard in Tel Aviv for customers who prefer trying on in person.

“We’re not the cheapest, but we want it to be affordable,” said Rapaport of the Zohara swimsuits that are priced at around NIS 500 (currently discounted 10% and 20%).

That price range is average for most of the locally designed swimwear, including custom-made swimwear created by Noa Kriaf of Noa Swimwear.

Kriaf works out of a simple sewing and fitting studio in Moshav Udim near Netanya, where her mother serves as tailor and seamstress.

She measures and fits customers from her range of classic tank suits and bikini styles, also created in primarily solid colors and all in the NIS 350 to NIS 500 price range. (Kriaf also has styles from past seasons on sale on her website.)

These aren’t necessarily swimsuits for surfing or swimming laps, but work well for lounging around the pool or on the beach, with attention paid to inner construction and support with details such as waist ties, cutouts and a variety of necklines that customers request for their customized look.

“We can do what you want,” said Kriaf. “You just have to be honest about what that is.”

The benefit here is the customized fit that adheres to every curve, whatever body shape you’ve got.

There’s also the option of covering everything all up with one of the Marsea Modest‘s bathing suits designed by Marci Kaplan Rapp, a Canadian-Israeli who got tired of donning cotton nightshirts over bathing suits for modesty reasons and getting stuck with damp, wet shirts once out of the water.

She started the modest swimwear company 13 years ago, and now offers more than 30 designs for her customers in Israel, the US and Canada.

Not all of Marsea’s customers are religious, although many are, said Rapp. Some want more modest swim suits to cover up medical scarring, bodily changes from mastectomies or to mask weight issues.

“Some just want to hide more or cover up from the sun,” said Rapp.

The Marsea range of swimsuits can offer complete coverage, from neck down, past the knees and covering arms. There’s also an option for separates that can be combined with five different lengths of swim skirts and swim pants that range from shorts to capris or leggings.

Rapp sells online as well as through distributors and house shows in Israel, as she’s found that many customers prefer to try on swimsuits in the comfort of their own home, particularly since COVID.

“Women hate shopping for swimwear and love that I come to them, in the privacy of their own home,” she said.

Ugly Duckling swimsuit designer Gal Angel, one of the first of the local swimsuit designers, also offers the option to try on in person at her summertime pop-up in Jaffa’s Shuk Hapishpushim, or flea market, open through the end of September and currently with 30% discounts on most of the inventory.

“Some people just want to see what it looks like in person,” said Angel. “Others love the anonymity of the website.”

Angel established Ugly Duckling in 2008 when she wanted to create her own design line after working for other local brands.

She brings decidedly retro sensibilities to Ugly Duckling, which is heavy on the nostalgia and has gentle cuts that work for lots of figures, she said.

The fabrics include cheetah prints, polka dots and black-and-white checks, with necklines and lower leg cuts that harken back to the 1940s and 1950s.

The Ugly Duckling website has a full explanation about how to measure oneself before ordering plus a deeper message at “how to look at our bodies,” said Angel, who is happy to receive WhatsApp messages with measurements and photos in order to best recommend a cut that will suit her customers. She also dispenses advice on fit and styles by phone.

There’s an Ugly Duckling pop-up shop in the Jaffa market this summer through September 30, with 30% markdowns on many styles.

“We want women to feel good about their bodies,” said Angel, “and about their bodies in bathing suits.”