UK consumers choosing comfort over style for SS22 swimwear - report

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jul 18, 2022

A new report from Klarna has shown a number of key trends in the swimwear sector for 2022, but one clear point that sticks out is that comfort is key as swim sees its first full season globally since before the pandemic.

Disrupted by lockdowns and travel bans/restrictions in 2020 and 2021, the usual swimwear season was partly on hold for those years, but the category is a big hit this year as consumer catch up on lost holidays.

Now Klarna has said UK consumers agree that when it comes to swimwear, comfort is the top priority. Some 86% say it’s more important to be comfortable than to look good. While things like fit, price and style also matter, sustainability is a major factor for British consumers too “with data showing that today’s shoppers seek out products that align with their values, with environmental and social issues as top concerns”. 

As far as individual items are concerned, British women are focusing on one-piece swimwear rather than bikinis this year with 56% of women opting for the former and only 30% for the latter.

Men are taking comfort to a whole new level, with 22% expecting to go skinny dipping in the coming months, compared to only 9% of women. British Gen Zs (30%) are particularly open to the idea of skinny dipping, much more than their international peers, with only 18% of American GenZs and 22% of Australian GenZs expecting to go for a nude swim. 

But when they select something to wear for swimming, British men prefer to wear mainly swim shorts (42%) and sport shorts (19%) rather than ultra-brief swimming trunks.