The swimwear market - United States

1.1 Definition and scope of the study

The swimwear market can be divided into two main categories:

• The "technical" swimsuits used by swimmers in the pool or in a sports context;
• The "leisure" type swimsuits which are more fashionable swimsuits used for example at the beach.

In particular, swimwear is made out of nylon, polyester, and spandex primarily, where polyester is the most common material.

Globally, the swimwear market is in full growth, and is expected to continue expanding at rapid pace. Amongst the key drivers : 

• More people learn how to swim ;
• Swimming as a sport is growing in popularity ;
• Expenditure on leisure activity is increasing.

In particular, Asia-Pacific is expected to grow the fastest in light of an increase of swimming activity. The global market is highly fragmented where no single player held more than 1.5% of the total market share in 2019. The largest companies included Pentland Group, Inditex, Calzedonia, and Adidas.

The United States is the largest market for swimwear in the world measured through revenue. Moreover, the market is expected to expand going forward given a wider popularity of swimming sports together with a higher percentage of people who can swim.

Additionally, trends in the US market for swimwear in 2020 include retro swimwear, one-pieces and bikinis, and neon colors. Men’s swimwear is expected to expand rapidly as males become more aware of what they are wearing.

The largest companies in the US include Diane’s Swimwear, Victoria’s Secret, Everything but Water, and Pacific Sunwear of California. The market is fragmented, and the product offering is large.