On the cusp of YITTY’s second anniversary, co-founded by Lizzo, the brand has launched its first swimwear capsule collection. The brand has been developing an assortment of innovative pieces over the past two years to meet the intersection between swimwear and shapewear.
“Shaping Swim” stems from the Grammy Award-winning artist keying in on what fans were asking for. In fact, she tells me that she listens to what her fans want out of YITTY. That means regularly taking into account likes and dislikes to assist with living up to her mission of inclusivity. Since 2022 when the brand launched, she noticed an uptick in swimwear demand. So she took a chance and leaned into an innovative idea to merge YITTY’s signature Nearly Naked shapewear technology in swimwear silhouettes. Since then, her and her team have spent the last two years testing a plethora of materials and designs to fit everyone’s needs.
“Every time we’re talking about new collections and designs, I’m always thinking about every single person and I think that that just makes us inclusive by nature,” Lizzo says over a Zoom call. “I think it’s because we’re always thinking about the world and how fashion has impacted people and how they feel about themselves.” She adds that YITTY is naturally inclusive because as a whole they want to make people feel good.
The new collection out on April 1 includes seven new shaping silhouettes that range from cheeky to full coverage in six new vibrant colors and one new head-turning print. These pieces were intentionally designed with double-layered tricot compression zones strategically placed on the waist and stomach to smooth and cinch your curves. Slings and stabilizers made from Tricot, a warp-knit fabric are also stitched along the bust area for lift, support, and definition.
These design hacks make for the perfect pieces to wear from dinner to the beach. As summer approaches Lizzo says she’s styling her “Shaping Swim” pieces underneath her clothes, ready for the water at any point of the day. The artist envisions her pieces to be worn in a myriad of settings: they can be the main event of your outfit, placed underneath a cover-up, or simply worn in a pool.
“I think that inclusivity needs to be woven into the DNA of a brand. You have to stand 10 toes in it. I think that’s what YITTY does, which is why we’re always going to be for everybody. While other people follow trends, we don’t believe that bodies are trends,” Lizzo notes. She affirms that YITTY is standing firmly in designing diverse and size inclusive options for its customers which is somewhat a rarity in the global fashion industry. Sizing for the forthcoming swimwear line will arrive in sizes 6X to XS. “YITTY stands 10 toes down and the way that we design our clothes, the way that we have fit models of all different sizes and body shapes, we’re going to continue to live by that forever no matter what trends come and go, people will always need to feel good in their clothing.”
The future of YITTY is bright. They’ve come so far in just under two years and have also built a robust fanbase and social media following, especially on Instagram where there are over 700,000 fans tuned into every move the brand makes. The defining collections such as the “Shaping Swim” collection will mark a new chapter for the brand further proving Lizzo and her team’s ability to build an authentic community of consumers that they work tirelessly to serve. Lizzo is also venturing into the bra business as the “Nearly Naked” line is a cult favorite.
“I’m excited to just keep growing. So we’re gonna keep expanding on ‘Nearly Naked’ and keep having fun as a brand, because that’s how we got started in the first place,” she added.