Whether at a lake, public pool, or beach: The bikini is nowadays a part of summer. When it was introduced 80 years ago, on July 5, 1946, however, that was anything but a matter of course. The modern bikini was considered a provocation and made fashion history.
Swimwear was impractical for a long time
The idea of a two-piece wasn't entirely new. Already on a mosaic from the third or fourth century AD from ancient Rome, female athletes can be seen wearing a kind of bikini. In modern swimwear, however, this style took a long time to arrive. At the end of the 19th century, women still went into the water wearing wide pants, long tops, or cotton dresses. This was hardly practical for swimming.
Australian Annette Kellerman (1886-1975) provided a first impulse for more functional swimwear. When she went swimming in a tight-fitting bathing suit in 1907, she was even arrested. In the 1920s, bathing suits became increasingly shorter and nude bathing also became more widespread. In Germany, however, the so-called Zwickelerlass of 1932 put an end to this. Women had to cover their upper bodies completely again.
No model wanted to wear the bikini
The actual birth of the modern bikini didn't occur until after World War II in France. Two designers were working on new swimwear. Jacques Heim (1899-1967) first introduced a two-piece called 'Atome' in 1946 - small enough to live up to its name. However, his competitor Louis Réard (1896-1984) became famous. He named his creation 'Bikini' - in reference to the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific, where the USA conducted atomic tests that same year. The name was meant to make an impact like the explosions.
Indeed, the bikini initially caused a scandal. No professional model wanted to present Réard's design. Therefore, on July 5, 1946, French burlesque dancer Micheline Bernardini (98) presented the two-piece to the public at the Piscine Molitor in Paris. The first model was printed with newspaper clippings - possibly from Réard's hope to dominate the headlines himself.
Films and zeitgeist make the two-piece popular
It took several years for the bikini to catch on. Brigitte Bardot (1934-2025) already wore a bikini in 1952 in the film Manina, the Girl in the Bikini. However, the two-piece only became a comprehensive symbol of a new attitude toward life in the 1960s. The new swimwear was an expression of social changes and the New Women's Movement and was also reflected in cinema. Unforgettable remains Ursula Andress (90), who in 1962 as the first Bond girl in Dr. No emerged from the sea in a white bikini with a knife belt. Forty years later, Halle Berry (59) referenced the legendary appearance in Die Another Day with an orange bikini.
Like any fashion, the bikini always reflected the zeitgeist. In the 1970s, crocheted bikinis were popular, high-cut bottoms in a fitness look dominated the 1980s. At the end of the 90s, Anne Cole developed the tankini, which became a serious competitor to the classic two-piece in the 2000s. Today it is in demand again in the wake of the Y2K revival. But it won't replace bikinis anytime soon. This year, asymmetrical cuts, bikinis with pearls, and two-tone models are in demand, among others.
