Born in Malibu, Built for Every Beach
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Some brands are built in boardrooms. Frankies Bikinis was built on a beach in Malibu — sewn piece by piece, style by style, by a teenager who couldn't find the bikini she wanted and decided to make it herself.
Francesca Aiello grew up in Malibu, California, where the close-knit surf community shaped her earliest sense of style. Her summers were spent as a junior lifeguard, her afternoons in the water surfing, and her evenings at water polo practice. A swimsuit wasn't an accessory for Francesca — it was essentially her uniform. When she spotted a confident woman on the beach wearing a skimpy, ultra-feminine style she couldn't track down in stores, something clicked. She started sourcing fabrics, working with local pattern makers and sample sewers, and designing her own.
What followed was organic and immediate. Friends wanted pieces. Then strangers. Francesca launched @frankiesbikinis on Instagram — one of the first designers to use the platform as both a lookbook and a direct sales channel — and the community grew faster than anyone expected. In 2012, she officially co-founded Frankies Bikinis with her mother Mimi from their Malibu home. The brand was female-led from day one, and it has stayed that way.
The growth that followed wasn't manufactured. It was earned. Francesca was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree. She became the youngest designer ever to show at Miami Swim Week, and she won Fashion Collaboration of the Year at the Daily Front Row Awards. In 2021, Victoria's Secret acquired a minority stake in the company — a moment Aiello called her "biggest pinch-me moment," given that she'd been shopping Victoria's Secret since she was twelve.
Today, Frankies Bikinis is stocked at Revolve, SSENSE, Free People, Kith, Bloomingdale's, Victoria's Secret, and ASOS, and has opened retail stores in key markets. But the DNA of the brand — designing from instinct, making women feel confident, staying rooted in Southern California beach culture — has never changed.
The Aesthetic: Skimpy, Feminine, Unapologetically California
Frankies Bikinis occupies a specific lane in luxury swimwear: not modest, not minimalist, not clinical. The brand's signature is a fearlessly feminine silhouette — plunging necklines, ruffle detailing, high-cut bottoms, adjustable ties, and ultra-flattering cuts that are as at home on a surf beach as they are on a yacht. The brand describes its aesthetic simply: "the smaller, the better."
Fabric is a priority. The brand works extensively in ribbed knits, textured SoftSwim fabrications, shine fabrics, eyelet, terry cloth, and neoprene-inflected constructions — materials that move with the body and photograph beautifully. The SoftSwim fabric in particular has developed a devoted following for its second-skin feel and superior chlorine resistance. Cuts like the Lumia Triangle Top and Tia String Bottom exemplify the formula: clean seams, gold hardware, adjustable straps, and just enough coverage to walk from the sand to lunch without a second thought.
The brand's color palette rotates seasonally but consistently gravitates toward rich corals, tropical florals, classic neutrals, and bold prints — the visual language of a Malibu summer. Frankies is also known for releasing limited seasonal drops that sell out quickly, keeping the brand desirable and its secondary market active.
Signature Styles Worth Knowing
Frankies Bikinis has developed a recognizable roster of signature shapes that return season after season in new colorways and fabrics:
- The Ali — The brand's most celebrated ruffle bikini. The top features a plunging front with frilly details and a front tie for adjustable fit. The matching bottom adds ruffled side detailing, skimpy coverage, and a low front rise. Sweet, spicy, and distinctly Frankies.
- The Lumia Triangle Top — A minimalist triangle with adjustable over-the-shoulder straps, gold hardware, and a barely-there fit. A go-to for those who want the brand's confidence without the frills.
- The Springtime Top — A versatile, feminine shape used in multiple collaborations, including the landmark Bella Hadid collection.
- The Harlow Halter — A structured halter with adjustable back ties, built-in cup support, and a clasp at the neck. Available in shine fabrics and prints, it's a mainstay of the brand's more dressed-up swim offerings.
- One-Pieces — Frankies one-pieces range from $180 to $280 and carry the same high-cut, feminine sensibility as the brand's two-pieces. They are among the most coveted items in the lineup.
Tops generally retail between $100 and $160, with bottoms falling in the $80–$140 range. The pricing reflects genuine luxury construction — these aren't fast-fashion swimsuits. They're designed to last multiple seasons and to hold their shape and color through repeated sun and saltwater exposure.
The Collaboration Roster: An Unmatched List
Frankies Bikinis has built one of the most impressive collaboration records in swimwear. Each partnership is intentional — the brand selects women who embody the Frankies spirit: confident, feminine, and deeply connected to California cool-girl culture.
- Bella Hadid — Aiello's childhood friend from Malibu. Their 2025 collaboration was a 108-piece Western-inflected collection — gingham, lace, suede, denim, bandana prints — shot on a sun-drenched ranch. One of the most ambitious and talked-about drops in the brand's history.
- Sofia Richie Grainge — The first major celebrity collaboration (2019), a ten-piece tie-dye collection in pink and blue. Sold out immediately. The collection was later worn by Hailey Bieber and Kylie Jenner and remains one of the brand's most referenced moments.
- Sydney Sweeney — A natural fit given Sweeney's beach-girl aesthetic. The Harlow Eyelet collection with Sweeney introduced gingham and eyelet detailing that became a signature look for the brand.
- Pamela Anderson — For the 2023 collaboration, Anderson channeled her iconic Baywatch red swimsuit, and Frankies recreated the spirit of it in the brand's modern vocabulary. The campaign broke the internet.
- Gigi Hadid — Another Malibu connection, cementing the brand's position within the elite tier of supermodel endorsement.
- Naomi Osaka, Hailee Steinfeld — Collaborations that broadened the brand's reach into sports and entertainment crossover audiences.
- Kylie Jenner x Khy — A collaboration with Kylie's brand Khy featuring leopard-print bikinis. Kendall Jenner's Instagram comment on the launch post — simply "hot" — said everything.
- PINK by Frankies Bikinis x Victoria's Secret — A collection that brought Frankies' feminine, ruffled aesthetic to a mass-market audience at accessible price points.
Collaborations weren't part of Aiello's original business plan — "it wasn't really a concept in 2012," she has noted — but they became a defining pillar of the brand's identity. Each collaboration sells out, creates lasting demand for the brand's core collection, and adds another chapter to one of the most compelling stories in contemporary swimwear.
The Celebrity Following
Beyond formal collaborations, Frankies Bikinis has a celebrity following that most brands can only dream of. Hailey Bieber has worn Frankies extensively — most recently, the brand served as the official swimwear for Hailey's Rhode retreat in Mallorca. Dua Lipa was photographed in Italy wearing a Frankies x Réalisation Par black bikini featuring crocheted cherries. Sabrina Carpenter was spotted in the brand's iconic tiny yellow polka dot set. Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner, Hailey Bieber — the next generation of Malibu royalty — are as synonymous with the brand as its founding story.
This is not curated celebrity gifting. These women wear Frankies because it fits the aesthetic they've built their identities around: sun-drenched California confidence, femininity without apology.
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit: Industry Validation
The brand's credibility extends into the most prestigious platform in swimwear publishing. Frankies Bikinis has appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue multiple times, most notably in the 2025 issue featuring Olympic heptathlete Anna Hall in the Lumia Triangle Top and Tia String Bottom in True Red. Francesca Aiello also served as a guest editor for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit in 2021, writing about the season's key swim trends — a rare acknowledgment of a designer's authority in the space, not just their product.
Miami Swim Week: A Defining Presence
Frankies Bikinis has been one of the most anticipated brands at Miami Swim Week for years. Aiello made history as the youngest designer ever to show there, and her shows became events — lines stretched for blocks, the crowd a who's-who of fashion industry insiders and celebrity attendees. The brand has since shifted toward LA-based runway shows to stay closer to its Malibu roots, but its presence at Swim Week established it as a force in the global swimwear industry, not just a viral social media brand.
Why Frankies Bikinis Holds Its Value
In the resale and secondary market, Frankies Bikinis consistently commands prices at or near retail — and frequently above it for sold-out collaboration pieces. The combination of limited seasonal drops, celebrity-driven demand, genuinely premium construction, and the brand's increasing institutional backing (Victoria's Secret investment, major retail distribution) creates a market where scarcity is real and desirability compounds over time.
The brand doesn't discount. It doesn't flood channels with inventory. When a colorway or collaboration piece is gone, it's gone.
Shop Frankies Bikinis at PerfectKini
Every Frankies Bikinis piece in our collection is 100% authentic, new with original tags. The pieces we carry include limited seasonal drops and sold-out colorways from Francesca's most coveted collections — once they're gone, they're gone. We price fairly and in line with market value. Same-business-day shipping on most orders placed by 2 PM PST. We're not a warehouse. We know what we have and why it matters. Browse all Frankies Bikinis at PerfectKini →
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