They Sell Over 1,000 Bras a Day. Now They’re Coming for Your Bikinis, Too.
Matthew Sprout/Cuup
For people with big boobs, clothes shopping can veer into the ridiculous. The “expectation versus reality” meme convention was basically invented for anyone over a C cup who’s ever placed an online order. And of all busty retail adventures, finding swimwear that doesn’t suck is famously just the worst.
Or rather, was the worst.
Newcomer lingerie brand Cuup quickly revolutionized bras with its impeccably engineered, everyday designs and individualized virtual fittings, amassing hundreds of thousands of fans along the way: It sold over 350,000 bras last year, and in 2021, it’s selling over 1,000 bras a day, according to the brand. Now, it’s bringing its adored technology and taste to bikinis.
Launched today, May 20, the six-piece swimwear line includes three bikini tops and three bottoms, available in five signature earthy Cuup shades. The tops, all underwire, are modeled after the brand’s best-selling bras carrying the same names — The Balconette, The Plunge, and The Scoop — and cater to various breast shapes and coverage preferences.
Matthew Sprout/Cuup
“Building on the success of Cuup’s product DNA of advanced sizing, streamlined design, and performance-led engineering, we are translating our core vision into swimwear,” Cuup co-founder and CMO Abby Morgan tells InStyle. “Founded on feeling and function, we aimed to change a notoriously limited selection of swim that didn’t fit across a wide variety of body types and wasn’t flattering.”
If you survived the Victoria’s Secret years, you may still be recovering from the unrelenting “sister sizes” gaslighting. A testament to how far the industry has evolved, Cuup’s inclusive range delivers all three bikini tops in 53 bra sizes, ranging from 30A to 42F (per Morgan: “We are the only brand offering that!”), which means you don’t have to settle for the next closest thing in stock.
Similarly, the bikini bottoms echo the brand’s celebrated underwear with respect to comfort, cut, and timelessness. The Bikini, The Tap, and The Highwaist, also named for their non-aquatic counterparts, offer a gradient of coverage levels and sizes from XS to XXXL.
What makes the swimwear line exceptional, though, is where it departs from the brand’s fangirled-over intimates. Cuup got to work on its swimwear line almost immediately upon launching back in 2018. Over a two-year research and development period, Cuup tapped one of Italy’s premiere fabric mills to source the Econyl yarn that would eventually be used for its suits. The smoothing and shape-retaining material is resistant to light, pilling, chlorine, salt water, and sunscreen, plus it offers UPF 50 protection.
Meanwhile, Cuup’s fit-obsessed team ran its designs through 100 fittings on 25 different women's bodies. In tandem, the fabric and construction turn out flattering, high-functioning two-pieces that feel specifically tailored to your body.
Matthew Sprout/Cuup
The line’s made-for-you impression is furthered by the fact Cuup just extended its virtual expert fittings to its swimwear category. All that’s needed is a soft measuring tape and an internet connection to set you up with a Fit Therapist (Cuup’s answer to the fussy aunt who hangs out in the dressing room). While you’re wearing a t-shirt or unlined bra, the Therapist will walk you through each necessary step and recommend the perfect size for your body. If you’ve already had a Cuup fitting for bras, or you’re super confident you’re wearing the correct size, you can go with your usual number-letter combo.
Cuup Swim is bound to be a celebrity success, too, just as its intimates have been. Miley Cyrus was recently spotted in the brand’s leopard print plunge bra while backstage at Saturday Night Live. Chloe Grace Moretz posted about the brand on Instagram, calling it the “best and most comfy bra.” Emma Roberts wore its Balconette on a cover shoot for Cosmopolitan. And Scarlett Johansson, Zosia Mamet, and Rumer Willis are all fans, too.
The category expansion was inevitable for the brand, whose loyal fans have looked to it for their swimwear needs by wearing its bras to the beach well before today’s launch — a trend that may go both ways now. “This is your base layer for this season,” says Morgan, who’s looking forward to a “more appreciated” summer. “You don’t have to change into your bra and underwear. This is comfortable and supportive enough that it can be both!”
For a perfect fit once and for all, shop Cuup’s revolutionary new swim line below.
The Balconette
Shop now: $98; shopcuup.com
The Plunge
Shop now: $98; shopcuup.com
The Scoop
Shop now: $98; shopcuup.com
The Bikini
Shop now: $68; shopcuup.com
The Tap
Shop now: $68; shopcuup.com
The Highwaist
Shop now: $68; shopcuup.com
