Lorenzo Martone’s “lifestyle swimwear” line, Nycked, which he launched last summer with Bijules jewelry designer Jules Kim, has been quite a success: Backed by conglomerate Salon 9, the label has been picked up by Saks Fifth Avenue and Shopbop. Martone and Kim have just released images of their latest collection for summer 2011, modeled by someone they presumably found during the open casting call they held last month. True to their original mission of creating swimsuits that could be worn to “a day appointment or on a date,” many of the designs look decidedly non-beachy, including one suit featuring black lace panels and another with a giant tassel dangling from the cleavage area.
Martone himself remains humble about the line’s success, which has had nothing to do with Marc Jacobs, Kim assured us a few months ago. “We accept our roles as swimwear novices. We embrace that, actually,” Martone said. “We have no fear of feedback, change, and the learning curve.”
Exclusive: Lorenzo Martone’s Nycked Spring ‘11 Collection [Refinery 29]