How to Budget Your
Swimwear Brand
A Complete Guide
Your First Swimwear Order: Costs
Most B2B founders arrive with designs, unsure of what funds to allocate and, more specifically, how many designs, colours and sizes they will be able to work with within their budget. This page helps you work that out.
Everything below covers bulk production only. Sampling comes first, takes 1 to 3 weeks depending on complexity, and is quoted separately at 2 times wholesale plus a USD 30 development fee per custom style. The fee is credited against your bulk deposit.
Still deciding what to make? Our page how to get started covers how many styles, colours and prints startup brands usually work with.
Three Swimwear Production Budgets
300+
Pieces
Ready Designs
400+
Pieces
Custom Designs or Mix and Match
1,000+
Pieces
Custom Designs or Mix and Match
Below is an example only. You can mix as many styles and colours as you like.
Ready Designs
300
Pieces
- Styles
- 6
- Sampling
- Optional
- Avg cost per piece
- USD 13
- Production total
- USD 3,900
- Avg retail per piece
- USD 70 to 109
Custom Designs
400
Pieces
- Styles
- 6 to 8
- Sampling
- Recommended
- Avg cost per piece
- USD 13
- Production total
- USD 5,200
- Avg retail per piece
- USD 70 to 109
Volume
1,000
Pieces
- Styles
- 8 to 12
- Sampling
- Recommended
- Avg cost per piece
- USD 11.50
- Production total
- USD 11,500
- Avg retail per piece
- USD 70 to 109
Our average cost per piece is built on high-grade imported recycled fabric, landed at 35% below standard landed fabric costs through Bali’s only tax free fabric import facility. The retail prices shown are typical for premium recycled swimwear brands. What you earn depends on your pricing, marketing and sell-through, so budget for what you can afford and realistically expect to sell. A useful check is your break-even point: divide your production total by your retail price to see how many pieces you need to sell to cover your order. Your first order sets the tone, and a second order is the sign your vision is working.
Our premium recycled nylon from Italy and the US is known for its hand feel, stretch and body sculpting, and supports a higher retail price, so don’t undersell. Hardware is zinc alloy, not aluminium, electroplated to resist rust, salt water and chlorine, and every piece is steam-pressed and individually packed. Your customers will feel the quality the moment they open their order.
We have never cut corners on quality and never will. Cheap, low-grade swimwear is often a new brand’s most expensive budgeting mistake: customers notice, and rarely come back.
Swimwear Startup Budget: What to Expect
Most startup brands plan for 6 to 12 designs across a selection of colours and sometimes a print. Digital prints are faster and simpler than a custom dyed colour, only marginally more expensive, and one of the most effective ways to make your collection stand out. See Digital Prints for options and pricing.
MOQs
Custom designs start at 400 pieces in total and Ready Designs at 300, and you can combine both in one order. A bikini top and bottom count as two pieces. Per-style and per-size minimums, size ratios and top-up quantities are all on MOQ & Timelines. You can order as low as 4 pcs per style, colour and size.
Colours That Sell Together
We recommend choosing 4 to 6 colours that work across your range so customers can mix and match tops and bottoms. Too many colours spread your units thin and tie up budget in stock that doesn’t move. Coolors.co is a useful tool for building your palette.
See Fabrics & ColoursPlan Your Launch
Swimwear sells best in season. Allow 2 to 3 months from the start of sampling to stock ready to sell, then work backwards from the date you want to start selling. Your first order takes the longest, as we learn your requirements and get every detail right. Reorders in in-stock colours are quicker, usually dispatched in around 4 weeks, plus 3 to 5 days by DHL.
The dates we mention to get started are a general industry guide, and you may well know your market better. Selling into warmer climates? You can launch any time of year.
US & European summer
By February
Plan for delivery by February to catch the summer selling season.
Australian summer
By November
Plan for delivery by November to hit the summer season.
Branding Sets You Apart
Custom branding makes your collection iconic and recognisably yours. The artwork you supply is normally confirmed during sampling, produced and ready for your first bulk order.
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Heat-Pressed Logo
Your logo heat-pressed is the first thing we handle after cutting your fabric. It’s placed inside the back of every piece, with care and size details, included in our costing.
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Bikini Clips
We can custom brand your logo on the clasps for a premium finish. Custom hardware comes with its own MOQ per artwork, size and colour (our supplier’s minimum) plus a one-off mould fee, so most brands start with our stock hardware. Best to send your final artwork at least two weeks before bulk production begins.
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Hygiene Liners
Branded hygienic liners, included as standard on all bottoms.
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Zip-Lock Packaging
Biodegradable cornstarch zip-lock bags, included as standard as seen.
High-grade standard accessories are included in every quote. Extras such as padding, wires and custom-branded accessories are quoted separately.
Swimwear Startup Checklist: Have You Covered Everything?
- Colours chosen so tops and bottoms mix and match across the range?
- Size ratio weighted toward S and M for your market?
- MOQ met for your design type?
- Sampling, production, branding and shipping all in the budget?
- Delivery date set to land before your selling season?
The Bigger Picture
Being your own boss takes some nerve, and waiting for the perfect moment rarely gets a brand off the ground. When you’re ready to take the plunge, we’re here to support you from first sample to final delivery. Hundreds of brands have launched with us, with many coming back with new sample requests and top-up orders.
It takes dedication, focus and resilience, especially if you experience some slow weeks. Getting your budget right from the start gives you the foundation to grow without running out of stock or cash at the wrong moment.
Send us your designs, request a callback, or get in touch. Having a few things ready makes the first conversation more productive: front and back images, line drawings or tech packs, your fabric and colour choices, and any brands or styles you admire. The more you share, the better we can guide you from the start, and we will take it from there.
Get in Touch