Rudi Gernreich’s Thong Swimsuit is Back and Better Than Ever
Rudi Gernreich Thong Gallery
It might be hard to remember—or possibly imagine, depending on your age—a time when our derrières were so concealed, or the subject of such consternation. In 1974, though, backsides were under attack via California legislation outlawing nude sunbathing. A radical fashion designer and Austrian expat in Hollywood, Rudi Gernreich, had a solution: The thong swimsuit. “The Thong is my response to a contradiction in our society: nudity is here; lots of people want to swim and sun themselves in the nude; also lots of people are still offended by public nudity,” he wrote in a ’70s manifesto, citing Brazilian swimwear, Sumo wrestlers’ mawashis, and thong sandals as references for his then-trademarked design. At the time, Gernreich made his unisex thong swimsuit in black and brown fast-drying nylon, revolutionizing the look of SoCal beaches and the limits of acceptable taste.
The thong is far from Gernreich’s only fashion-world innovation, but it is the one current CEO of the Rudi Gernreich brand Matthias Kind is most intent on bringing back this summer. Launching on Net-a-Porter, Ssense, and Rudi Gernreich’s own e-commerce site is a series of summer swimsuits modeled after the ’70s originals that includes the infamous thong suit. “It’s a very small piece of fabric that perfectly encapsulates and represents Rudi’s world, his principles, and philosophies. It’s something that he invented, and 50 years later it is still a very important piece of design that will probably outlive all of us. It’s invention and innovation,” says Kind. “The thong has a purpose; it has a function. It’s very sexy.” He pauses. “Some people might disagree.”
The CEO says that even now, in our booty-centric world, there has been some pushback from retailers in carrying the suggestive swimsuit. “But then you look on Instagram, and the thong is everywhere,” he continues. “I think today the thong is so popular. It really is everywhere—and I hope that people will appreciate Rudi for inventing it and giving it to us.”
Yet the thong’s omnipresence, and the subsequent revival of backside cleavage, did not make resurrecting the original cheek-exposing one-piece any easier for Kind and his team. Using Gernreich’s original patterns, the design team spent half a year trying to perfect the fit of the swimsuit in more modern materials. “Six months to get it right, surprisingly!” Kind says. “A small piece of fabric!”
Next, Kind plans to revive Gernreich’s infamous monokini—you know, the one-piece swimsuit that leaves one’s breasts on full display. After that, who knows. Gernreich’s oeuvre is almost limitless. “In the year 2076,” Gernreich wrote in the ’70s, “people will be gliding through space propelled by solar energy.... I will be doing the “Thong” glider…for people who want to sky-bathe in the nude—but are not quite permitted to do so.” Far-flung, perhaps, but with a guy jet-packing around the Eiffel Tower, maybe a thong sky-suit is not as impossible a project as you’d think.
Originally Appeared on Vogue
