“We really do not want to be known as Oceanus swimwear anymore, we really want to push that we’re more than just swim,” Oceanus’ creative director and founder Hannah Attalah told WWD during a preview of the brand’s spring collection.
Since its inception in 2018 it’s been known for sparkling, hand-embroidered, sustainably minded swimwear with Attalah’s glamorous, ‘80s lens. Over the years she’s peppered in playful cover-ups and resortwear, but the brand’s spring line expands this with its largest ready-to-wear offering to date. Each piece in spring (and seasons past) was noted to be made from recycled, eco-friendly materials and hand-embroidered Swarovski crystals.
The expansion follows the opening of Oceanus’ first storefront in Bali over the summer, where Attalah currently lives. Attalah added that she splits time between Bali, London and Italy — one of the many global locations where the brand works with artisans to source and produce collections.
“We got known for our swim but we want to evolve into more ready to wear, jewelry and accessories. Our beaded dresses have been super popular so we decided to try some silk dresses and then also crochet, which is an interesting kind of collaged vintage doily motif,” Attalah said of the collection’s crochet frocks, cut in slim ‘90s slip silhouettes, as seen in the Cassandra gown. Other pastel-hued frocks follow suit with tropical prints splashed across slim silk dresses, or hand-beaded onto mini eco-friendly nylon dresses.
The line also includes signature, thematic sparkling swimwear; hand-beaded and printed separates; a one-shoulder caftan with feathered hems, and a body-con crop top and midi skirt set with statement teardrop and crystal accents. In the future, Attalah plans to grow the brand’s retail footprint with physical stores, reintroduce knitwear, expand her playful baubles into demi-couture jewelry and, possibly, venture into footwear.
The spring collection ranges in size from XS to XL, with bespoke styles available, and in price from $80 to $350 for swimwear, and $100 to $750 for ready-to-wear. Oceanus’ first spring drop is available on its e-commerce, and with key retail partners Saks Fifth Avenue, Anthropologie, Revolve, Bloomingdale’s Dubai and Koibird; its second drop is slated for a January release.