Lenny Niemeyer

Lenny Niemeyer Designer of the Year 2018

A Focus on Couture Beachwear

Unique by Mode City and Paris Capitale de la Création will award the Designer of the Year prize to Lenny Niemeyer, undisputed ambassador of Couture Beachwear, during the upcoming Unique by Mode City show, which will take place from July 7 to 9, 2018 in Paris.

This year, the Unique by Mode City show recognizes iconic Brazilian brand Lenny Niemeyer, who extends the influence of sophisticated, luxury beachwear throughout the world.

Since 1991, this brand has offered swimwear collections featuring sophisticated shapes, with matching ranges of Couture accessories and textile goods. With each passing season, Lenny Niemeyer enchants us with her uniquely chic and glamorous style and exclusive, colorful prints.

From her background as a renowned landscape architect, Lenny brings her love of nature, which infuses her prints; from her “Paulista” origins, comes her entrepreneurial spirit. Over the years, Lenny has become a true “Carioca” fashion legend.

“I design for a passionately feminine, chic, and independent woman. My swimsuits highlight her femininity, beauty, and charm” Lenny Niemeyer.

The « Architect of the Couture Bikini »

Lenny Niemeyer began her career as a designer in 1979, creating swimwear lines for famous Brazilian brands. Her marriage to neurosurgeon Paulo Niemeyer, nephew of legendary Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, and their subsequent move to Rio, moved her away from her landscape design clients. "In São Paulo at the end of the 1970s, beachwear was still quite conservative, so everyone looked to Carioca designs for their most innovative styles”, states Lenny Niemeyer. "My friends in São Paulo were always asking me to bring back bikinis for them, and I said to myself, ‘Why not give it a try?’ ".

In 1991, she decided to launch her own namesake brand, and opened her first boutique at Ipanema. Ever since, she has transformed Brazilian beachwear style forever.

With her great eye for quality fabrics, Lenny Niemeyer focuses on comfort and beautiful drape in her pieces. Her couture universe includes swimsuits in stretch knit, and beachwear lines in linen, silk, crepe, or georgette. Her runway shows at Fashion Week in Sao Paulo, synonymous with absolute elegance, receive rave reviews from global fashionistas.

This brand is renowned far beyond Brazilian borders. Today, Lenny has 19 boutiques in Brazil and is sold within the most beautiful multibrand shops throughout the world in South America, the United States, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Middle East.

Her flattering fit and bold prints have already gained many followers, including the likes of Gisele Bündchen, Kate Moss, Alessandra Ambrosio, Lady Gaga, Natalie Portman, and Nicole Kidman.

The « Garota de Ipanema » :

Extreme creativity

Lenny Niemeyer has been awarded a number of prizes, including the “Melhor Estilista do Ano” (“Top Designer of the Year”) from the prestigious Veja magazine in 2012, the “Most Influential Woman” in Brazil cup, and the “Banco do Brasil” Award.

This designer, a perpetual jack-of-all-trades, never stops impressing us and rising to meet new challenges: the concept and design for the first Fashion Hotel in the Best Western hotel network in Rio de Janeiro, creating a book for French publisher Flammarion, “Inside Rio”, to discover the creative and architectural treasures of this Marvelous City, or the design of a range of sneakers for SDU (Santo Dumont), made in Brazil out of sustainable materials, in collaboration with French brand Vert, to commemorate the Day of the Amazon.

But one of her best projects has been the costume design for the Brazilian team at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Lenny Niemeyer once again proudly drew inspiration from nature, presenting all the diversity of her country.

A chat with Lenny Niemeyer.

You are the Unique by Mode City Designer of the Year. What does this mean to you?

This award is so very important for us, because it raises the profile of the Brazilian fashion market. This is one of the most significant and marvelous international recognitions we have received over the past 30 years!

Could you describe the creative process you undergo for your collections?

My collections start with a trip, a legend, a film, a place, an artwork... everything inspires me! This year, my inspiration came from nature. My creative process is a group project. Each of us adds our own ideas, based on a brief. This is a long process that requires many meetings and lots of research.

You’re sometimes referred to as the “Architect of the Bikini” because of your career path and last name. How do you feel about this?

Drawing on my architectural roots, I design pieces, then finalize them on female models so that my creations adapt to all body types.

What is your overall brand strategy for the European market?

And for the worldwide market?

We want to be in the top department stores as well as the most beautiful multibrand boutiques in the most iconic Fashion Capitals of the world.

We also want to be known as one of the most sophisticated beachwear brands in the world.

Could you reveal a few details about your upcoming Summer 2019 collection?

My inspiration comes from nature, living, ever changing nature. We’ll be revealing this new collection at our fashion show on April 25th, as part of Fashion Week in São Paulo.

3 words that express what your brand is about: Timeless, relaxed, and elegant.

What are Lenny Niemeyer’s iconic pieces?

The one-piece swimsuit that I have in all my collections, and the long-sleeved swimsuits, which I’ve been producing since 2010.

“Paulista” or “Carioca”? A “Paulista” who has adopted the “Carioca” lifestyle.

History - The Rise of Brazilian Designer Lenny Niemeyer The luxury swimwear carrying the brand name Lenny are fashioned from the designs of Lenny Niemeyer, who entered the industry over 20 years ago because she couldn’t find a bikini that matched her personal style. Lenny Niemeyer, a talented architect, began her new career in the swimwear industry shortly after arriving to Rio de Janeiro from her native Sao Paulo in 1980. Upon her arrival, one of her first self-appointed tasks was to find a bikini that embodied the sensual spirit of the locals, who are known by the Portuguese term Carioca. After a long search that left her empty handed, Lenny decided to take charge of the situation. She purchased a suitable length of Lycra, laid out a design and hired a seamstress to fashion a final product. The result was a bikini that fit the images of the Carioca in her imagination. Lenny continued to design new swimwear, and she sold her designs to some of the most respected brands in Brazil. However, after 10 years of designing for other companies, Lenny decided that it was time to start her own. In 1993, she began by renting additional apartments in her building so that she had space to manufacture her swimwear. In the same year, she opened her first store in the elegant Rio neighborhood of Ipanema. Sales took off, and she soon outgrew her apartment facilities. To gain the additional space required, Lenny used her innate resourcefulness to convert an old shed into a factory. Four years after starting her new business, Lenny was invited to her first fashion show. Some of the most talented and beautiful models in the business walked the runway sporting her designs, and ever since, her name has been associated with elegant, high-class swimwear. Lenny now operates 18 stores in Brazil, and her swimwear and fashion accessories are exported to continents throughout the world, including North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia.