O'ahu designers' swimwear suits needs of fitness clients

By Paula Rath
Advertiser Fashion Writer

Paddlers appreciate the swimwear designed by Iwalani Isbell because it doesn't pull or pinch. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

Competitive athletes have special needs regarding nutrition, fitness — and fashion. Optimal performance is, of course, the key. However, appearance also is important.

Honolulu has two designers who specialize in providing swimwear to athletes in two sports: paddling and bodybuilding.

Iwalani Isbell of Waikiki designs swimsuits that work for nearly every woman who swims, surfs or just sits in the sun. Recently, canoe clubs have discovered her suits and are ordering scores of her designs in team colors.

In another sporting arena, Renee Paz of Hawai'i Kai accepts the challenge of providing bodybuilders with the ensembles that flatter their hard-won physiques.

Paddlers' delight

Isbell has spent her life in swimsuits. She grew up surfing and paddling off Kona. (Yes, she is the daughter of Senate candidate Virginia Isbell, who, unknown to many, was a swimsuit model for Jantzen in "a former life.")

Iwalani Isbell lived for several years in a tree house on her brother Rick's private resort island in Fiji, where daily surfing was her reward for hard work. After moving to O'ahu eight years ago, she learned the swimwear trade as a sales representative for several companies, including Sunset Separates, Jamaican Style and 8.5 Quake.

Isbell said she designs her line, called Pualani, to be "sexy but functional. I want my suits to do something for women athletes' physiques."

There are a lot of fit issues surrounding the selection of swimwear for paddling. It has to be comfortable, and stay comfortable for hours during training and competition. It can't ride up on the bottom or pull down on the top. The straps must stay put. Safety hooks on bra backs help avoid embarrassing moments. And chafing can be downright disastrous.

Surfer and paddler Annie Gibbons-Hope of Palolo has a drawer full of Pualani suits — about 15 — because she loves the fabric. "It really dries fast, and the bottoms don't feel like diapers when they're wet," she said. And she appreciates the styles: "When you're lying on your board, they lie flat — there's nothing poking out or rubbing you."

In addition, of course, it must look good coming across the finish line. Isbell designs the suits herself and has them made in Colombia by an established lingerie manufacturer. She uses Lycra, with a polyester/Lycra blend for lining. She lines every portion of the suit.

Pualani, still less than a year old, is the favorite of three canoe clubs: Waikiki Beach Boys, Outrigger Canoe Club and North Shore Canoe Club. So far, five other clubs have asked Isbell for proposals for next season's team suits.

Isbell also makes swimsuits for the women who swim with the dolphins at the Hilton Waikoloa Resort on the Big Island and the Kahala Mandarin Oriental Hawaii on O'ahu, in two custom styles: a one-piece in solid blue with an embroidered logo and a sporty hibiscus print one-piece.

There were some interesting design challenges with this assignment. Ties can't be used, because the dolphins will untie them. There can be nothing shiny, because it might distract the dolphins.

Now, Isbell is expanding her line to workout clothes and coverups such as sarongs and capris in prints that match her suits. The Honolulu Club recently signed her to provide yoga pants for their fitness staff. Tennis players have adopted her sexy skirted bottoms. She plans to add fabric at the back so they will have enough room to tuck a tennis ball into the skirt.

Pualani sizes range from XS (0-2) to XL (14-16), with cup sizes from A to DD. Two-piece suits range from the barest Brazilian bottoms to boy-cut shorts, and from triangle tops to tankinis. One-piece suits come in six styles, from racer backs to spaghetti straps.

Pualani swimwear is sold on O'ahu at Locals Only, Pink C, Shasa Emporium (new in the Kahala Mall), Kailua Beach Walk and Xcel Hawaii; on Maui at Maui Girl; on Kaua'i at Overboard; and in Kona at Beaches and A'awa. Prices range from $60 to 65 for two-piece suits to $78 for one-piece ones.

From 'Baywatch' to bodybuilders

Renee Paz grew up around bodybuilders, often spending time with her father at the gym. She understands the unique shapes that evolve from hours of training muscles.

The bodies of competitive bodybuilders are unlike those of any other athletes. It follows, then, that the swimsuits bodybuilders wear for competition are unlike suits worn by anyone else.

Competition is different as well. It's all about the look. Points are achieved for each muscle, and points can be shaved off for a garment that doesn't fit perfectly or puckers in the wrong place. There is no margin for error.

Paz specializes in making custom suits for high-visibility, competitive bodybuilders. She must interpret their needs and personalities to design suits that complement them on stage. Her suits are created to draw the eye to a body's best assets and to cover tiny flaws.

Paz tries to help her customers regain a softer, more feminine appearance, because the goal of body building is to have a hard, toned, firm body. Women also tend to lose shape in their breasts when they are in competitive form, so she needs to engineer tops to create a soft line without distracting from the pectoral and other surrounding chest muscles.

Glitz is the word with Paz' designs. She is known for her sexy velvet, rhinestone and sequined confections that can cost hundreds of dollars. In addition to bodybuilders, she has designed for beauty pageant contestants and "Baywatch Hawai'i" actors. Her business is by referral only.