Jantzen Swimwear will be presenting 35 looks to celebrate their 100 year anniversary at Portland Fashion Week.  The date and time for the Jantzen Swimwear runway show is still tba, but Portland Fashion Week 2009 will take place October 7-11.  Jantzen has a long history in Portland.  Jantzen began operations in 1910 as a sweater manufacturer.  When the Portland Rowing Club needed something that would keep them warm when practicing wool seemed like a good solution.  When wet the original Jantzen suits weighed in excess of 15 lbs!  This of course was not very practical but it was the birth of the modern swimsuit as we know it.  It is hard to imagine but in the 1920’s-1950’s Portland, Oregon was the center of the swimwear world.  Jantzen Swimsuits are of course a very important brand to Popina.  In our Portland Swimwear Boutique we carry Portland’s largest selection of Jantzen Bathing Suits, including the very popular Jantzen Vamp Swimsuit.

Portland Fashion Week to promotes local Portland Fashion Designers, Sustainable Fashion from around the world, and up and coming start up designers.  In this regard Portland Fashion Week has been very helpful in promoting the local fashion scene, Popina Swimwear participated in the first two years of Portland Fashion Week the first two years our swimwear boutique opened. PFW was a very helpful marketing tool and helped us create awareness of who we are and what we do to a larger audience of primarilly Portland women (our customer).

The driving force behind PFW Tito Chowdhury, has been very effective in putting together his show.  From finding suitable talent, from both established designers, to up and comers, to creating interest in the event to draw press which in turn attracts greater fashion talent, to fundraising for sponsors and creating buzz for well attended shows. Seems whenever there is a fashion event in town, there you will find Tito, networking, enjoying fashion and following his dream of creating a more vibrant fashion scene in Portland.

Does the name Leann Marshall ring a bell?  Perhaps her first big break was Portland Fashion Week.  Tito and his partners Tod and Christopher putting her on the runway in Portland could not have hurt her when being selected for Project Runway the season just after showing her line at PFW.  Leanne went on to win last seasons Project Runway.

So thanks for all the hard work Tito and his partners Tod and Chris for keeping Portland artful, promoting fashion and for creating such a fun event in Portland!

Jantzen Swimwear will be featured on the upcoming season’s credits of Mad Men.  Jantzen Swimwear, one of the oldest and most recognized brands in swimwear will celebrate their 100th anniversary 2010, marking a century as a leader in style, innovation, fit and design with Swimwear made for the glamorous and modern beauty.

Jantzen Swimsuitscreative inspiration comes from their archives.  Whether it’s using an Art Deco 1930s image from Jantzen Beach Theme Park where you could “Dance, Swim, and Play” or their successful 1960s “Just Wear a Smile and a Jantzen” campaign, promoting a form of “happiness” reflects today’s marketing pitch to consumers who are responding to old fashioned values.  Images from the Jantzen Archives have been seen in the last two seasons of Emmy Award winning Mad Men on AMC and will again be featured in opening credits this fall with images from the 1960s Smile campaign. 

To honor their 100th year, Jantzen will explore their archival garment treasures, launching the Heritage Collection by Jantzen – classic Jantzen reinterpreted for the modern woman. The design team pays homage to each Jantzen decade as a milestone in fashion history with a collection reminiscent of the 1920s through today, evoking the signature style and decadence of eras gone by.  Jantzen will showcase their 100 years of fashion in partnership with The Wolfsonian–Florida International University beginning July 10th during a thirteen-week exhibition entitled, Beauty on the Beach: A Centennial Celebration of Swimwear. The exhibition will highlight materials such as original artwork by noted artists, advertisements, packaging and bathing suits, and celebrity swim suits. Jantzen, always a leader in international exhibits, looks forward to sharing their treasures with a whole new generation. A kick off reception on Saturday, July 18th, 2009 sponsored by Elle magazine will take place in conjunction with the SAF show for retail partners and local media.

With the trend of nostalgia surging, Jantzen has re-launched Curvallure by Jantzen replacing TrimSwim swimwear line. Curvallure’s clever copy and unique advertising illustrations originated in 1940 with Jantzen’s intimate apparel and “the foundation of Natural Beauty.” In the 1950s Swimwearour Curvallure bras created glamour by changing the shape of America. Today, Curvallure by Jantzen swimsuits are targeted to women who seek all the fit attributes, of contouring and slimming design, including tummy control and lifting features….without sacrificing style.

Empowering women by providing them with confidence to flaunt their curves and taking empowerment to the next level, Curvallure by Jantzen swimsuits will partner with the IFW Go Red for Women Red Dress show event in October to help combat Heart Disease.

As Jantzen commemorates this centennial celebration, the future appears bright. Jantzen, led by its iconic Diving Girl, remains one of the most recognizable brands in swimwear and will continue to provide innovation, style, quality and design in years to come.

–jantzen.com