How Lybethras Swimwear Weaves Brazilian Culture Into Its Timeless Designs

The brand has been featured in SI Swimsuit Issues since 2009 and was worn by cover girl Olivia Dunne this year.

Lorena Durán was photographed by Ben Watts in Puerto Rico. Swimsuit by Lybethras. Earrings by Jennifer Zeuner Jewelry. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

When it comes to selecting swimwear for the annual SI Swimsuit Issue, our fashion editors scour the racks for the season’s hottest styles, while also artfully choosing pieces that tell a story. This year, that was accomplished through bold animal prints, as seen on the likes of cover girl Olivia Dunne in Berumda, and the soft and feminine looks models like Katie Austin sported (also in Bermuda).

And while the stylings for both the aforementioned shoots were vastly different, they had one thing in common: both Dunne and Austin sported suits by Lybethras. The Brazilian swimwear brand was founded in 2007 and is run by mother-daughter duo Luciana and Anna Martinez. While Luciana originally founded the business, Anna joined the brand in 2020 and serves as creative director and partner.

“ I think it’s really amazing working with my daughter because she grew up in this business and creating with her and all those things is really awesome for me,” Luciana tells SI Swimsuit. “I feel very, very happy to have her and [to] build the [brand] legacy and all those things, and I feel very grateful for having her with me.”

Olivia Dunne was photographed by Ben Watts in Bermuda. Swimsuit by Lybethras. Belt by Streets Ahead. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Anna chimes in to share that she grew up around the business and never thought she’d be part of it. Her involvement in Lybethras started naturally during the pandemic, and she describes her business partnership with her mother as being incredibly special.

“When we are creating pieces, when we are drawing, when we are talking, we have exactly the same ideas of everything, so we compliment each other very well,” Anna says of working alongside her mom. “And also, we have very similar styles ...  We love working together and we love creating pieces together.”

Katie Austin was photographed by Ben Watts in Bermuda. Swimsuit by Lybethras. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

For more than a dozen years, the SI Swimsuit fashion team has pulled Lybethras suits for the annual issue, dressing everyone from Alix Earle and Christen Goff to Kate Love and Camille Kostek in them. This year marks 17 years of Lybethras bikinis in the magazine, and coincidentally, 17 different suits from the brand were worn by models this year alone.

High-quality, timeless Brazilian swimwear

Luciana has been designing clothing since she was a young girl, and she founded Lybethras 18 years ago in order to bring high-quality Brazilian swimwear to the worldwide market. The brand is known for its bold cuts and vibrant colors, as well as macrame and crochet suits that are handmade by local female artisans.

“We like to highlight the Brazilian culture of each design because we want to bring Brazil to the world,” Anna says. “We export to 60 countries right now, and every piece is handmade here [in Brazil]. They are made by women and it’s so special for us when we see our customers wearing Lybethras in another country or on vacation or [in a] very unique [setting] like weddings. It makes us so proud because it’s [introducing] Brazil to the world.”

Ming Lee Simmons was photographed by Yu Tsai in Jamaica. Swimsuit by Lybethras. Earrings by Ettika. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

For example, the brand’s Girl from Ipanema Collection is inspired by Rio de Janeiro and features bold cuts and colors. Similarly, another collection draws inspiration from the Copacabana sidewalk, and includes suits with laser cuts.

Anna and Luciana love to travel together, and in addition to their Brazilian culture, the two draw inspiration for their collections from their adventures. They also like to honor their loved ones by naming bikinis after friends, family and colleagues, like the Selena Macrame One-Piece ($199.99) and Naya One-Piece ($195).

The brand’s handmade crochet suits, like the one Earle modeled in the 2025 SI Swimsuit Issue, below, typically take one week to create, then another 15 days to ship. And while customers can shop the exact gold bikini ($242) Earle wore in the magazine, they are also welcome to place custom orders to request, for example, a more full-coverage bottom with any set.

Alix Earle was photographed by Yu Tsai in Jamaica. Swimsuit by Lybethras. Body Chain by Jacquie Aiche x Tropic of C. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

“ We receive a lot of feedback from women [who say] the first time I tried Lybethras, I never felt more confident and never felt more empowered,” Anna says, noting that the ultimate goal is for any woman who puts on a Lybethras bikini to feel incredible in her own skin.

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Sustainability efforts that go above and beyond

In addition to introducing Brazilian culture to the world, Lybethras hopes to minimize the brand’s carbon footprint through several sustainability efforts. The brand uses biodegradable fabrics, including a polyamide yarn called AMNI SOUL ECO, and works with a water-based printer. One of the more unique initiatives is the fact that fabric scraps do not go to waste. Instead, they are used to create one-of-a-kind suits like the Chelsea Bikini ($186) that cannot be replicated.

Lybethras

The fact that Lybethras bikinis are built to last with a timeless aesthetic in mind helps the brand’s sustainability efforts, as well. Rather than being a trendy, fast fashion item you’ll wear for one summer and move on from the following season, you’ll reach for classic Lybethras suits year after year.

“We have the warranty that our bikinis are [made] for more than five summers,” Luciana explains. “So it’s very slow fashion and durability is something that we like to show in every detail.”

Camille Kostek was photographed by Ben Watts in Portugal. Swimsuit by Lybethras Swim. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Anna chimes in that  she and her mother forgo trends in Lybethras designs in favor of everlasting aesthetics, which is one of the many factors that help the brand to stand out among a sea of others.

“We love to do versatile pieces and pieces that are very timeless,” she says. “ ... Every trend comes and goes. Lybethras means ‘source of muses,’ so when we ship something to our customers, we want the piece to last and maybe even [be passed down to] her daughter. We want these pieces to be very timeless. A forever piece.”

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