Kathy Ireland Shares an Exclusive Look at Her New HSN Swimwear Collection

Kathy Ireland.Jon Carrasco

Kathy Ireland has always felt at home in a swimsuit. The Southern California native rose to fame as a supermodel in the 1980s and ’90s, making 13 appearances in the SI Swimsuit Issue (including covers in 1989, ’92 and ’94). 

Ireland founded her global lifestyle brand, kathy ireland Worldwide, in 1993. As the company’s CEO, she has grown the brand to license everything from fashion to home and pet goods. In 2015, she was named to the first Forbes list of America’s 50 Richest Self-Made Women. Today, the company grosses $3.5 billion dollars in annual sales.

Kathy Ireland in 1993 in Oahu, Hawaii

Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated

Ireland’s newest venture is a natural one: her new line of swimwear and cover-ups for HSN launches on Thursday, March 30. The collection includes stylish one-piece swimsuits and cover-ups in a variety of bold and colorful prints that are perfect for any and every body type.

“In the design career of our company, kathy ireland Worldwide, we’ve brought swimwear to tens of millions of women with hundreds of millions of suits,” Ireland says, noting that she teamed up with manufacturer Amerex Group to bring her new swimsuit collection to life.

Kathy Ireland wears the Palm Beach Neon swimsuit and cover-up from her new swimwear collection.

Jon Carrasco

Ireland notes that her time working with SI Swimsuit, particularly her lifelong  relationship with the magazine’s founding editor, the late Jule Campbell, has been integral to how she approaches fashion and design today.

Kathy Ireland in 1993 in Oahu, Hawaii.

Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated

“I really believe Jule Campbell was so instrumental. She was so disruptive and revolutionary to not only give [models] a name and the humanity of who these people are, but to recognize beauty in every shape, size, color and age. That wasn’t happening before Jule,” she states.

Ireland says that her inspiration for this line comes from nature and her world travels, particularly the globetrotting she did during her SI Swimsuit days when she journeyed to Bora Bora, Thailand, Indonesia and South Africa (among many other countries).

Kathy Ireland models a blue swimsuit and the Safari Nights cover-up.

Jon Carrasco

“Traveling with SI under Jule’s mentorship, that was and it continues to be a great inspiration and education,” she says. “I love experiencing different cultures and how people live and Jule always encouraged to go bolder and brighter and just to bring fun. That’s something that definitely is felt in this collection.”

Ireland truly believes that beauty comes in all forms, and inclusivity is integral to her brand, particularly when it comes to swimwear.

“I want [women] to feel beautiful, confident and comfortable,” she states of her new collection.

The suits offer adjustable straps and removal padding to be customized to the wearer’s body. Soft shaping over the bust for modesty and full lining are a few more features Ireland says are standouts. While the new collection provides women of any age with the perfect swimsuit for lounging poolside or playing a game of beach volleyball, Ireland says the best way to rock a swimsuit with confidence is by finding a silhouette that works for you and sticking to it.

“For so many of us, just the thought of trying on swimwear can really just wreak havoc on our confidence,” she admits. “But when you have a suit that is carefully designed, when it’s carefully made with thoughtfulness, that is powerful.”

Kathy Ireland in the collection’s basic black swimsuit and cover-up.

Jon Carrasco

While some clothing trends may be catered to certain demographics, Ireland believes swimwear is ageless.

“You’re never too young or too old for swim to be in your wardrobe, to walk with confidence,” she offers.

Ireland’s new line of swimwear and cover-ups launches exclusively with HSN on Thursday, March 30. Shop the collection here starting next week.

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