The Hottest Athletic Swimwear Trends in 2021

If you lean towards athletic clothing in your everyday wardrobe, you may want to consider investing in some athletic swimwear for this summer. 

Athletic swimwear doesn’t just mean bulky one pieces or rash guards intended for surfing. Athletic swimwear is bathing suits that allow you to move easily - whether that means jumping off the diving board into the pool, diving under rough waves in the ocean, or running in the sand down the length of the beach in your bikini. Whatever athleticism means to you, your swimwear should be able to reflect that.

As being athletic in your everyday life is becoming more important, bathing suit trends are beginning to reflect that. Here are our top athletic swimwear trends coming this summer to a pool or beach near you.

1. High-Waisted Bottoms

Although these have been around for a few years now, they’re not going out of style anytime soon. High-waisted bottoms are here to stay, and here’s why.

High-waisted bikini bottoms allow you to move without having to worry about your bikini bottoms falling off. This may seem like a minimal concern, but after years of nearly losing your string bikini bottoms to a gnarly wave in the ocean, this will come as a relief. Thanks to high-waisted swimsuits, you can finally play Spikeball on the sand or dive under waves without having to worry about your bikini bottoms coming off.

High-waisted bottoms also feel natural, which is so important for athletic wear. While most bikinis don’t even reach near your belly button, high-waisted bikinis fall at your natural waist. This means that they smooth right over your natural woman pouch and create a comfortable fit for moving and not worrying.

Lastly, high-waisted bottoms are much less likely to cause irritation down there than your run-of-the-mill bikini, and irritation is the last thing you need when you’ll probably be sore from your active day in the pool or on the beach. High-waisted bottoms offer much more coverage, making it much less likely for your sensitive skin to get irritated and develop rashes from the sun and the sand.

One of our favorite pairs of high-waisted bikini bottoms are the Dona Jo Bikini Bottom Sport. Designed for the active and fashionable customer, these bottoms are high-waisted with lightweight fabric for easy moving. They are also UV protected and fast-drying. 

2. Asymmetrical Bikini Top

If you’re looking at this top and thinking there’s no way this will hold up as an athletic swimwear piece, you need to trust us and hear us out.

This asymmetrical top first became stylish in legit activewear with brands like Set Active, and it’s proven to be sturdy enough for the most intense and sweaty workout sessions. Although it may not appear like it, the single strap provides enough support for both of your boobs.

This isn’t any different when it comes to athletic swimwear. This top will hold your top up whether you're running on the beach or diving under waves in the ocean.

We love the Pink Swim One-Shoulder Top because it mimics the style of active wear brands exactly, making it a promising swim top. The top is also “gym to swim,” meaning you can totally wear it to the gym for a workout after a long day at the beach.

You can grab this top in fun colors such as Optic White, Pure Black, Fired Up, Pure Black Smoke, Sour Green, and Cabana Purple.

As a bonus, this style is made from recyclable materials. So if you shop with sustainability in mind, this is a great option for you! 

3. Sandals

Sandals are quickly becoming more trendy than flip flops, and we are here for it. We are totally team sandals over flip flops, and here’s why.

Sandals are more comfortable. It’s pretty unnatural for your toes to be separated by material, as is the case with flip flops, and easy moving is all about what’s most natural and comfortable. So sandals are the easy solution here.

Sandals are also more versatile. You can wear them with socks or without, which means you can slip them on when you’re traveling from practice to the beach without having to strip your sweaty socks off right away.

One of our favorite pairs of sandals is the Dona Jo Linus Sandal. The Dona Jo team partnered with a brand in Brazil for this fun footwear. The sandals are 100% recyclable, with 70% of renewable sources in its composition, free of heavy metals, and with 100% vegetable origin plasticizers.

As stated on the Dona Jo website, “Our team has been wearing these sandals to work, the beach, before and after a tennis match or a hard workout. You will love the comfort, how light weight and fun they are!” 

You can get these sandals in Aeria, Black, or Navy.

4. Classic One Piece

A one piece bathing suit is another piece of athletic swimwear that never seems to go out of style. And with cute new styles coming out each year, it’s no wonder this item still makes our list.

One piece suits are perfect if you’re looking for a suit that will stay on no matter what you’re doing. Whether you’re running on the beach, swimming in the ocean, or playing water polo in the pool, you’re fully covered - both literally and figuratively.

This style of athletic swimwear is also perfect for you if you’re more inclined to move when you’re fully covered. Just because you’re on the beach doesn’t mean you have to sunbathe, so if beach games are your thing and you just can’t do them in a bikini, you should totally try a one piece suit. It will change your life!

5. Tankini

Tankinis have been around for a while, but were never exactly “it.” Here’s why they’re making a comeback in 2021.

Tankinis are getting a lot cuter, by that we mean cute athletic-looking. They look almost exactly like tank tops you would wear to the gym. So if you like those, you might want to rock them to the beach as well.

Their straps are also usually way more supportive than bikini or one piece straps. So if boob support is something that concerns you when you’re moving on the beach, a tankini might be your best bet to having an athletic summer.

No matter how you’re incorporating fitness into your summer, the most important thing is that you’re still having fun - that’s what summer is all about! So our best advice is to find swimwear that will double as active wear and cute swimwear. You’ve got many options to choose from: high-waisted bottoms, asymmetrical bikini tops, sandals, one pieces, and tankinis - so pick your poison!