From Category to Function: Rethinking Bodywear

Francesca Spinetta, Editorial Director of Intima magazines and official media partner of the Bodywear Area at PERFORMANCE DAYS, is one of the industry’s leading experts in bodywear and swimwear trends. In this interview, she shares her perspective on the evolving role of bodywear across swim, lingerie and activewear, and explains how material innovation continues to reshape both product development and consumer expectations, insights that will also be explored in the upcoming The Best of Swim feature “Signs before the Wave.”

PERFORMANCE DAYS: PERFORMANCE DAYS has been developing a dedicated BODYWEAR area. From your perspective, how relevant is this focus today?

Francesca Spinetta: It’s not simply a focus, it’s a necessary correction. Bodywear is no longer just a segment; it has become the logic through which garments across multiple categories, including swimwear, are now developed. What PERFORMANCE DAYS is doing by starting with materials reflects where product decisions are actually being made today. That is why this approach is so relevant.

Looking at the BODYWEAR area, what stands out to you in the way it is curated?

What stands out is the intention to move beyond rigid categorization, even if the structure still reflects certain segments. What becomes truly interesting is the possibility to read across these categories and identify different approaches to how garments perform on the body, whether through material behavior, compression, or construction techniques.

What are the key directions emerging from this BODYWEAR focus?

There are three very clear directions. First, adaptation, where the material absorbs complexity and simplifies fit, this is where brands like Bond-eye become relevant. Second, control, where the garment actively shapes or supports the body through compression, as seen with brands such as Miraclesuit or Leonisa. And third, engineered fit, where precision comes from construction and technical expertise, represented by brands like Chantelle, Freya, Elomi, or Anita. These are not just stylistic variations; they are fundamentally different ways of defining the product itself.

From your expertise in swim and bodywear, how should brands approach these developments?

By clearly deciding what they stand for and accepting what they are not. The brands that succeed are those that commit to a clear product logic. Others often accumulate features without a coherent direction, and that is where products begin to lose meaning and identity.

What role should materials play when developing collections within this BODYWEAR logic?

Materials are the starting point. Stretch, recovery, and compression are no longer additional functions, they define the product itself. Construction either supports that functionality or becomes secondary to it.

What advice would you give to brands and buyers visiting the BODYWEAR area at PERFORMANCE DAYS?

Don’t approach it simply as a material selection; read it as a positioning tool. Every material implies a specific way of building a product and a specific way of addressing the body. If that connection is not understood, the exercise remains superficial. What is already visible here points directly toward what comes next: garments are no longer defined by category or even by fit alone, but by how they interact with the body, whether through adaptation, control, or precision.