If you’ve had a tough day at work, imagine being able to grab a towel and head down the road to refresh yourself in the ocean instead of heading home on a crowded train. Or, rather than attending a spin class in a sweaty, windowless room at 6 a.m., you can take a quiet swim and then enjoy a still-warm cup of coffee from home while looking out at a quiet sandy beach.
Being near water is all important to these four creators based in the Philippines, Ghana, Jamaica, and Finland. Here they share their favorite seaside places, looks, and activities.
Stephanie Kienle Gonzalez, Philippines
After studying in New York, Paris, and London, Stephanie Quienle Gonzalez returned to her hometown of Manila in 2008 to join her family’s interior design and furniture business, Philux. Since then, she has continued her quest to visit new beaches every year, which in a country made up of more than 7,000 islands is not all that difficult. “The real challenge is how to get around,” she said from her home in the Philippines’ capital, where she lives with her husband and her three daughters.
She describes the Philippines as an “untapped gem” among popular destinations in East Asia. “I think everyone has been to Thailand and Indonesia, but I think the Philippines is still mysterious. Even now, people ask me if people live in trees,” she said. say. The country has “the most beautiful beaches in the world,” she continued.
“There’s an island called Boracay, and you won’t believe you’re walking on sand.” [there]. “It’s the finest, softest sand your feet will ever touch,” she says. “It stretches out for miles and the water in front of you is almost a lagoon. It’s this bright aqua blue and it’s very clear.”
Kienle Gonzalez is always looking for that special detail to add to her beach outfits. The focus is on comfortable, lightweight fabrics with colorful prints and flat shoes perfect for getting in and out. bancatraditional Filipino boats, are used for day trips to the lagoon and snorkeling off the coast, before enjoying boodle fights, grilled seafood served on banana leaves and rice.
“Comfort is important, but I always try to wear something with intention and purpose and promote local designers,” she added. “We have very beautiful weavers of all kinds, including seaweed and abaca weaving. [made using a resistant natural fibre derived from a close relative of the banana tree native to the Philippines] — and they make this beautiful sun hat. ”
But the truly essential beachwear in the Philippines is the sarong. “I see a lot of people in it. You can wear it as a one-shoulder dress, you can wear it as a skirt with a bikini top, or you can wear it as a top with denim shorts underneath,” says Kienle. Gonzalez says. “It’s a very versatile item and the traditional Filipino fabrics come in beautiful patterns and colors that are really fun to wear on the beach.”
Mecca Jay Williams, Jamaica
Three years ago, Mecca Jay Williams, a New York-based stylist, fashion editor, and creative consultant, decided to move permanently to Kingston, Jamaica, where she felt a sense of peace.
“It was very hard to feel happy in New York during the pandemic,” she says, calling from a trip to Mexico. “One of the big thrills for me was being out in nature. Before I moved to Kingston, everyone thought we didn’t have many beaches in Kingston. But that’s just not true. It turned out to be.”
Bob Marley Beach, for example, is just 20 kilometers from her home and is her go-to place when she’s feeling overwhelmed or has to make a difficult decision. “I go to the beach to clear my head, and it’s really beautiful to see people interacting with the water. It makes me feel like my problems are much smaller than I imagined.” ,” she says. You can also take her boat to her two small islands, Lyme Cay and Maiden Cay, located about 20 minutes from mainland Jamaica. Mainly visited by locals.
“Typically, everyone goes on the weekend, there’s music playing, there’s someone selling beer, and maybe someone is cooking sprats. Kingston beaches in particular have a really beautiful culture of food, music and community. , and I love it,” says Jay Williams.
Her beach uniform is made of colorful swimsuits from brands like Riot Swim, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Hunza G, as well as vintage Adidas track shorts and pieces collected by Jay Williams during his trips to Barbados, Grenada, and Bermuda. Worn with a collection of printed shirts. . Every other Sunday night, the beach is lit up with bonfires and music, and shirts turn into hoodies as the sun sets.
“I have a beach-specific wardrobe, and Jamaicans are very laid-back when it comes to the beach,” she says. “Most of the time, people who go to the beach are just stumbling there because they’ve had a long day at work.” Sometimes you use it. It’s all about embracing the beach and being in the water.”
Akosua Afriyie Kumi, Ghana
Designer Akosua Afriye Kumi is based in Kumasi, Ghana’s second-largest city after the capital Accra, at least a five-hour drive from the nearest beach. This is why the founder of handbag brand Aaks most often visits nearby Lake Bosmut, the country’s only natural lake, created by an asteroid impact more than a million years ago.
“It’s in the middle of Ghana, so not many people visit, but it’s a very quiet and really beautiful place,” she says. Adventurous types can go hiking, go horseback riding, or enjoy lunch at one of the restaurants dotted along the coast.
The atmosphere of the lake is completely different from beaches in Ghana, especially those near Accra such as Labadi Beach. She enjoys the social side of herself she finds there. “If she was alone, she would soon have about 10 people talking to her,” says Afriyie Kumi.
Accra’s beaches also offer plenty of activities, music, and food, cooked in small huts that serve as cafes and bars, and sold by local hawkers. “The sun is so strong that people don’t sunbathe much, but instead play sports, play Ghanaian board games like Oware and Ludo, and eat. They sell drinks. They walk along the beachfront with produce on their heads, so you can lie back and watch the food go by. “The busiest times are when the heat and sun are unbearable. early in the morning or after 3 p.m.
Beach fashion is usually very relaxed and somewhat modest due to religious beliefs and traditions. “People who wear bikinis wear it with a cover and take it off when they enter the water. But you rarely see people walking on the beach in just a bikini,” says Afriyie Kumi. She personally chooses a dress or shorts, a shirt, flip-flops, and a sun hat. Modest doesn’t mean plain. “We tend to wear African prints and colorful clothes. In Ghana, wearing a black dress means there’s a funeral.”
Laura Saarinen, Finland
“People often ask me, ‘Do you wear a swimsuit in Finland? Isn’t it too cold? Isn’t the summer too short?'” The avid swimmer and economics graduate founded the Helsinki-based swimwear brand Lilja the in 2016. Laura Saarinen, founder of Label, says: summer. As Finns, we spend a lot of time in swimsuits. Since summer is so short, we always carry this with us. That way everyone is always ready to swim and sunbathe. ”
The nearest beach to Saarinen’s home is just five minutes away, a secluded spot where she goes for a swim year-round, sometimes taking ice baths twice a week in the winter (instead of wearing a wetsuit). , wearing a regular swimsuit). But her office in central Helsinki also has easy access to water. “The coast is closely connected to life in Helsinki, and in her office there is always someone’s bikini hanging on the doorknob,” she says. “All of us Finns grow up around water. If it’s not the ocean, it’s the lake.”
The lakes and beaches dotted with Finnish summerhouses offer plenty of opportunities for social activities, including music festivals such as Lewis Rock, sports, outdoor parties, and barbecues, a Finnish summer staple. “In August, you’re like, no more barbecue,” Saarinen says.
On hot summer days, when temperatures can reach 24 degrees, Saarinen favors breathable linen dresses and colorful bikinis that break Finland’s popular black, white, gray and beige palette. For winter ice baths, she chooses to wear layers of natural fabrics, a beanie, and a scarf, all over her swimsuit. The key is to never wear anything that needs to be tied up. “It gets cold and her fingers don’t work as well,” she says.
Check out the latest stories — Follow us @financialtimefashion Instagram — and subscribe to our podcast life and art No matter where you listen