The queen of summer has spoken! We linked up with Zara Larsson to find out about her brand Main Rose‘s new release: a swimwear drop that feels so right for Zara. Having built her current look off the back of her appreciation for summer aesthetics, following the global success of her recent album “Midnight Sun”, Zara Larsson’s first foray into swimwear is perfect. Here’s what Zara had to say about the collection, and her
Main Rose dropping swimwear feels insanely right for your brand. Aside from yourself, what was on the mood board for this collection?
“The mood board was honestly a lot of me. A lot of Main Rose, [and especially] this swim collection, is inspired by what we have previously dropped. But also a lot of nature, animal prints, which I feel like is a classic and kind of something that inspires me in general. Like, I’m such a nature girl. The classic glamorous Pamela Anderson, Spring Breakers, with the pop of neon, a bunch of vintage Dior ads, which I’m super excited about. We had many different [sources of inspiration] for the products, but also the story and the campaign had different worlds and different mood boards. It’s very fun.”
“I would say that this collection, I think naturally, [is about] summertime and being outside and your bikini essentially being your outfit. I wanted it to have a pop of colour, a little print, like something that we have’t previously done with the underwear. And then [I wanted] the campaign to feel more in the world of what I have kind of built for the last half a year, with “Midnight Sun”, and summer in general. It’s a fun campaign. I’m so excited to bring Main Rose into my universe, but also my universe into Main Rose and merge them even more.”
Swimwear can be very personal to someone’s preferences. What was your main priority when designing a swimwear collection for Main Rose?
“For people to feel sexy, but also to feel comfortable. We drew a lot from the shapes that we have already had [in Main Rose’s existing collections]. I love our mesh bra, and obviously we have the classic triangle ones, which I feel like [are] a really good fit for most people regarding support and coverage. You want to feel like it’s comfortable.”
“There’s one [bikini top] that resembles a bra: it has wired support [and] you can tie it at the shoulders, which I absolutely love. I think what I really wanted from this collection was for it to feel more colourful and fun, have more patterns and more prints, and for it to feel like an outfit. I love the colour combinations, I feel like it’s very Main Rose to have the burgundy mixed with the hot pink. Also, we have a new one that’s a beige-brown with a neon yellow, which I absolutely love. I think pops of colour is really fun!”
Is there a style moment in pop culture (in a movie/TV show/etc) that you can imagine this collection fitting into?
“Honestly, during the whole process, I really did feel like H2O – you know, those Australian mermaid girls? – I was like, they would rock this. I would like to see them in this collection.”
Obviously you’re a fashion icon. I mean, your personal style is basically a trend in its own right! Did you ever imagine your style would be so heavily replicated?
“No! I really had no idea, but it’s always been my alternate dream. Like,[something] I’ve always had on my bucket list has been, ‘please, please, please, let there be a day where people can dress up as me for Halloween.’ I feel like that has sort of happened. Now there’s this silhouette, or more than that, it’s the colourfulness, and then the glitter and the makeup on top of that, which feels like such a good representation of this era, and such a good representation of me and what I love, which I feel so so proud of. I’m so happy to see the crowd every night, when I do my shows, and I’m like, ‘wow, people have dressed up for a theme that I haven’t even [asked them to follow],’ you know? It just feels natural for people to wear it. It’s one of the things that I’m the most proud of.”
“I also think it’s this conversation with people online, almost like a dialogue. I wear something, and people respond really well to [it]. So I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s amazing. Let me lean into that even more.’ It’s like this sound loop almost, amplifying each other, which I think is so amazing and awesome. I love it, and I love this aesthetic. It feels so true to me, and it feels so genuine. That’s why it’s been so easy, this era. I really love every sort of style and genre of music and fashion, and, like, I really don’t really dislike anything in life, but this time around, I’ve had [the] discipline to [commit to] one thing.
“For the video, for example, [I was] like, let’s be unapologetically feminine, let’s be colourful, which is something that I have always loved. If you asked my sister or any of my friends [about my style growing up], they’d be like, ‘You have always sort of dressed like a clown, like, [in] glitter and feathers.’ But then, the next day, I’m gonna wear an all leather outfit. I think I truly haven’t had a brand before, but now I’ve just committed to it, which I think you kind of have to do.”
“Now I’m some sort of queen of summer, which is amazing, because I’m from a place where we have summer for, like, two weeks and I just fooled everyone. I feel like now I’ve, like, solidified summer as being almost a part of my personality. And summer really does open up nature in a beautiful way. Anyone can take an ice bath [any time of the year] if they would like that, but summer’s truly the season of swimming. The season of, like, body of water, nature, sunshine.”
Is there anyone you would love to see wear a piece from this drop?
“Ooh, like, all the girlies. I’m excited to get tagged by the girlies, you know?”
I’m my last question is, what are your three beach day essentials?
“Sunscreen, like a 50 SPF. I love to bring a book, but I don’t read it. I just kind of like, have it. Obviously a towel to lay on. Maybe instead of a book, a water bottle, because I like to go down and fill it up with water from the ocean, so when I take take a swim in the ocean and I walk back to my towel, I can take that water and pour on my feet because I don’t like them being sandy.”
