Dive Brief:

• DTC bra brand Cuup on Thursday launched its first category expansion into swimwear.

• The swim line, which was two years in the making, will come in 53 bra sizes from 30A to 42F and seven bottom sizes in XS to XXXL, according to details emailed to Retail Dive. To ensure an accurate fit, the brand conducted more than 100 fittings on 25 different women's bodies over the course of 20 months.

• The collection includes three bikini tops for $98 each and three bikini bottoms for $68 each, available in black, green, brown, red and white.

Dive Insight:

The expansion into swimwear marked Cuup's first new product category since launching in 2018.

The collection was born out of the notion that swimwear is "notoriously limited," according to co-founder Abby Morgan.

"[S]wimwear as we knew it had to change," Morgan said in a statement. "So we took our renegade approach to sizing and silhouettes to revolutionize swimwear with fit, function, style, and support that celebrates our customer."

The DTC brand is also offering virtual appointments with Cuup's Fit Therapists to ensure consumers are matched with the correct size. 

The launch into swimwear comes as several other digitally native brands expand into adjacent categories. MeUndies earlier this month expanded beyond underwear and loungewear into swimwear made from recycled nylon and plastic bottles. And intimates brand Knix debuted a swim collection last May — the most successful sales launch in the company's history, according to CEO and founder Joanna Griffiths.

But the swimwear space more broadly has experienced disruption in recent years as traditional retailers reassess their strategies selling in the category. When Victoria's Secret dropped swimwear in 2016 to focus on beauty, bras and its Pink business, it created a space for DTC brands to enter the market: Swimwear brands Andie and Summersalt launched in the years since. In February, however, Victoria's Secret announced it was reintroducing swimwear to stores once more.