One of our favourite things at Core Fabrics is what happens after we develop a custom fabric or print collection.
Once everything is finalized, a few of us get to sew something with it! We then come together for a little photoshoot to show the fabrics in real life, and all the different directions you can take them.
By that point, we’ve usually spent a lot of time with these prints. Tweaking pantones, adjusting the scale, refining the repeat… going back and forth until everything feels just right. It’s a collaborative process, and by the end of it, we’re all a little (or a lot) invested.
This year’s custom swim fabrics feel like a true reflection of that process.
And as you can probably tell from the names, we had way too much fun dreaming up the kinds of summer days these prints belong to.
There’s no single theme tying them together, instead, they’re an intuitive mix of what we’ve all been drawn to for swim: a bit of whimsy, something fun, something timeless, and even a little feline. Nothing made it into the collection unless it got a collective “wow” from our team.
For this print collection, we chose a strong swim fabric that feels super nice against the skin.
Made from 80% recycled nylon and 20% Creora® Highclo™ spandex, this performance knit has a smooth, cool hand with plenty of stretch and excellent recovery, so it moves with you and keeps its shape over time.
The fabric has a fluid, body-hugging drape, with built-in UV resistance (SPF 50+).
The Creora® Highclo™ spandex is engineered to stand up to chlorine, sunscreen, heat, and frequent washing, making it an ideal chlorine-resistant swim fabric for long-lasting swimsuits.
It’s everything we want in a swimsuit fabric — comfortable, durable, and dependable — and it works beautifully beyond swim too, for sports bras, leggings, and other activewear.
Our team turned these beauties into swimsuits, put the fabric to the test, and shared their thoughts (plus a few handy tips) along the way. There are even a couple of first-ever swimsuits in the mix—and it turns out, sewing swimwear is far less intimidating than it looks.
Ama had her eye on the Banana Split print from the very beginning. She felt strongly about the scale, and we’re so glad we trusted her instinct, it turned out beautifully. She sewed the Bianca swimsuit by Closet Core Patterns (from last year’s Crew collection): "I loved sewing with our new swimwear base! I found it topstitched very smoothly and I love that the print doesn’t fade when stretched."
Heather made the cutest Mediterranean-inspired one-piece using View C of the Faye swimsuit by Closet Core Patterns in our Limoncello Tile print. Paired with a classic Provençal straw hat, she’s fully channeling summer on the Riviera.
"This is my favourite print this year and reminded me of a really special trip to Provence last year (where I got this ridiculous hat). This is such a lovely swim fabric to work with, and I've sewn A LOT of swimsuits. It has a cool hand and a matte finish and handled well without being too slippery. Really looking forward to wearing this at the lake all summer long... which I will pretend is the Mediterranean while I swan around in this."
Our Picnic à la mer print couldn’t have been more Justine. She sewed the Lucien one-piece by Atelier Guillemette, and it really lets the print shine — from the soft blue stripes to all the playful little food details. Between the colours, her styling, and Courtney’s photography, this one just came together so effortlessly. We’re still not over how charming it is.
Tereska paired our Cheetah the Heat print with black recycled nylon spandex in a colourblocked set that feels bold, graphic, and honestly very pro. And somehow… this is her first swimsuit. She even drafted the bottoms herself. We’re impressed! "This is my first bathing suit! I honestly though it would be a lot harder than it was. The fabric was easy to cut with a rotary cutter, and not too shifty to sew. I used a serger for all seams and elastic installation."
This was also my first swimsuit!! And I actually really enjoyed making Seabright by Friday Patterns. My very basic machine didn’t eat the Caprese Tomato fabric like I was stressed about and the fabric handled beautifully. Working with elastic required attention, but it wasn’t the impossible technique I had built it up to be. I also just love how smooth and supportive the fabric feels, and the print is gorgeous. It’s another little tomato moment for me, after sewing with our cherry tomato linen from the Market Collection last year, I’m starting to think this might be the beginning of a full-on cherry tomato capsule wardrobe.
Explore our new swim print collection, along with coordinating solids, swim lining, swim elastic, and all the essential notions to bring your swimwear projects to life.
