GIGI C Swimwear: The Pieces Worth the Price

GIGI C Swimwear: The Pieces Worth the Price

GIGI C is a Los Angeles swimwear label started by Gigi Caruso and her mother Tina, with sporty shapes and a sharp architectural edge. I like it because the suits begin with movement, not a mood board.

A swimsuit that could keep up

I have a soft spot for a swim label that starts with a real irritation and not a trend forecast. Gigi Caruso grew up in the water and went looking for a suit that could move with an active day and still look good, and nothing fit the brief. Her mother, Tina, brought her own point of view as a swimsuit model and clothing designer, and in 2017, when Gigi was 16, the two made GIGI C together. Their first experiments were old suits cut apart and reworked, safety-pinned and glued into new designs.

 

That beginning explains why the line feels sporty without turning purely technical. You see it in the laser-cut details and the silky scuba fabric, and in a Miami Swim Week runway show in 2017. A collaboration with Carbon38 carried those cutouts into activewear, and when Caruso opened a showroom at The Grove in 2023, the label got a real workspace in Los Angeles.

 

The design story starts with motion, and I would hold myself to Caruso's standard: a suit should work for the water and still feel like your own style.

Model in a black cutout surfsuit on a yacht

Swim designed to keep up

The Mathilda One Piece is where the sporty line comes forward, with raw-cut edges and cutout details that make it look sharper than most one-pieces. If you prefer a two-piece, I would start with the Alice Bra Bikini Top and the Jaclyn Bikini Bottom, since the top is easy to adjust. The Carrie One Piece and Casey One Piece are the other one-piece routes.

 

The Emerson Bikini Top, Jamie Bikini Top, Georgia Bikini Top and Brett Bikini Top fill in the top shapes. Picture her coming in from a swim and tying on the Willa Sarong, light and sheer, for the walk back. What I would skip: wearing the Willa Sarong as your only cover beyond the pool, since it is unlined mesh. Also check that the Alice top is sold separately before you pack.

Model in a white zip-front surfsuit on a jet ski
Leyna Bloom in GIGI C swimwear beneath a black mesh dress at the water
Alex Morgan in a white GIGI C swimsuit in the sea at sunset

Built for the way you swim

I like that this design story keeps a place for motion: a swimsuit can work for a swim and still feel like an outfit choice. The Mathilda One Piece shows off the graphic side of the label, the Alice Bra Bikini Top and Jaclyn Bikini Bottom make a more adjustable two-piece, and the Willa Sarong is the light layer for the walk to lunch. I would pack by itinerary and not by color. Start with the suit you trust in the water, then add the cover-up that makes the day feel finished. Although I will admit I would pick the one-piece first.