Rudi Gernreich & Vöslauer Thermalbad

As part of the project, initiated and conceived by brand unit, a swimsuit was created exclusively in two colors and patterns. The communication was realized in the form of a photo shoot and video production.

In 1938, he fled from Austria to the USA to escape the National Socialists. In Los Angeles, his unusual and provocative designs made him one of the most influential fashion designers of the 20th century. Gernreich’s most famous innovation was topless fashion, especially the monokini. He also seemed ahead of his time when it comes to unisex fashion and the total look. Today his designs are, without a doubt, part of the fashion repertoire, but in the 1960s, they led to violent opposition, which at the same time ensured him great popularity and media interest.

Now, based on an iconic, early design by the visionary, the label has exclusively re-edited two swimsuits for the Thermalbad Vöslau collection. One swimsuit designed in the typical Gernreich print, inspired by the Wiener Werkstätte and thus with a similar aesthetic to the thermal bath and the monochrome version kept in Thermalbad Vöslau’s blue. The cut merges monokini with a bandeau. The swimsuits, each limited to 50 pieces, were made by an Italian family-run company. Elfie Semotan photographed Lucie van Alten wearing the Gernreich x Thermalbad Vöslau bathing suits at the Thermalbad Vöslau. The accompanying video was shot by Flo Moshammer.