Hunza G is gearing up for a summer in the city.
The ’80s swimwear brand, relaunched by founder and creative director Georgiana Huddart in 2015, has long established itself through It-figures and summertime hotspots that ooze cultural cool. Founded in 1984, the original Hunza was spotted on Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, as well as Whitney Houston in her “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” video, fast becoming ubiquitous across beaches in Ibiza and the South of France alike. Since 2015, it’s made a similar splash on the likes of Rihanna and Dua Lipa. Now, Huddart is looking to grow the brand beyond its signature Original Crinkle line, while maintaining its cult aesthetic and feel.
To get the ball rolling, she is setting up shop in London’s Marylebone for a two-month pop-up from Saturday, June 6.
The opening comes hot on the heels of Hunza G’s buzzy Burberry collaboration. The Tyler bikini — currently sold out in certain colors and featuring the heritage brand’s signature check — will be available IRL exclusively in Marylebone. “I think for customers, it felt unexpected when it came out, but also made total sense,” Huddart says of the collaboration. She’s confident that, once the hype dies down, it’s a bikini that will stand the test of time.
She shares this belief across the rest of Hunza G’s product range, which she is now endeavoring to grow. The brand is best known for its Original Crinkle swimwear, which uses the Hunza G ultra-stretch tubular fabric that’s specially produced on a circular knitting machine and enticed Huddart to revive the label in the first place. Current bestsellers include the square neck one piece ($255) and Jean and Patricia bikinis ($255 and $270, respectively).
The Marleybone pop-up marks the brand’s third in the British capital. Previously, Hunza G popped up on Covent Garden’s Monmouth Street, which was greeted by flocks of happy shoppers. “It was really us testing what the demand would be for a city store,” Huddart says. “I don’t think you ever know until you try — and it really surprised us. Not that it did well, but how well it did.” This time around, the pop-up is less about testing the waters and more about building out the Hunza G world. Still, the challenge lies again in attracting an audience that would usually purchase their swimwear from beachside boutiques and department store swim sections.
