Christine Borges

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Emilie Bon‘s journey toward becoming a swimwear designer isn’t a traditional one. She grew up in a hotel on the French Riviera, where she shared her life with many guests who worked in the fashion industry. She spent her time drawing and painting, and after going to school in France and England, she decided to move to Paris to study graphics, advertising and photography.

After stints working for Christian Tortu and Calypso St. Barth (as a designer and a buyer, respectively), Bon decided to branch out into her own line, launching her first collection for Lilibon in 2007. We caught up with the Miami based designer to check out what’s in store for her new collection (think: 1940s pinups!) and for her brand.

What made you decide to switch from being a buyer for Calypso St Barth to designing for your own brand?
Emilie Bon: Working for Christiane Celle taught me a lot and gave me the strength. She and I have similar backgrounds and we both share a love for the beach! I’ve always taken a special admiration in her independence and running a successful business on her own. She was a major influence in my life and inspired me to do it for myself.

What inspired you to launch Lillibon swimwear?
I never came across great swimwear. As a buyer, I always had a bad experience buying suits. I loved the idea of creating a fabulous, retro-inspired swimwear line; something that would be your perfect match. Something that would make your feel good and sexy no matter what.

What keeps you designing?
Lingerie is my inspiration and vintage swimwear. I like to pay attention to the little details. A swimsuit is made from such a small piece of fabric and yet, it is a very complex construction. I’m very fortunate to have a great person that takes care of all the technical aspects. My favorite thing to do is a one piece swimsuit. It is a great challenge to design collections when considering of every type of body and personality. It’s very important that a woman feels beautiful and confident when she is wearing such a small garment. I just love what I do.

Why the idea to combine lingerie and swimwear?
I always thought that going to the water in your lacy lingerie was much sexier than an actual swimsuit, so I decided to create something in-between and for most of my swimwear pieces you can absolutely wear them in or out of the water .

Any big plans for Lilibon in the near future?
I’m working on the next  Spring/Summer 2013 “Love is all” collection now. The print is just gorgeous. It’s a larger collection, too. I [also] have a collection of American vintage printed fabrics that I want to use for a fun sarong collection, and will be showing it all at the Miami Swimwear Show in July. After that, maybe the first Lilibon store….

Prices range from $230-290. Available at Beach, 1701 Sunset Harbour Dr., #C103, Miami Beach, FL 33139