Benoa Swimwear’s Chic, Sassy and (Yes!) Stay-On Suits

Prepare to be educated.

March 1, 2017

Natalie Schack,

There are a couple of new girls in town, and they’re already making a beeline to the head of the class. We mean, just take a look at this report card: A+ style, top marks in quality and a peer-review score that’s off the charts. Would you believe me if I told you these grades came from the youngest kids in the class?

Photos: Amber Mozo

We’re talking about India Pyzel and Luna Courtois of Benoa Swimwear, two North-Shore-based gals whose swim designs are redefining learning “curves.” The duo started their brand at the tender age of 15, while toying around with sketches on a rainy day. Together, they saved their household-chore pennies from car-washing and laundry-folding for their first batch of samples, and, as they got older, snagged high-school jobs to fund the fashionable enterprise.

With Pyzel tapping into her knack for numbers, Courtois letting her natural creative instincts run free and their North Shore community being supportive at every step of the way, the gals’ growing passion project flourished—but it sure took a lot of hard work. (Hey, high school on its own is no walk in the park.)

But the Benoa girls know that sometimes you need to get down and dirty to create something beautiful. Take their latest pieces, from the spring 2017 Lotus collection. Inspired by the quote “No mud, no lotus,” these suits are built to look good and be functional, for active ladies who are into more than just lying on the beach. Surfers, divers and swimmers will love the attention to detail on these babies, which have sturdy straps, support-heavy tops and even a full-sleeve suit that won’t drag you down. Pyzel and Courtois released the collection early in 2017 to get a head start on the year—which is their last in high school!—so you can snag these babies for your spring weekends pronto. Keep your eyes on these star pupils, because we anticipate great things (plus, they’ll be releasing a summer collection this year).

Teach us a lesson? Now, that doesn’t sound so bad.

$65–$145, benoaswim.com.