Eres
The Paris house that builds swimwear like couture — a second skin, cut without padding or boning.
Eres was founded in 1968 when Irène Leroux took over her family's Paris swimwear shop and made a radical wager: sell women's swimwear year-round, built like clothing rather than costume, stripping away padding and boning for a second-skin cut. Three years later Eres became one of the first houses to sell tops and bottoms separately in true garment sizes; Chanel acquired it in 1996, adding lingerie the same year.
Paris, 1968. The swimsuit,
rethought.
In 1968 Irène Leroux took over her family’s shop on the Place de la Madeleine in Paris and made a radical wager: to sell women’s swimwear year-round, and to build it like clothing rather than costume. She stripped away the padding and boning of the day, treating the swimsuit as a second skin cut to the body’s architecture.
Three years on, Eres became one of the first houses to sell tops and bottoms separately, in true garment sizes. In 1996 Leroux sold Eres to the Chanel group to grow it internationally, and launched the house’s first lingerie the same year. It remains a byword for quiet French luxury at the water’s edge.
The marks of the house.
- 01Second-skin cut Swimwear built without padding or boning — engineered to the body, not the mannequin.
- 02Tops and bottoms apart An early house to size and sell separates, so a suit actually fits.
- 03Year-round swimwear Leroux’s original wager: the swimsuit as a wardrobe staple, not a seasonal one.
- 04Chanel-owned Part of the Chanel group since 1996, with lingerie added the same year.
“A great swimsuit is tailoring that happens to be worn in the sea.”— Anemoia Vestiaire, on Eres
Fabric as a second skin.
Eres is, before anything, a study in cut and cloth — so the most useful reading sits in our silk and material notes, where the way a fine fabric behaves against the body is set out in full.
Why vintage Eres
is sought after.
Eres is collected for a cut that flatters where trends do not, in fabric chosen like couture cloth. Well-kept pieces hold their architecture — and they carry a discretion that never dated.
Eres in the archive.
About Eres.
What makes Eres swimwear different from typical swimsuits?
Eres builds swimwear like clothing rather than costume — stripped of padding and boning, cut as a second skin to the body's actual architecture rather than to a mannequin. Founder Irène Leroux established this approach in 1968 when she took over her family's Paris shop.
Why was selling swim tops and bottoms separately significant?
Three years after founding, Eres became one of the first houses to size and sell swimwear tops and bottoms as separates rather than only as fixed sets, meaning a suit could actually be fitted to an individual body rather than a standard combination.
Who owns Eres?
Irène Leroux sold Eres to the Chanel group in 1996 to grow the house internationally, and Eres launched its first lingerie line that same year. It remains part of the Chanel group today.
Is vintage Eres worth collecting?
Eres is collected for a cut that flatters regardless of passing trends, made in fabric chosen like couture cloth. Well-kept pieces hold their architecture and carry a discretion that never dates, making vintage examples a genuine find.