Vance Bikinis started as a way to turn my paintings into something wearable. Every piece begins as artwork and evolves into swimwear inspired by movement, color, ocean energy, and the places that shaped me

Process:

Each bikini begins as a large canvas painting, created wherever I find myself inspired to paint. My perspective has been shaped by a lifetime between ocean and mountains, growing up in Charleston and Telluride, and now living in San Diego, immersed in surf, skate, hiking, skiing, and snowboarding cultures. Those environments taught me to see the world as spontaneous, adaptive, and constantly moving, which is the same energy I bring into every painting.

I rarely know exactly how a piece will turn out when I begin. I start with a background color, add a single subject, and continue layering lines, shapes, and movement until it feels complete. The process is intuitive and evolving, much like the places and experiences that inspire it.

Every wave of painting becomes a series of prints, capturing different stages of creativity and personal growth. I turn these canvases directly into swimwear, each bikini becoming a little bit different than the other.

Why I started Vance Bikinis:

After creating my first batch of bikinis, I found myself questioning what it meant to enter an industry built around constant consumption while also caring deeply about sustainability and conservation.

I realized that creating something new will never be impact-free. A bikini can never be perfectly sustainable, and pretending otherwise didn’t feel honest to me.

But I also realized that we live in a time where we have the ability, and the responsibility, to think differently about how brands operate. For me, Vance became a way to create something I genuinely love while also using it as a platform to contribute back to the ecosystems and communities that inspire it.

This brand is ultimately about learning how to balance creativity, business, and responsibility in a more intentional way.

Bigger Purpose: 

A portion of every piece sold supports conservation and restoration initiatives that protect ecosystems affected by climate change and environmental degradation. I’m especially inspired by organizations working alongside Indigenous communities protecting the Amazon, one of the world’s most important ecosystems for climate regulation, biodiversity, and freshwater systems.

The goal is for Vance to continue evolving — finding better materials, reducing impact over time, and contributing more than it takes.