Skinz Under New Ownership

Brands
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Details are scarce, but it appears that Skinz has been sold. The announcement was published on their Instagram on December 5th.

We are under new ownership and revamping the brand, store, and website! Stay tuned to social media for announcements and new item alerts :raised_hands:

A new website is coming soon.

We are working on some super hot new styles :fire: We will be taking a brief pause from social media as we prepare and launch a brand new website! Don’t worry though, you can still order all your favorite skinz items on our current website, we can’t wait for you all to experience the new and improved Skinz brand :pray:

For anyone who isn’t familiar with the brand, the Tampa Bay Times published an article about Skinz when they moved to a new location in 1997. They interviewed Paul A. Polgar, the original owner.

Though the colors and patterns vary widely, from basic black to holographic, the swimsuits in the Skinz catalog have this in common: They’re itsy-bitsy.

Teensy-weensy.

In fact, downright small.

The swimsuits made by the Clearwater company run as big as Large for women (sizes 12-14) and as big as Double Extra Large for men (“XL 36-40, XXL Big!” the catalog reads). But the Skinz line is designed for young people who are in good shape. That narrows the customer base.

Even then, not everyone who could wear a sexy, skimpy swimsuit made by Skinz would want to wear one. That narrows the customer base even more.

Despite the winnowed market, Skinz has lasted 10 years, adjusting its sales methods over the years to better fit its customers.

The company soon will move from its leased headquarters on Cleveland Street to a building it bought and is renovating on Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard. Everything is done at the Cleveland Street site, from designing to sewing to retailing to distributing.

…

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1997/07/10/swimwear-firm-buffs-up-business/

The new owner has already raised the prices; the M67, which I reviewed earlier, is now $39 for in-stock styles and $49 for custom orders. It will be interesting to see what other changes are in store.

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Wow! I was not aware of this and find it very concerning. It sounds like they’re definitely flirting with the idea of moving away from the smaller suits that have kept us as customers for years. I think that would be a HUGE misstep! Skinz tried board shorts a few years ago and had to put them on clearance and dropped from the next year’s line. If the new Skinz tries to take the company in a new, more mainstream direction, I don’t see things going well for them. There are plenty of places to buy basic trunks and briefs, but Skinz has always been the source for something more exciting. If they try to make it just a basic swimwear company, I don’t think they’ll last. Let’s not forget what happened to International Male once it was sold to investors who wanted to make it more palatable to the masses. I suppose only time will tell, but it already makes me really sad.

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I think this is a good thing for Grand Axis and Rayze.

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Thanks for the heads-up. Sounds like everyone needs to get orders in soon for the styles they like. The M67 and M77 are great styles, in my opinion. Hopefully, those don’t go away.

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I love my Skinzwear swimsuits. I’ll be disappointed if the M77 and M55 are discontinued. I’m not a fan of the other manufacturers because their fronts have too much material/coverage.

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I had no idea they were under new ownership. I guess that explains the price increase of their suits. Always liked their products. I guess time will tell if they survive under this new ownership.

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I just learned of this myself. I’ve been a customer for a long time and their suits are my favorite. Here’s to hoping they won’t change the fit/cut to the favorites nor abandon the men’s side of the business. Who knows though…maybe they’ll keep the old and offer some fun new styles.

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I love wearing Skinzwear micro adjustable g-strings. I know they are well-made and most of the fabrics hold up well. I always bought them when on sale because the cost I found to be very high. Then you had to pay almost $8 for shipment with no other reduced shipping prices.

I am glad I have a few still in good condition because I will not be buying any new ones at the new prices. I can not justify paying over $40 for a small g-string that only has 5 square inches of fabric. Such a shame because I like to support companies that still make suits in the US.

I have been buying from N2N Bodywear lately. I love their pocket string suits. Almost as small and some of them come in fabric that can be worn as swimsuits.

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Anyone else notice the lack of minimal men’s styles being utilized in Skinz advertising and social media posts recently? Of the few men’s suits profiled by their new Instagram and Facebook profile, they’re all square cut trunks, and the same has been true for all but one of the emails I’ve received. It definitely seems like they’re trying to distance themselves from their minimalistic styles. :cry:

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What a shame. I have also noticed the lack of sale prices under new ownership. Skinz has always been my go to brand, but now I am needing to look elsewhere.

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I actually saw a skinzwear Facebook post yesterday that had a picture of a male wearing a thong and a female wearing a one piece thong. The post was about matching patterns for men and womens suits/thongs.

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That’s reassuring! The email I got from them this morning about the launch of a new fabric showed the guy in a full cut brief, but at least it’s a bit less than a square cut.

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Not much in stock in any more. It’s all $10 extra to make now.

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I’m a huge fan of theirs and won’t be slowing down my purchases anytime soon, as long as the quality remains. Their suits are by far the best I’ve ever worn. As for potential of discontinuing styles, I really doubt it, because if you click on “best sellers” its always thong and g-strings. My favorite pattern is the M45 which is a fuller cut than the M67, and fits my package way more comfortably. Yeah it costs me an extra $10, but it’s worth every penny and always looking for the next new print to have another made.

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BTW - the M45 hasn’t been in the catalog for some time…

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I just got a M77 in today, I got a print but was disappointed by the $10 extra for most of the prints or solid colors for that matter. It’s still great quality and fits the same as my others.

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I switched to Muscleskins a few years ago. I like the fabrics and cuts much better. Thats just my opinion.

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