I don’t know if it’s just me, but I feel like a bunch of Australian full bust swimwear brands have been released lately. This would make sense considering the climate in this part of the world, but for me it mostly means that there is still a need for more swimwear options for the full bust customer. I can imagine that it’s not so nice to have to order in England when you live in Australia.

If you are used to UK brands, then I understand that full bust swimwear doesn’t seem “revolutionary” anymore. In fact we really have the choice now. One-pieces, wired and unwired, bikinis, and even tankini… We also have more variety in the price range. Of course, swimwear shopping is still more difficult than it is for small busted people but it’s clearly improving. Also, we got to accept that we’ll struggle eventually when looking for specialized items in a ready to wear world.

Anyway, I have been interested in these Australian brands mostly because they tend to provide more modern designs. Some of them use very unusual and elegant prints, and some go for a simplicity that is sometimes hard to find in the full bust industry. I believe that is the case for Raq apparel. This young brand only offers one design at the moment, but it’s obvious that many people love it already. Interestingly, it’s a plain, black “triangle” bikini. Nothing too crazy, right? Well, actually, I remember that as a teenager, I would have given a lot to be able to wear this type of bikini.


Something light, not extremely structured but giving me a nice support and shape? Something that would not make me look different from all the other girls? A non lingerie-like bikini. Now I have evolved and I can appreciate both the colorful prints that the industry offers most of the time, and the simplicity of a discreet but flattering black bikini. Because of that, I totally understand why people would love Raq products. It can feel liberating to not have to be too feminine in a bikini.
Last month, Raq contacted me in order to gift me one of their bikini sets. I received a 32G/10G and a size UK/AU 10 packed in a cute branded white cotton lingerie bag.

I was a bit worried that the bikini would be too shallow, since many girls on the brand page seems to be a bit squeezed in their bikini top. However, I can now confidently say that it is either a personal preference or a mistake in the size they bought. The 32G bikini fits my 30GG breasts very well. I was happily surprised to see that the brand included an adjustable band. This is not common with this type of bikini and I think it’s quite ingenious. This way, when I wear the bikini on the smaller setting it fits me perfectly. The wires are rather wide but short at the gore. I find them to be comfortable and well fitting for me. The gore tacks very gently and since my breasts are close set, I can see that it’s not tacking as firmly as other full bust bikinis do. That said, I didn’t feel like it created an issue with the fit. Everything stays into place and I feel secure.

The cups are made of two parts linked by a vertical seam. I usually don’t trust this type of construction to give my breasts a good shape but this bikini top is well made and gives a round but natural shape with a little bit of cleavage. They also doubled the strings that go around the neck, which I feel is better for comfort. I don’t feel neck pain with this garment. It is also prettier this way in my opinion.

The coordinate:

In my pictures, I am wearing a bikini brief from Aerie in size Small. I received the Raq coordinate in size 10, which is usually my size but it was really big around my hips so I felt like I could loose it in the pool. I forgot to take a picture of it, but I should have because its cut is different from the one I am wearing. It’s more scalloped at the back and provides less coverage. I felt like it has an issue with the lining, which results in creating wrinkles especially at the front, while the interior part seems to lay flat.

I feel like a size 8 would work better but would also look more like a tanga. It’s also very low rise. That’s an aesthetic. The cut itself is nice but it just doesn’t work for me in this size. I might alter it at the hips to prevent the additional wrinkles and make it more secure. I think the brand has another bikini bottom design on the way, which should fit a little better. Can’t wait to see what it will look like!

Overall, I am pleasantly surprised by this bikini. I didn’t know what to expect but it’s definitely a design I reach for frequently. It’s just so nice to be able to have a non-complicated, well-fitting and supportive bikini sometimes. I think I never had a chance to own anything like this before as stupid as it sounds. I am just happy to be effortlessly cute in and around the pool this summer.

Raq’s size range is currently going from a UK 30E to 34G which is relatively narrow but still a nice start for an independent company. I would love see them expend this range in the future!

What do you think of Raq? What is your favorite Australian brand?

Yours truly,

Wen