Tabria Majors on Plus-Size Swimwear and Rethinking the Tankini

2 years ago

It’s hot out. Tabria Majors knows this. What she doesn’t know is how some people manage to still wear layers upon layers in the middle of summer.

“I see a lot of people styling their summer looks and they’re still wearing long sleeves and jackets,” Majors tells POPSUGAR. “And I’m like, ‘Are y’all not hot? How are you wearing this right now?'”

I don’t want to wear one-pieces or tankinis all the time. I want to show some skin.

The 32-year-old model and social media personality often reaches for one fabric in particular during this sweltering season. “Linen is such an easy fabric to wear and you can mix it with different textures,” she says. “I’d probably do the linen shorts with a bandeau top and a loose buttoned-down short sleeve situation where I can tie it up or just button it halfway.”

When piecing together her warm-weather wardrobe, Majors prioritizes the details: chic slip-on sandals, practical totes, big sunglasses, and loads of jewellery. Her philosophy? More is more, especially if your ensemble is stripped down to only the most essential layers.

“You have to amp up your accessories in the summertime, I think, to really make the outfit,” she says. “For the most part, I’m ‘athleisure chic’ – I place comfort over everything. I’m not one of the people who want to be uncomfortable for the sake of looking good.”

That approach to style is evident in her newest endeavour, Cupshe x Tabria Majors, a size-inclusive swim and resort collection that recently debuted on the runway at Paraiso Miami Beach. The collection marks the brand’s first-ever plus-size collaboration and includes an assortment of styles that harken back to the neon-filled beach hangouts of the ’80s and ’90s.

As she was thinking through this collection, Majors focused on what felt new and maybe even slightly unexpected. She wanted to put something on the plus swim market, specifically, that she hadn’t yet seen.

“When it comes to swimwear [for plus-size people], typically you have more conservative pieces or darker colours, things that don’t stand out,” she says. “I don’t want to wear one-pieces or tankinis all the time. I want to show some skin. That’s my approach to anything I do: offering something different that is not in this space presently.”

Courtesy of Cupshe

For those seeking more understated options, consider the simple black one-piece with mesh detailing or the gold-and-black ribbed cutout one-piece, which Majors reveals is among her favourites.

“I used to immediately say the colour block two pieces was my favourite – it still is definitely in my top three – but there’s the black glitter cutout one-piece,” she says. “That’s a sleeper. I wore it the other day and I was taken aback by how much I liked it because I really don’t own black swimsuits. It covers enough but still gives you a little something with the cutout.”

Majors’ collection also includes several pool-ready cover-ups, ranging from a sleek side-slit little black dress to a bright pink lace crop top and pant set. In practice, she argues, cover-ups should be “as transitional as they can be.”

“Some of the pieces you could just wear alone by themselves, but a lot of them are interchangeable with the collection as well,” she says. “The colour palette can be transitioned with a lot of the other swim pieces. Because I know not everybody wants to wear slinky bikinis, which is totally fine. I don’t always want to wear that either, so that’s why I like to offer options and make people feel comfortable and confident in what they’re wearing.”