Basit wears the Tourmaline Thong, Josh wears the Cruz Suit. Photo by Jena Cumbo

Tourmaline Artist Statement

​​This special Chromat collection, Collective Opulence Celebrating Kindred, is all about the sexy fun that happens when you’re able to be fully yourself. Never before has there been a swimwear collection designed for trans, non binary and intersex bodies that places equal value on both comfort and aesthetics, pleasure and play. In a moment when so much in the world is showing us what we don’t want or need it’s more important than ever to have a swimwear collection that allows all of us to bring our full selves to the party. 

Erika wears the Airdrop Set, Jordyn wears the Sol Top and Bottom, Helen wears the Riis Top and Banded Bottom. Photo by Hatnim Lee

SS22 Press

“When I nervously slipped on the one-piece, made with a pouch for people who have penises, I thought of all the times I had to hide and pretend that I had a body that wasn’t mine. This time, I was given permission to not only come as I am, but celebrate myself and those who share my experience. I was asked to let myself breathe and take pleasure in just being me, alongside my community.”
– Elle

“I have searched far and wide to no avail for a gender-affirming line that accommodates girls like me — girls who don’t always want to tuck, but still seek safety through various levels of coverage. To feel these garments, to run my fingers along them as they hung in Tourmaline’s studio, was to feel a dream become, in the most profound way, a bikini”
– them

"It was, in a word, celebratory. Riis was the perfect setting, with passersby whooping as each of the models paraded past in their swimwear. “[Riis] is a place we get to show up, show out, and really be ourselves,” Tourmaline said. “What better place to say that all of us belong in really fab swimwear?”
– Vogue

"In less than 50 years, we have progressed from arresting transpeople for their sartorial expression to fashion explicitly made for those in the trans community. As the fight for trans rights is literally life-or-death for some people, it may seem trivial to attach such significance to fashion, but the ability to be seen, considered, and made comfortable in clothing is absolutely a part of that same fight."
– InStyle

“I’m untucked today,” model Jordyn Harper shares. “This is the first time I’ve ever been seen untucked. It’s liberating. I feel really connected to my body. I feel free. I couldn’t ask for anything more. I get to live life and be me.”
– them

"In creating this collection with McCharen-Tran for Chromat, the duo is bringing fashion to a whole new place."
– Refinery29

Milan Garcon wears the Outlined Top. Photo by Jena Cumbo

SS22 Runway

 

SS22 Show Credits

Creative Directors: Tourmaline and Becca McCharen-Tran
Production: Christine McCharen-Tran
Public Relations: John James Muller
Stylist: Margo Hannah
Hair: Kien Hoang for Oribe
Makeup: Fatima Thomas and the M∙A∙C PRO Team
Skincare: Vacation Inc
Manicurist: Cynthia Vixious
Shoes: D’Arce
Jewelry: Laura Lombardi
Chromat Team: Shayln Webber, Nadia Wolff, Jordan Bogigian, Katlyn Le Leal, Tolu Aremu, J Arriaga

Models: Josh Allen, maya finoh, Xoai Pham, Jordyn and Ericka at Slay, Jacolby Satterwhite, River Gallo, West Dakota, Grace Insogna, Milan Garcon, Ericka Hart, Devin-Norelle, Pierre Davis, Helen Pena, Basit, Gia Love.

Thanks to Silver Arts Studios, Two Dudes NY and Le Bain for their support.

Gia Love in the Chromat x Tourmaline Rashguard. Photo by Hatnim Lee

River Gallo in the Strata Top and Tourmaline Skirt. Photo by Hatnim Lee

Pierre Davis in the Mica Ribbed Top. Photo by Raver Jinn

Ericka in the Strata Suit, Grace in the Airdrop Set. Photo by Raver Jinn

Devin-Norelle in the Riis Shorts. Photo by Jena Cumbo

maya finoh in the Serena Suit. Photo by Anastasia Garcia

 

SS22 Soundscape

Listen to the runway show soundscape by Oscar Nñ of Papi Juice as you explore the collection.

"When conceptualizing this soundtrack, I was inspired by the cyclical nature of the ocean. Waves crashing on a distant shore can be heard in the beginning and end to emulate this feeling of infinite continuity. The opening song is a blend of Anohni’s Water and Dust with a traditional song to Yemaya, the Goddess of the ocean in the religion of Santería. The soundtrack includes a variety of songs by friends and artists I admire in which I found there to be a quality of the water.

Whether it’s a light bubbly feeling, like in akash’s "Waterfall Loops" and Tristan Arp’s "From The Seams"; to "Chhalka Chhalka Re" a Bollywood song from the film Saathiya about the life that water brings to a family’s relationships. Lauryn Hill’s "Just Like Water" closes off the soundtrack as her voice and guitar disappear into the waves. For such a special collaboration between friends and artists, I aspired to create something that embodied this transcendent occasion." - Oscar Nñ

Logo and flyer design by Nadia Wolff