Manhattan Beachwear

What Manhattan Beachwear does

Manhattan Beachwear, LLC is a privately held, vertically integrated designer and manufacturer of women's swimwear and resort wear headquartered in Cypress, California (Orange County). Founded in 1985, the company operates a multi-brand portfolio of eleven labels — including La Blanca, L'AGENCE, Sunshine 79, 24th & Ocean, Maxine of Hollywood, Citrus Swim, Creatures of Leisure, Otis, Sito, and Layday — plus an expert private label manufacturing service for retailers seeking custom branded swimwear. Design, production, finance, customer service, and sales functions are housed at a single California campus, supporting in-house design, fit engineering, and manufacturing expertise that the company positions as a core differentiator.

The company sells almost exclusively through B2B wholesale channels, supplying branded and private label swimwear to major U.S. department stores (Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Dillard's, Belk), specialty swimwear chains (Everything But Water, Jack's), e-commerce platforms (Amazon), and a network of independent retailers in the United States and internationally. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Revenue is generated through one-time wholesale orders and licensing-style private label engagements with retail partners.

The company reports 251–500 employees, is led by CEO Maria Lowe, and has no disclosed funding rounds, acquisitions, or institutional investors in the available data. It maintains a California Transparency in Supply Chain Act disclosure covering global sourcing guidelines, third-party supply chain investigations, supplier certifications, internal accountability standards, and employee training. The marketing footprint is limited to organic social (Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn) for select brands, with no disclosed AI/ML, API, or proprietary technology stack.

Name

Manhattan Beachwear

Legal name

Manhattan Beachwear, LLC

Website

https://mbwswim.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Manhattan Beachwear is a Southern California-based designer and manufacturer of women's swimwear and resort wear, operating 11 owned brands and a private label service sold wholesale to major U.S. department stores, specialty retailers, and international independents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's Swimwear

NAICS

Apparel Manufacturing (315)

SIC

Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130)

akta.pro primary industry

Intimates, Lingerie, Swimwear & Sleepwear Brands (CRAAAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Swimwear & Beachwear Cut & Sew (IMAOAEAH)

Keywords

• Women's swimwear
• Resort wear
• Apparel manufacturing
• Private label swimwear
• Wholesale fashion

Headquarters

HQ city

Cypress

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Apparel Sales: Manhattan Beachwear generates revenue through wholesale distribution of their owned swimwear and resort wear brands to department stores, specialty retailers, and independent shops. The company also offers private label manufacturing services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Manhattan Beachwear designs, manufactures, and wholesales women's swimwear and resort wear under a portfolio of owned brands including La Blanca, Sunshine 79, L'AGENCE, 24th & Ocean, Maxine of Hollywood, Citrus Swim, Creatures of Leisure, Otis, Sito, and Layday. The company also provides expert private label design, fit, and manufacturing services to first-class retailers, distributing primarily through major department stores, specialty swimwear shops, and e-commerce platforms.

Product overview

Manhattan Beachwear operates as a multi-brand swimwear and resortwear design and manufacturing company. The portfolio consists of eleven distinct swimwear brands (La Blanca, Sunshine 79, L'AGENCE, 24th & Ocean, Maxine of Hollywood, Citrus Swim, Creatures of Leisure, Otis, Sito, and Layday) alongside expert private label manufacturing services. The brands collectively serve major department stores including Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Ave, Bloomingdales, Dillard's, Macy's, Everything But Water, Amazon, and independent retailers across the United States and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• La Blanca: Swimwear brand
• Sunshine 79
• L'AGENCE
• 24th & Ocean
• Maxine of Hollywood
• Citrus Swim
• Creatures of Leisure
• Otis
• Sito
• Layday

Products and services

• La Blanca

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Seafolly: Premium Australian swimwear brand sold globally through department stores, specialty retailers, and DTC. Comparable to Manhattan Beachwear's flagship brands (e.g., La Blanca, L'AGENCE) in positioning and distribution.
• Centric Brands: Apparel brand management company that licenses, designs, and distributes swimwear and lifestyle brands through department stores. Closely comparable to Manhattan Beachwear's multi-brand wholesale swimwear model.
• Becca by Rebecca Virtue: Premium women's swimwear brand distributed through department stores and specialty retailers. Closely comparable to Manhattan Beachwear's L'AGENCE and La Blanca tier on price point and channel mix.
• Gottex: Established premium swimwear brand with wholesale and DTC distribution. Comparable to Manhattan Beachwear's mid-to-premium swimwear brands sold through department and specialty stores.
• Swimwear Anywhere: U.S.-based swimwear designer and manufacturer that produces branded and private label swimwear for major retailers. Directly comparable to Manhattan Beachwear as a wholesale swimwear manufacturer with multi-brand and private label capabilities.

Emerging players

• Triangl: DTC premium bikini brand built primarily through Instagram and owned e-commerce. Comparable as a swimwear brand competing for the same end consumer that buys Manhattan Beachwear's portfolio at department stores.
• Andie Swim: DTC women's swimwear brand focused on fit and direct online sales. Comparable consumer segment to MBW's portfolio and illustrative of the DTC channel shift pressuring traditional wholesale swimwear.
• Cupshe: Fast-growing digitally native swimwear brand with strong direct-to-consumer and Amazon presence. Represents the emerging competitive threat reshaping swimwear channel dynamics that MBW's wholesale model must defend against.

Broad incumbents

• Hanesbrands: Large-scale apparel manufacturer and brand owner with intimates and innerwear exposure. Comparable to Manhattan Beachwear as a vertically integrated apparel manufacturer selling branded apparel through mass and department store channels.
• PVH Corp: Global apparel conglomerate that owns Calvin Klein and previously held Speedo USA. Operates a wholesale apparel platform with major department store distribution, broadly overlapping with Manhattan Beachwear's go-to-market and customer base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/manhattan-beachwear
• Facebookfacebook.com/1170295859662513

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Manhattan Beachwear