The crochet bikini or crocheted bikini is a knitted

swimwear A swimsuit is an item of clothing designed to be worn by people engaging in a water-based activity or water sports, such as swimming, diving and surfing, or sun-orientated activities, such as sun bathing. Different types may be worn by men, wom ...

or bikini that has been worn since at least the 1970s. The style gained attention in the late 2010s as a form of boho-chic style and as new brands emerged. A crochet bikini created by Brazilian street artist

Maria Solange Ferrarini The crochet bikini or crocheted bikini is a knitted swimwear or bikini that has been worn since at least the 1970s. The style gained attention in the late 2010s as a form of boho-chic style and as new brands emerged. A crochet bikini created by ...

has been the center of several lawsuits that received international attention. Turkish American entrepreneur Ipek Irgit took the idea of Ferrarini's crochet bikini during a visit to Brazil and claimed copyright on the design. Since starting her company in 2013, Irgit has made copyright claims against any similar swimwear and never credited Ferrarini. In 2019, Ferrarini was awarded her own copyright on the design she created.

History

Crochet squares became a material used for bikinis in the 1970s, among other alternative materials. Actress

Robin Byrd Robin Byrd (born April 6, 1957) is an American former pornographic actress and the host of ''The Robin Byrd Show'', which has appeared on leased access cable television in New York City since 1977. Background Robin Byrd was born and raised in N ...

became known for wearing a crochet bikini during the 1970s, and the look became closely associated with her image. Maria Solange Ferrarini (born ) in

São Carlos, Brazil SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U. ...

to a seamstress mother and bricklayer father. She was taught to crochet at an early age and sewed out of economic necessity, which she sold on the beach in Trancoso, Brazil. As the beach town became more popular, her sales increased. British model Kelly Brook was photographed wearing the bikini during her visit to the town in 2012. Ferrarini signs all of her crochet bikinis. In 2013, Turkish American entrepreneur Ipek Irgit launched her crochet bikini under the trademark of Kiini. The product gained attention after model

Dree Hemingway Dree Louise Crisman Hemingway (born December 4, 1987) is an American fashion model and actress. She gained attention playing the lead in American director Sean Baker's feature '' Starlet'' (2012). She has since become known for her high-profile ...

posted a picture of herself in a kiini. Irgit, who had previously worked for New York design companies, including Max Mara, branded her product by creating a portmanteau of her initials and the word ''bikini''.

Initial claim

In 2014, Irgit obtained copyright protection for the crochet bikini design and claimed trade dress rights. In 2015, Irgit sued Victoria's Secret for a similar crochet bikini. Later, Irgit sued Neiman Marcus and two other swimwear companies for trade violations. Sally Wu, a colleague of Irgit's in the production of the kiini, told '' The New York Times'' that Irgit feared that the discovery process of those lawsuits would reveal that Irgit had not actually designed the kiini. (Irgit denies Wu's claim.) The discovery process never proceeded, and Irgit and Victoria's Secret settled their suit out of court.

Other lawsuits and versions

In April 2018, Kiini filed a federal lawsuit in the Southern District of New York, against Neiman Marcus, alleging unfair competition. A month later, Kiini amended its lawsuit against Neiman Marcus to explicitly add PilyQ,

Bloomingdales Bloomingdale's Inc. is an American luxury department store chain; it was founded in New York City by Joseph B. and Lyman G. Bloomingdale in 1861. A third brother, Emanuel Watson Bloomingdale, was also involved in the business. It became a div ...

, Lord & Taylor, Macy’s and other retailers as defendants. PilyQ is a swimwear brand which sells a line of crochet bikinis under its brand name Platinum. Following the lawsuit, Jason Forge, the husband of one of PilyQ's owners, sought out Brazilian street artist Maria Solange Ferrarini, to negotiate a licensing deal for her crochet bikini designs. Under the terms of the deal, Ferrarini was paid about $5,100 in 2018, and will earn an annual licensing fee of $7,700 in 2019.

Today

, Neiman Marcus,

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

and other retailers continue to sell their own versions of crochet bikinis, while Irgit's lawsuits against them, and Ferrarini's lawsuit against Irgit, continue to work their way through the courts. Ferrarini was awarded her own copyright on her crochet bikini design by the

United States Copyright Office The United States Copyright Office (USCO), a part of the Library of Congress, is a United States government body that maintains records of copyright registration, including a copyright catalog. It is used by copyright title searchers who are ...

in January 2019. Ferrarini's copyright was awarded under the title "Ferrarini Bikini". Crochet bikinis can also be crafted as a DIY item. There are many crochet bikini lookalikes for the kiini.

References

{{reflist, 2, refs= {{cite news , last=Weiss, first=Debra Cassens, date=2019-01-02, title=Who owns the copyright to a crocheted bikini? Legal battle waged by Kiini maker takes a turn , url= http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/who-owns-the-copyright-to-a-crocheted-bikini-legal-battle-waged-by-kiini-maker-takes-a-turn, work=ABA Journal , access-date=2019-01-02 {{cite news , last=Julia , first= Maria, date=May 11, 2018 , title=7 WEBSITES FOR BEAUTIFUL KIINI LOOK ALIKES (FOR CHEAP!) , url=https://chicpursuit.com/kiini-look-alike-bikinis/, access-date=May 11, 2018 {{cite news , last=Carreon, first=Justine, date=May 2, 2017, title=17 Crochet Bikinis That Were Basically Made For Summer, url= https://www.elle.com/fashion/shopping/g29852/crochet-bikini-bathing-suits/, work=Elle , access-date=2019-01-02 {{cite news, date=March 29, 2017 , title= Introducing Ipek Irgit: The Designer Behind This Summer's Hottest Swimwear Brand , url= https://www.thelifestyleedit.com/kiini-swimwear-designer-ipek-irgit/, access-date=March 29, 2017 {{cite web, last=Charleston, first=Beth Duncuff, title=The Bikini, url=http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/biki/hd_biki.htm, work=Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, publisher=The Metropolitan Museum of Art, access-date=August 15, 2013, location=New York, date=October 2004 {{cite news , last=Rosman , first=Katherine, date=March 29, 2017 , title= The Itsy-Bitsy, Teenie-Weenie, Very Litigious Bikini , url= https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/20/business/kiini-bikini-lawsuit-ipek-irgit-solange-ferrarini.html, access-date=March 29, 2017 {{cite news, date=June 20, 2019 , title= How to crochet a bikini for summer, url= https://www.prima.co.uk/craft/a28113822/crochet-bikini/, access-date=June 20, 2019 {{cite news , last=Rosman , first=Katherine , title= Target Pulls New Thread in Bikini Yarn, url= https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/26/style/kiini-crocheted-bikini-lawsuit-target.html {{cite news , last=Givner , first= Ariel, date=March 29, 2017 , title= Kiini, Victoria's Secret Settle Swimsuit Infringement Lawsuit, url= http://www.thefashionlaw.com/home/kiini-victorias-secret-settle-swimsuit-infringement-lawsuit, access-date=March 29, 2017 {{cite news , last=Buck , first=Stephanie, date=March 15, 2017, title=The wholesomely pornographic Robin Byrd sued Time Warner to keep her show on the air , url= https://timeline.com/robin-byrd-show-ed92d1e790e1, access-date=March 15, 2017 {{cite news , last=Sagansky , first= Gillian, date=September 15, 2014 , title= Bikinis Forever, url= https://www.wmagazine.com/story/ipek-irgit-kiini-swimwear, access-date=September 15, 2014 Swimsuits History of clothing (Western fashion) One-piece suits Clothing manufacturers Swimwear brands Crochet