My Favorite Defunct Brands: Swankiss

 The thing I hate most about going into any place that sells clothes these days is the clothes. Whether it be Walmart, a small boutique, or a larger known retailer like H&M or Francesca’s, I leave the store being disappointed. This is because the clothes are what I call “mass produced garbage”.

If someone were to tell me that the clothes found in most American stores were made using either of the following processes, I wouldn't doubt it for a moment:

Process 1: Take a random pattern without any form or fit, add a haphazard detail like a ruffle hem or a random button, and use a random fabric pattern.

Process 2: Blazers are trending on Instagram? Let's quickly make a neon green blazer and matching straight-leg pants in the cheapest material available. Jumpsuits and polka dots are one trend? Let’s make a white jumpsuit with yellow polka dots using a fabric that’s so cheap any underwear will be visible through it.

I always feel irritated when I walk out of a store thinking, “who is this for?”, while knowing that the majority of the clothes in that store will end up in a landfill because they aren’t made for you to get good use out of. They lack character, soul, and quality. When you buy these items, you're not paying for the garments themselves, but rather the fleeting feeling of acquiring something new. It's the temporary high of thinking, "I got a great deal!" or "This will make a great souvenir!",etc. That’s why clothes like I described above are the norm. Stores and boutiques can get away with the bare minimum, selling something just passable enough so that a few people will buy it. And because people bought the clothes to fill the void, for a quick high, the clothes have no significance. They don’t help you embrace an aspect of your personality or your passion. They just exist. You wear the item a few times, it sits in your closet for 8 months. And a year after you bought the item, you donate it, where it has an 85% chance to end up in a landfill. Considering this phenomenon, it greatly disheartens me when I discover that a brand dedicated to creating purposeful clothing, meant to be cherished rather than discarded, has gone defunct. I believe we should appreciate brands that prioritize quality and uniqueness over the soulless garments served to us at the mall, even if their style isn't our personal preference. Inspired by these thoughts, I've decided to write about defunct brands as a way to pay homage to them. You can still find items from these brands being sold on platforms like eBay and Depop, but be aware that sellers often price gouge these garments.

One brand that is no longer with us is Swankiss. Swankiss was a Japanese fashion brand founded in August 2016. They created clothes in the Larme Kei style, incorporating romantic and vintage elements into their designs. Larme Kei, according to the Jfashion Fandom Wiki, is a term used by the international community to describe a fashion focused on a girly aesthetic. Girly clothes aim to give the wearer a cute and frilly look, distinct from the more mature style of feminine fashion. Swankiss embraced girly fashion by utilizing lace, frills, gathers, fabric roses, checkered patterns, tulle, and more.

Swankiss is the only brand on my list that I discovered before it went defunct. I found out about the brand via Depop. A seller who had a cute Liz Lisa dress listed on their store also had a very unique swimsuit that I couldn’t resist looking at. This was the Swankiss Baby Lolita Swimsuit:

The model looks so perfect in the image! What I love about this swimsuit is its undeniable uniqueness and girlish charm. Until this swimsuit, I had never seen a swimsuit with a big heart on the chest. The lace around the heart and on the leg holes, the rose on the heart, the corset style criss-cross lacing on the hips, and the pink gingham fabric all combine to make this swimsuit undeniably unique and girly. To top that all off, the swimsuit comes with a pink gingham headband with a fabric rose on it. I bought this swimsuit secondhand with tags. I don’t know when this swimsuit was released, but when it did it cost 18,000 yen. That’s about $128. I was astonished by the attention to detail and quality of design that I received for this price. While $120 is not cheap, considering that basic bikinis can easily cost $50 per piece, the bang for your buck provided by Swankiss was exceptional. This attention to detail and quality is consistent across many of Swankiss's garments. They offer a remarkable level of craftsmanship and design at a higher, yet still attainable, price point. While I have never been into a Swankiss store, from looking at their website and photos of their stores, I can confidently say that Swankiss makes clothes for those who want to embrace a girly and playful lifestyle, or just dress that way as an escape on certain days.

I'd like to touch on how Swankiss compares to the general fashion landscape in the US today. When I google "girly swimsuits for women" online, nothing comes close to matching the quality and attention to detail found in my Swankiss swimsuit. Fashion would undoubtedly benefit if brands like Swankiss, with their commitment to quality and design, were valued more than the fast fashion offerings currently withering away in local malls.

Initially, I intended to cover all the defunct brands on my list in a single post. However, seeing that this post is already huge, I think this would be better off as a series.