Swimwear label La Paz dives into the Indian Ocean to pick out fish and corals for their new collection

Having vacationed at Kenya’s Diani Beach twice now, homegrown label La Paz’s creative director, Radhika Agarwal, saw her scuba diving experiences here as the muse for the brand’s new resort wear collection, Indian Ocean, which launched this summer.

“Every visit to the destination feels like falling in love all over again. The first time, I went scuba diving alone and remember being so overwhelmed by the beauty of it all. I kept trying to memorise each fish and coral, but with every passing fish, I’d forget the last one. That’s how magical and fleeting it all felt. The second time, the moment we surfaced, I rushed to paint everything I saw before the memories faded. The way colours blended in the ocean, especially the dreamy purples, was unlike anything I’d ever seen,” she recalls.

Her hand-illustrated interpretations naturally led to vivid prints highlighting elements like fish, corals and particularly the Moorish Idol, known for its contrasting colours. The standout handcrafted pieces of this collection even include Ganjam Fish Art from Bhuvaneswar.

“A friend of mine, an art collector, introduced me to a book detailing various Indian art forms — and that’s where I found my eureka moment. This dying art form, rich in history and luxury, needed to be preserved. As I researched further, I learned that the delicate, flexible fish is a symbol of peace and prosperity, once part of bridal trousseaus and royal gifts. Today, only a handful of artisans continue this craft. By chance, I met the only family still practising it and after several discussions on blending tradition with modern fashion, the Goldfish Maillot was born,” she reveals.

This flexible brass goldfish is attached to a pleated body, symbolising soft ripples or the fluid motion of fins.

The collection’s colour palette, too, feels like a watercolour painting brought to life, with shades inspired directly by the underwater world — vivid oranges, dreamy pinks, purples, lush greens, serene blues and soft whites.

“This year, we’ve stayed true to two things that define La Paz — reversibility and versatile, multistyle pieces. We’ve introduced recycled mesh ties into several designs, like the Butterfly Multistyle Swimsuit and the Tide Multistyle Bikini Bottom. Our resort wear also gets a special touch this year — light yet opulent hand embroidery, like on the Moorish Idol Robe,” Radhika shares.

Throughout the collection, one can spot ruching, ruffles and fluid, flowing silhouettes like resort dresses, retro and fun coord sets and crisp linen staples.