A.i Flamingo on the Beach Strappy Bikini Set (Made in USA)

July 5: The Bikini swimsuit is introduced in Paris, designed by Louis Reard it featured a two piece swimsuit. He named it Bikini after an island where the USA was testing nuclear weapons. Unlike other two piece swimsuits Reard’s version consisted of not much fabric and a string that connected the bottom together. The model he used was a French exotic dancer at the Casino de Paris named Micheline Bernardini. At first it was seen as scandalous and beaches in Italy and Spain began to prohibit the wearing of bikinis on the beach. However, the popularity grew in the 1950’s resulting in the removal of those restrictions. When other fashion designers began to copy his fashion design Louis Reard is once quoted as saying that it was not a genuine bikini “unless it could be pulled through a wedding ring.” In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s the Southern California beach culture and the popularity of bands like The Beach Boys rocketed the bikini into popularity that has not stopped since its introduction on this day; 1946

History Happens Everyday.