Whether you buy your bikini second hand via the KOMPAK Marketplace, or brand new, you want to make sure that you are taking care of your bikini so you get the most out of the competition suit. Because let’s be honest, they aren’t cheap so it’s important to know how you can keep it in the best condition possible. Also, if you consider selling your bikini via the KOMPAK Marketplace, these tips are crucial to keep your suit in great condition, as well as clean and ready for sale!

We asked our pals Black Ice Bikinis and Georgia Rose Bikinis what they advise competitors should do with their competition suits before and after show day. The same will go with trunks too!

• When not in use hang up the bikini and put clean plastic bag over it. Why? To stop the crystals & glue bonding together, as well as keep it out of sunlight, which could fade the colour or affect the crystals or glue.

• After your competition you will want to wash the bikini. The sooner you do this after your show the better! Use warm water and you can add a mild detergent or washing up liquid - just don’t go crazy! Wet your bikini straps by dangling them in the water and massage the areas where the tan has stained. You can use a damp cloth to remove any tan marks on the cups themselves but be careful not to scrub any crystals!

• For the bottoms soak them in warm water. After a few minutes remove the bottoms and give any areas that need a bit more attention a gentle scrub with your hands or a damp cloth. Hang both the top and bottoms up somewhere to air dry out of direct sunlight.

You’ve invested in your posing shoes, now you want to keep them looking great. There are a lot of things you may overlook when it comes to your shoes, so read on for our top tips to prolong the life of yours!

Posing Shoes

• If you want to wear socks when doing your posing practise; wear some white socks! Coloured and/or black socks can stain your shoes much quicker when your feet sweat/perspirate in the shoe - whereas white socks won’t do half as much damage!

• Have a practice pair and a show day pair. Why? naturally, you will wear your practise pair A LOT more than your show day pair. Also, if you have a show day pair which are diamanté style such as Cocktail 501 DM, or Lip 108 DM to name a few, you ideally want to wear these as little as possible to keep them sparkly and as fresh as possible!

• Don’t secure your strap super tight. Not to say they have to be loose, but it’s easy to fasten the strap tighter than it needs to be which over time can start to wear down the strap. This is often overlooked so be sure to watch the video below for more information on this!

• Don’t put your shoes next to the radiator, or in extreme cold conditions I.e. your car overnight! Both of these affects the plastic, so be sure to store them in a cool dry place!

Competition Jewellery

• Keep your jewellery out of sunlight when not in use - this reduces the oxidation that can occur over time when your diamanté jewellery is exposed to sunlight.

• Wipe down your jewellery after show day to remove any tan. You’ll be surprised how many things you touch and stain during show day when you have loads of competition tan on you!

• The same as any piece of jewellery you own, don’t store them underneath other heavy items.

We hope this helps with some of your frequent questions relating to the care of your suit, shoes and accessories! Need any more questions answered? Just shoot us a message here.