New York - March 17, 2009

Line Forms Here

Lalesso Swim Collection

Everyone’s jumping on the kanga line.

We can’t get enough of these bold African prints swaying artfully in front of us like a pair of rhythmic hips. Oh, how we want to grab on!

So we snake around to Lalesso, a collection of colorful bikinis, shorts, onesies, and cover-ups from two Cape Town designers. Tropical cutaway swimsuits, crepe beach dresses, and silk Hapa hot pants are all sass and sustainability.

After setting up a socially responsible team of seamstresses in Kenya, the designers decided to involve the whole community — from the Crochet Sisters (a group of nuns who make the trims) to the beach boys who carve buttons from coconut to the tradesmen who make the beaded tags.

Adding a nice little kick to your fashion shuffle, shuffle, shuffle.

Available at Kaight, 83 Orchard Street, between Broome and Grand Streets (212-680-5630). To see styles, go to lalesso.com. For information on Soko, the ethical production plant founded by Lalesso, go to soko-kenya.com.