Competing is expensive, and there aren’t many things that you can save on. One of the biggest expenses of competing is stage wear, since the average price for a competition bikini lies somewhere between $500 and $800. Though there are some ways to look amazing on a smaller budget. Here are 6 tips to save money on your suit!
Simple design.
There are two factors that really affect the price of the bikini. One is the time spent on making it. A simple design (a bikini containing only 1 color for instance), can take 2 hours less to decorate. This results in the bikini costing at least $100 less. You can also choose for an inlay with more space between the stones. Your bikini will still look amazing but has less stone coverage. The second thing is the type of stones used. Some brands offer cheaper variants of stones, or bigger sizes of stones. The price difference between A+ quality premium stones and a cheaper alternative can easily save you up $200.
Stock bikini or samples.
Bikinis sold from stock are usually priced a little under the price of a custom made bikini. For example; Competition Bikini sells new bikinis from stock starting from €315. This also goes for samples, mostly former showroom pieces used for clients to try on for size and color.
Pre-owned bikini.
A lot of athletes sell their bikini after the competitions, beautiful bikinis worn only once or twice. Make sure it fits your measurements or ask if you can try it on first before you buy it. Pre-owned bikinis usually sell for at least $200 less than the original price. Vinted is a great place to find pre-owned bikinis, but you can also find second hand groups on Facebook and Instagram.
Renting.
Some bikini brands offer the rental bikinis*. You rent the bikini for the competition weekend. Prices vary from $100 to $250 depending on the brand and the value of the suit. Sometimes a deposit is mandatory. Renting is a very affordable alternative if you’re on a budget. It also gives you the opportunity to wear different styles in a season without having to buy multiple suits.
*Competition Bikini does not offer rentals anymore, due to the high volume of orders we decided to discontinue our rental service and focus on our orders.
DIY your bikini!
A great way to save a lot of money is to make the bikini yourself. You can sew your own bikini but my advice would be that you buy the bikini base and then decorate it yourself. Some brands sell the stones but you can also buy them on Ali Express or somewhere else online. Start on time, because you’ll be needing a lot of patience for this and it’s time consuming if you’re not used to diamond painting. Keep in mind that for the average bikini with full stone coverage you’ll be needing 5000 to 6000 crystals.
Sell your bikini afterwards.
Another way to minimize the cost of your bikini is to sell it after your competitions. Of course there is no guarantee that it will sell but it’s worth the try. A competition bikini in good condition (washed, clean, no tanning stains and little to none missing crystals) sells for about $250 or €225 under its original price.
Are you on a bugdet and looking for a bikini, get in touch with us and lets see what we can do for you!