Women's Acrylic Swimwear: Shop by Style, Detail & Fit

Acrylic is a synthetic fiber occasionally used in swimwear, more common in knit cover-ups and beach sweaters than in actual swimsuits. It mimics wool's warmth and softness while resisting moths and mildew — useful traits around water, even if the fiber itself is not a swim staple.

Where acrylic shines is beach-adjacent knitwear: lightweight cardigans, shrugs, and cover-up knits that you throw on over a suit. It dries reasonably fast, holds color well, and costs little. As a swimsuit body fabric, however, acrylic has largely lost out to nylon and polyester blends: it pills more readily, offers less natural stretch, and recovers shape less crisply after repeated wetting.

When Acrylic Makes Sense

Choose acrylic for the layers around the swimsuit rather than the suit itself — a breezy knit cover-up or beach sweater. If you do find an acrylic-blend suit (usually blended with spandex for stretch), expect a soft hand-feel and good colorfastness, but inspect the knit density: loose acrylic knits sag when wet.

Care

Machine wash gentle, dry flat — acrylic softens and pills in high heat. A fabric shaver keeps knits looking new, and storing folded rather than hung prevents the stretching that ruins acrylic beach knits.