We’ve been dreaming of this suit since we started making swimwear 4 years ago. It’s the missing piece of our personal swim puzzle, a graphic and reliable piece to mix and match with our other suits. And what’s more versatile than a black and white stripe. Of course we wanted it to be original and slightly off - in the usual STATE way, so we customized the fabric by hand drawing the stripes ourselves to make sure they’re not quite perfect. ;) This top is possibly the most versatile piece we've made in a long time. It can be worn to swim, travel, out for dinner, over a dress. The possibilities are so ripe, it's the star of our next styling video. (Where it's paired with a suit and blazer!) We originally planned to call this classic black and white striped suit “Ref” — a nod to its sporty vibe and clean lines. But during our snorkel-heavy shoot trip, a friend overheard us planning looks and asked, “Wait… did you just say La Rat?” If you know us, you know that we love a good ruse. And the hilarious idea of our new bathing suit being actually named La Rat was just too funny to pass up. “Yeah… that’s the name...” And for days, we kept up the joke — straight-faced and totally committed. “Willow, you’ll be wearing La Rat with the floral shorts today,” “Can someone grab La Rat in a small?”Having entire conversations in the car about fake marketing campaigns where we'll really lean into rats and how they're the cool new symbol of summer. (Meanwhile Willow is BAFFLED in the backseat.) The ridiculousness of it made us fall in love with the suit even more. And honestly? Once something is called La Rat, you just can’t go back. Elegant. Striped. Slightly unhinged. Just how we like it. The name stuck. And now you can have a laugh too.
