Halcyonblue sells micro bikinis for the UK market. The owner Paul hopes the ever-expanding summers will help make micro bikinis an integral part of the British beach experience.

- Are there any women you would advise to not wear a minimal bikini?
- That is a difficult question. I would like to advise some woman not to, but it is a personal choice and how do you say it without creating offence. I think most woman know what is right for them and go for it.

- We have had to introduce bigger top sizes for our UK clients and we are adding an extra size to our one size tops for the more busty ladies, but when it comes to the bottom sizes we will probably stick to "one size only" as if the client is too big to fit this size, she really needs to consider something else! 

- You sell both micro and more "normal" bikinis, are the modest bikinis your top sellers?
- Our top seller is the Medium Thong Bikini closely followed by the HB Thong Bikini with Tie Sides. We have added the more modest ones over the last 6 months as an option for girls who want something small and sexy that they can wear anywhere. These are manufactured for us specially.

- We find that quite often a girl will order some micro bikinis and add a tanga style as well, in case they need something more modest.

- We also find repeat customers come back and buy a micro bikini after initially ordering a more modest tanga. So in answer to your question the micro bikinis sell the best, but the more modest tangas are a valuable part of the business.

Men surprising their partners with micro bikinis usually result in lots of refunds
Thinking of surprising your loved one with a sexy micro bikini? Think again:

- When it comes to modesty we have tried to aim our site at both woman and men. We won't have images that are too explicit ie no open legs shots, as we want to encourage woman to buy from us rather than men buying for their partners. This has cut down the amount of refunds we have to make.

- When you go out at night in the UK you can not help but notice the sort of tiny and sexy clothes the women wear compared to other countries even though it is a freezy cold winter night!
 
- One can only assume that when summer comes they will opt for the micro bikini when heading to the beaches?
- I don't think that is correct. You are quite right English girls are more than happy to walk around with next to nothing on when they are out clubbing but on the beach it tends to be more modest. There is no law against thong bikinis on UK beaches but it is still considered a bit taboo. We are working hard to change this.
 
- I think having a company offering a good selection of micro bikinis, that is based in the UK will help increase their profile. It puts a lot of potential new buyers off when they have to buy a bikini from another country, as returning it for an exchange or refund could be almost 50% of the actual item! There are a few companies selling micro bikinis here, but they tend to only have one or two and most are basically sex shops.

- What is the status of the micro bikini in the UK today - Only for glamour models, or something for your average woman?
- It is a growing area and we are seeing our business increasing on a monthly basis. We certainly do get orders from models and photographers (they always want suits for free!) but mainly it is women heading off on holiday or for sunbathing in their gardens etc.

- The typical client?
- Our client base is on average women in their late twenties/early thirties upwards, quite often married with families. They are confidant with their bodies and want to show them off and to reduce tan lines.

- Are most of your customers from the UK?
- 90% of our business is in the UK but we are getting more orders from abroad all the time. Amazingly we send quite a bit to Australia and the USA as well as many European countries. Greece most notably (I have no idea why).

- On which european beaches can you expect to see bikinis bought from Halcyonblue this summer?
- Many of clients seem to be heading for Spain, Italy, Greek Islands, French Riviera, Baltic States and The Red Sea, which seems to be incresingly popular for the all inclusive holiday.

- .. and what about the beaches of UK, if you go for a stroll along the beach promenade of Scarborough or Bournemouth, are you likely to see any of your customers?
- I would love to say yes. I think it will be a long time(if ever) before we do, but I live in hope. We are starting to do shoots for our swimwear in the UK to try and encourage girls to get out and try them and the response has been good but it is going to take time. Every year our summers get longer and hotter so I am sure we will gradually catch up with the Australian and Miami type beaches!

A few more photos from the Halcyonblue collection:

Fitness model Gina Ostarly wear a thong crochet bikini.


A moe modest tanga style bikini.

All photos: Halcyonblue