How to Outfit a College Club Swim Team: Captain's Guide
How to Outfit a College Club Swim Team: Captain's Guide
By the Bikini Uni team. Updated May 2026.
You got elected club captain in April. By August your inbox has thirty new members, a treasurer asking about deposits, and a coach asking when suits arrive. This is the guide we wish someone had handed us.
Before you order anything: figure out what you're actually buying for
Collegiate club swim teams aren't varsity programs. You don't have an athletic-department budget, a gear closet from the last decade, or a procurement officer doing the work for you. You have a roster, a Venmo group, and somewhere between three and ten weeks before your first dual meet.
The first decision isn't which suit. It's deciding what your suit needs to do.
Most clubs end up needing one of three setups:
A practice suit only. Members provide their own meet suit. The team buys one durable training piece in school colors. Lowest budget, fastest turnaround, easiest sizing.
A practice suit and a meet suit. Two pieces per swimmer. The practice suit handles 4x weekly training; the meet suit comes out 3-4x a season for competition.
A full kit. Practice, meet, plus a third piece (wrap, warmup, or printed bikini for beach trips and team socials). The route teams take when they have alumni dues, a surplus, or a sponsor.
Pick the setup that fits your budget before browsing suits. The number-one mistake new captains make: browsing first, budgeting second.
Sizing thirty people without an in-person fitting
This is the part nobody tells you about. Competitive swim suits are sized differently from the bathing suits your members bought at the mall. Four things to communicate to your roster:
1. Don't reference your last suit
Old swimsuits stretch. The size that fit in high school is not the size that fits now. Tell members to take fresh tape-measure measurements of bust, waist, and hip — not over clothes, not over a sports bra, against the skin or in undergarments only.
2. Competitive swim sizing uses inches, not S/M/L
Most of our women's mainline runs sizes 28-40. The number roughly matches bust measurement in inches. Men's jammers use waist in inches — not the same as jeans size. Most men size down 1-2 inches from pants. Deeper breakdown in our sizing guide.
3. Snug is the goal
A new competitive suit should feel uncomfortably tight on first wear. It will loosen. Bagging fabric in a lap pool means drag, drag means slower times. If members ask whether to size up "for comfort," the answer is no.
4. Order a captain's sample kit first
Have one or two officers order a sample suit in their own size, in your target colorway. Try it on, photograph the fit, share in the team chat. This single step prevents 80% of sizing problems on bulk team orders. The sample cost is recoverable — you wear it for the season.
What to look for in a team suit
Five things, roughly in this order:
Durability before everything. A practice suit gets worn 3-5x weekly, in chlorine, tossed wet into a mesh bag. Most fashion swimsuits fall apart in six weeks of that. Look for "athletic" or "training" cuts. Our swimsuit care guide covers what to look for in construction.
The right cut for your roster's body types. A team has bodies from 28-inch to 40-inch range, often in the same season. Suit choice has to flatter across that range. Classic scoop-neck (like our La Tradicional One-Piece) works for the broadest range. Single-shoulder cuts (like the Boomerang) photograph stunningly but fit a narrower range — see our one-shoulder guide.
Color availability in your school's actual colors. "Navy" and "navy with maize" and "royal blue" are not the same color. Pull your school's official hex codes from the athletics department website. Match against the brand's photographed colorways, not the swatch names.
Independent top and bottom sizing. Only relevant for two-pieces. A bikini sold as a single SKU forces everyone to be the same size on top and bottom — fits roughly nobody. Brands with independent sizing let each member fit each piece.
Lead time. Handmade-to-order suits take longer than warehouse pulls. Build that into your timeline.
"The captain's sample kit is the single best investment you'll make in the whole order. $65 spent there prevents $400 of returns later."
Realistic timelines (10 weeks out from your first meet)
- 10-12 weeks out: Officer kickoff. Decide practice-only vs full kit. Pull school color codes. Identify 2-3 brands to evaluate.
- 8-10 weeks out: Captain's sample kit ordered. One or two officers order in their own size in the target colorway.
- 7 weeks out: Sample arrives. Photograph fit. Share with the team. Open roster sign-up.
- 6 weeks out: Lock the roster. Collect measurements (bust, waist, hip, height, shoe size if ordering matching footwear) via Google Form. Collect deposits.
- 5 weeks out: Submit the bulk order. Handmade brands need 3-4 weeks for a team batch.
- 2 weeks out: Suits arrive. Distribute. Hold 1-2 backup pieces in common sizes for inevitable late-add members.
- 1 week out: Members swim in suits at least twice in practice before the first meet. New suits feel different in water than out of it.
If your first meet is in four weeks, talk to the supplier directly. Some brands can rush a team order at a small premium. Some genuinely cannot. Better to find out now.
Budget reality check (per swimmer, all-in)
| Setup | Per swimmer | How to fund |
|---|---|---|
| Practice suit only | $50-75 | Dues alone |
| Practice + meet suit | $110-150 | Dues + small fundraiser |
| Full kit (3 pieces) | $150-220 | Higher dues, real fundraiser, or alumni contributions |
If your budget is tight, the most effective move isn't picking a cheaper suit — it's running a fundraiser. Done right, a fundraiser covers 30-50% of team gear cost. We have a separate guide to running a swim team fundraiser that walks through the math.
Once the suits are in, your members need to know what else to bring on meet day — our swim meet packing checklist covers the day-of bag.
Five questions to ask any brand before committing
- Do you do team orders, and what's the minimum? Some brands require 12+ pieces. Some have no minimum.
- What's your lead time for a team batch in [your color]? Get this in writing.
- Can you match a custom color to a school's official codes? Most brands will at sufficient quantity.
- What's your exchange policy on bulk orders if a few pieces don't fit? Plan for this.
- Any team discount or co-branded options? Asking is free.
Frequently asked questions
What's the minimum order quantity for a team swimsuit purchase?
Varies by brand. Some require 12+ pieces; some have no minimum. Bikini Uni accepts team orders of any size.
How long does a custom team swimsuit order take?
Plan for 3-4 weeks production plus shipping. From first conversation to delivery, build in 8-10 weeks.
Do we need tech suits for a college club team?
No. Tech suits are for elite competition. A well-made athletic one-piece is sufficient for collegiate club meets and saves $200+ per swimmer.
What if a member's suit doesn't fit when it arrives?
Most brands offer exchanges on unworn pieces. Confirm in writing before ordering. The captain's sample kit step prevents most issues before the bulk order ships.
Can a team customize swimsuits with the school logo?
Possible but adds cost. For most clubs, school colors plus a clean cut photographs well without custom printing.
What's the best fabric for a practice suit?
Polyester-elastane blends with name-brand stretch fiber (Lycra, Creora) and proper-grade leg-opening elastic. Avoid bargain blends — they fail in six weeks of chlorine.
How many practice suits should each swimmer have?
Two in rotation if swimming 4+ times a week. Chlorine damage accumulates faster on a single suit worn daily; alternating doubles lifespan.
The Bikini Uni team-buying angle
This guide is brand-agnostic — every point applies whether you order from us, Speedo, Sporti, or anyone. But: we built Bikini Uni specifically for collegiate athletes. Our women's mainline (Boomerang, Bella Cintura, La Tradicional) comes in 11 colorways with school-spirit pairings — Carolina Blue, Navy with Maize, Maroon with Gold. Sewn by hand in Cali, sizes 28-40, independent top and bottom sizing on two-pieces.
5% of every sale supports children who are survivors of abuse and violence. Your team order isn't just gear — it's a small contribution to something larger.
Browse the Collegiate collection or reach out if you're putting together a team order and want to talk colorways, sizing, or timelines.
Good luck this season. Swim fast.