Agua Bendita

Country

Colombia

Price

Contemporary

Founded

2003

Founder

Catalina Álvarez & Mariana Hinestroza

aguabendita.com @aguabendita

Agua Bendita was founded in 2003 in Medellín by Catalina Álvarez and Mariana Hinestroza as a Colegiatura Colombiana fashion-school project, sewing bikinis from a local factory's fabric off-cuts on Mariana's grandmother's machines. After Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Edition featured the pieces in 2006, the brand became one of the first Colombian labels to export local fashion; today its hand-embroidered, painterly swimwear and resort collections are sold in more than 50 countries, with Agua by Agua Bendita extending the universe into ready-to-wear and a Cartagena flagship.

Shop Secondhand

Archive and rare Agua Bendita pieces mostly circulate on the resale market. Japanese sites don't ship to China — buy via a proxy like Buyee; most Western sites ship internationally or are reachable with a US/EU forwarder.

Japan · via Buyee

Mercari ↗Yahoo Auctions ↗

US / Europe

Grailed ↗eBay ↗Vestiaire ↗

How to buy secondhand →

Where to Buy 1

Bogotá

Retailer list compiled from public information; actual availability may vary.

Timeline5

2003—2023·20 yrs

2003
Founded in Medellín
Catalina Álvarez and Mariana Hinestroza launch Agua Bendita as a swimwear label crafted by Colombian women artisans.
2010
Colombiamoda runway debut
The brand stages its first major Colombiamoda runway, establishing it as Colombia's leading swimwear export.
2017
Expansion into ready-to-wear
Agua Bendita launches a ready-to-wear collection, broadening beyond swim into resortwear and dresses.
2021
Net-A-Porter partnership
The brand becomes a hero label on Net-A-Porter, cementing its status in the global luxury resort segment.
2023
20-year anniversary collection
Agua Bendita marks two decades with an archival reissue, employing more than 1,500 artisans across Colombia.

2003
Founded in Medellín
Catalina Álvarez and Mariana Hinestroza launch Agua Bendita as a swimwear label crafted by Colombian women artisans.
2010
Colombiamoda runway debut
The brand stages its first major Colombiamoda runway, establishing it as Colombia's leading swimwear export.
2017
Expansion into ready-to-wear
Agua Bendita launches a ready-to-wear collection, broadening beyond swim into resortwear and dresses.
2021
Net-A-Porter partnership
The brand becomes a hero label on Net-A-Porter, cementing its status in the global luxury resort segment.
2023
20-year anniversary collection
Agua Bendita marks two decades with an archival reissue, employing more than 1,500 artisans across Colombia.